The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-03-10
ALL INDIGNANT
 AT CHARGES MADE Congressman DenouMe Bris- tow Report as Infamous. IS WORK OF A SCOUNDREL General Grosvenor Makes Vigorous Speech of Protest and Is cheered
 By Members and Crowd
 ed Galleries.

Washington March 9-when the house met the invocation was delivered by the Rev. J. J. Deliver father of Senator Dol liver of Iowa. Immediately thereafter, Bourke Cochran, who was elected to suc- ceed Mayor Mcclellan from the Twelfth district of New York, was worn in. Upon being escorted to the speakers desk by Mir Sulzer, MT. Cochran was greeted with applause from the galleries.
 bill was passed authorizing the Chi cago, St. Louis and New Orleans Rail- road company to construct a bridge across the Tennessee river near Culbertville, Ky.
 Mir Overstreet of Indiana, chairman of the committee on postoffices and post roads, was then recognized. He had, he said consulted with members on both sides of the house who desired more than three hours to discuss the Hay resolu- tion bearing on the Bristow charges in connection with postal affairs. He there- fore suggested a postponement of the consideration of the resolution until Mon- day.
 Representative Williams Agrees.
 MT Williams of Mississippi agreed to this provided the time would be extended to two and a half hours on each side.
 MT Hay of Virginia. the author of the resolution, objected
 l MT. Hepburn of Iowa said that any investigation of the postoffice department would not elicit any facts not brought out by the committee report.
 'I say an investigation would elicit n nd hot tlo e. suppressed" retorted William Allen Smith amid loud applause from the floor and galleries. But I undertake to say. J replied MT. Hepburn, in the meanwhile members crowding around him, that the situation will be met by the opponents of ours when the opportunity comes to ex- press their views in a minority report on the postoffice appropriation bill. I im- ag1ne they will give the gentlemen an opportunity to get alleged suppressed in- formation"
 MT Smith then with great vehemence said: We ought to have that opport,,- nifty on this side"
 No Member Wants to Screen. Yes" answered MT. Hepburn, "and undertake to say there is no member ot this house who desires to screen anybody In this matter" He was applauded at this remark and continuing said: Has there | ever been time when the efforts of this government have been so strenuousIy ex- erted to bring criminals to justice as in relation to this matter?' He said he thought the republicans could very well | follow the lead of their democratic breth- ren, who advise to lay on the table the only matter that Is not properly before the house."
 MT. Williams said he wanted the cor | rupted In the postoffice department to bs investigated, not by the friends of the men who have been guilty. of corruption. but by the house of representatives. If point of order Is not raised by any mem- Der" he said, I've will have an opportuni- ty to investigate the well known and al- ready partially ventilated fraud in the postoffice department by a committee of the house appointed by the speaker, in whom everyone of us has confidence" | As to the Hay resolution MT. Williams | said 1t did not touch the question that somebody at the postoffce has somehow 1 included in the report the name of man l after man in the house and senate guilty of no apparent wrong guilty of no viola tion of any law; guilty of no moral ob- 1 liquity and guilty of nothing that bears even the tinge of criminality." | Was Motive Behind It.
 What was the motive of it?" he vigor- ously inquired. Wasn't 1t to give the congress notice that the department held something over congress and that con- gress had better let the department alone?' he inquired, his words being | drowned by applause from both sides Are you going to meet it," he demanded | Tor are you not?
 Are we going to be permitted to have a hearing" he further asked, upon the pro- position and also to examine Into the cor ruption of the postoffice department?
 Not he said. from a standpoint of | the postoffice department, intertwined there as men necessarily are with one an. l other upon lines of personal friendship and political affiliation, but by outside parties now standing above them and be- yond them and aloof from them, and capa- ble of being impartial.
 "The postmaster general he said, had I put 150 members and senators on the list and sent them in to the newspapers under ] the head of charges Irregularities, etc. !.
 Mir. Hay of Virginia said he did not al. together agree with MT. Williams T believe there ought to be an investigation | of these charges against members" he | said.
 | Is Member Under Indlctment7 l Mir. Cooper of Wisconsin followed. and said he was one of the members under in- dictment No member of the house whose name was in the list coupled with that of A. W, Machen, whom the country knows and the world knows is a convicted felon on his way to the penitentiary, has the right to stand up in the house and ask | for a months delay upon the resolution ' l This remark solicited loud applause from | both sides of the house, and in the gal | Ieres, which by this time had filled up to the limit. Speaking with much feeling and earnestness. Mir Cooper said: Who knows better than I do whether I am | guilty"
 One man convicted was democratic appointee and the other ''wnom we expect to go on the same road Is a republican. He said that President Roosevelt had directed the prosecution of members of 1 his own party.
 Mir. Moon of Tennessee next got the 1 floor and facing the republican side, said that if the point of order was made. you stand as protecting shield against an in- | yestf ga tiOn."