The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1904-05-05
The Cochran Incident.

The Cochran Incident.
The Democrats in the National House
Of Representatives played an ace card
in forcing the Issue on the Cochran
resolution Of inquiry, To all outward
it was an innocent matter
in itself, but in reality it was pregnant
with disaster to the party in power.
Mr.. Dalzell, Of Pennsylvania, who is
one of the majority leaders, based a
serious charge against the integrity OF
the brilliant Tammany orator ON
newspaper rumor. He accused Mr..
Cochran of having sold himself to the
Republican party in 1900 for $3.50, 900,
In making this accusation he laid n
trap for himself aud for his party, and
when Cochran aud John Sharp Will
liams sprung the trigger the authors of
the machine were caught in its jaws
1t was natural that the Few York con
gresham should deny such an infam.
GUS charge, and to prove the sincerity
of his denial he offered the resolution
asking the House "to inquire into the
truth of said charge and to report the
testimony with their conclusions there.
on to this house at its session begin
ming the first Monday of December
next" The speaker declined to con-
slider the resolution, and action was
postponed until yesterday, when he
ruled that it was not a privileged
matter" The Democrats appealed
from his ruling and the majority sus.
tanned the chair.
1t is clearly evident that the Repub-
licans were cornered and did not know
what to do with this matter. Cochran
scored telling point on them when he
replied to Dalzell's iteration of this
charge. If the Republicans had bought
him and his influence his influence did
they not buy others? Did they not
buy the election? The ordering of the
investigation would have answered
these questions, and it would have un-
covered the secret dealings of the party
in power during the last presidential
campaign. Cochran knew whether or
not he had sold himself, and could
easily establish his innocence by hay
ing all the papers and records pro.
duced by the mandate of Congress. He
might also disclose to the world how
much money Mark Hanna raised to
finance the campaign, how he raised il
from whom it was procured and tC
whom it went. 1t is true that Hanna
is dead, but Perry s. Heath, the secre
tary of the Republican national com
mittee, is living, and he has griev
ance. He knows as much about THU
case as any one who had any oonnec
ton with it, and as the administration
has besmirched his character in thu
postal frauds investigation, he woul(
be willing witness for the Democrat
and one who could do the Republican
party great harm by his testimony
The republicans showed stubborn un
willingness to risk the chances of sucl
an investigation, and they did not hav,
wit enough to extricate tn emselve
from the meshes of the net they hat
houndered into. By their action il
ruling out the resolution of inquir,
they sustain the denial of Cochran ant
affirm his counter accusation that vas
sums Of money were spent to carry tn
election Of 1896.
This is one of the most serious is
sues that has come up at the presen
session of congress. 1t is bludgeol
placed by benefcent fate in the hand
of the Democrats. On no logica
grounds can the party in power ex
plain its refusal to allow this investi
CATION. When Senator Burton, a Re
publican from Kansas, now under
jail sentence for accepting a bride
asked for an Investigation of tn
charges that had been preferred agains
him, it was granted without debat
and without dissenting vote. Whe
Senator DIETRICH, of Nebraska, anothe
erring Republican brother, who ha
been indicted for violating the posts
laws, asked for an investigation,
was granted without debate and with
out dissenting vote. In fact, the RI
publican senators seemed to be eagerl
anxious to have the accusations brougf
against him inquired into, and th
party in power not only did as b
wished, but also removed the FEEDERS
Attorney General. who had drawn th
indictment. In these instances, as /
several others, they established PR
cedent which it was their bounde
duty to follow. But it always matter
whose OK is gored. If a republica
member of the prominence of MI
Cochran had left his party for cause
had taken the stump for Bryan in 1901
and had been accused of accepting
bride for his traitorous act, the part
in power would have forced an invest
CATION. That would have been goo
pickings for the republicans. In re
fuslng a member from the minority tn
privilege of clearing his skirts of il
fanny, that infamy being of its ow
manufacture, the majority places itse
in contemplate and and explicabl
position. It's action con firms it in th
hypocrisy which is a patent attribui
of its character and breeds a spirit