The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-04-12
INQUIRY IS | IMPERATIVE Payne Has Not Acted
 Fairly.
 GORMAN MAKES CHARGES Republicans Ask for More
 Explicit Statements. Culberson Amendment Ruled Out of Order, but German Made Modifica- tions and Eliminated all Prov
 visions for Appropriations.

%5sShs Apth 4i.-tu dn dCTlQ ut- | bate In the Senate today, Messrs Cor man, Simmons and other Democrats free- l " charged that the Republican opposi- l ton to the Culberson amendment looking | toward an investigation in the alleged | postal frauds. was caused by a desire to | keep the matter under cover until after the next Presidential election.
 On the other band the Republican Sem ators averred that the Democrats could not furnish explicit charges and until they did so an investigation was useless.
 MT. simmons answered the recent speech of Mir. Spooner who defended Postmaster General Payne from what he termed as an attack by Mr. Simmons in previous remarks. Mir. Simmons de- clared today his remarks in reference to the reluctance of the Postoflce Commit tee to undertake an investigation refer red to hesitancy on the part of former Postmaster General Smith and not the present Postmaster General, Mir Payne. He reiterated. however. his belief that the investigation had been delayed and also that the present Postmaster Gem eral had not treated fairly the offer of 5. W. Tulloch to give testimony in re- gard to conditions in the department. The act of Encouragement, said Mir. Sim mons, was calculated to deter the work of unearthing the scandals in the de- pertinent.
 Mir. Simmons said he had been charged with advocating the selection of a neti- tral man for President. He (Simmons) had demanded a calm, weil-poised dispo- sition and mind, judicial and conserva- tive temperament, and asked whether that would be regarded as a neutral man. Turning to the Republican side he said he supposed the candidate wanted was who would fPafr 1f khN twentieth century, make new laws when the present ones do not suit. and treaties with foreign countries without the ad- vice or consent of the Senate He said the country has witnessed the spectacle of the President held forth on the one hand as a trust buster and on the other as a safe man for business interests
 "We have had the spectacle of the only original trust buster, the Attorney Gen. eral. who acted as lord high executioner and a score or more assistants" said Mir. Simmons, ''and they have managed to find two trusts to prosecute.
 Continuing, Mir. Simmons asked: What do the people want-a man who will execute their will or a man who will bend them to his will?'' He urged an in- vestigation of the Postofice Department and declared the Bristow report showed that Machen's intriguing was not bold until Mir. Heath became First Assistant Postmaster General MT. Simmons said that only three of the persons found to have been mixed in the postoffice frauds were appointed under the Democratic ad- ministrations.
 At the conclusion of Mir. Smmonss speech Mir. Spooner urged his point of order against the Culberson amendment and MT. German insisted that under liberal construction of the rules. the chair or the Senate could hold anything in or der. The point of order was sustained but MT. German persisted and made va- rious notifications of the proposition in order to bring 1t within the rule and finally eliminated all provisions for an appropriation.
 Inquiry Imperative.
 Mir. German said conditions in the Postoffice Department were such as to make an inquiry imperative. The report of the Fourth Assistant Postmaster Gen. eral practically charged members Of Con- gress with being confederates of Machen and Beavers, and on this account Con- gress could not in justice to itself re- fuse to make an inquiry, The Presidents memoranda in the Machen case, he said. also raised a question as to the conduct of the members and under these charges Congress could not afford to let the mat ter rest. The Departments reflection on Congress he denounced as an outrage and said that instead of there being a question of politics involved. the honor and integrity of Congress were in Ques- ton.
 He pronounced the postmaster general an honest man. but said he was to be criticised in falling to demand a Con gressional investigation. With only four Democrats out of nine members of the -E...f A to get out If the matter was to have an effect in the political campaign 1t was now in the best condition to accomplish that end, because as 1t now stood, he said the Republican party refused to permit an inquiry.
 Senators on the other side" he said may regard their case so desperate that they will not permit any peep into the books. Well, you have the power of course and you can prevent an inquiry If you wish to do so. as you have twe- thirds of the members of the Senate"
 Wants Explicit Charge.
 Mir. Aldrich replied. saying: The l in It's present shape shows | the folly of attempting such legislation l as this on an appropriation bill. Mir | German has emasculated 1t so that 1t Is | of no effect whatever. If we are to have | an investigation let 1t be live one" ]
 Then let us have one,' suggested Mr. | German without rising. and MT. Aldrich | continued: Give us an explicit charge and we will take 1t up. though not on an bill There never has been | and I hope to God there never will be a time when this Senate has refused to a charge of misconduct against an officer of the government. But if we are to have an inquiry let us have a genuine one and not an inquiry to meet mere political exigency."
 MT Culberson said that If explicit charges were necessary there could be subject for such in the case of the Montague indicator and in that of John w. Petit Tn the former case, there 3. he said, according to the Bristow re- port. mystery as to whether former First Assistant Postmaster General Heath had received two thousand of the Ihares of the stock of that concern. In he case of Petit, that individual. 1t las developed, had been on the pay roll ,i the Baltimore postoflce for four years without doing any work and it never lad been shown whether he had been appointed to this work by Mir. Heath or 1y MT. Beavers. He added that the case was all the more pertinent that Petit vas at the time receiving pay from the government and had been in the employ )t the Republican National Committee of which MT. Heath was at the time secre- tary. MT. Aldrich questioned Mir. Cor nan as 10 what particular investigation he wanted.
 "All of 1t" said Mir. Gqrman. 'T want b know whether all of the appropria-