St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1904-03-16
OUR wAsHINGToN LETTER.


pIoyes The Dietrich investigation
and smoot Trial.
Investigation seems to be the order in
all public and private matters this winter
but especially in regard to public affairs.
Congress has been deeply agitated the
past week over what is called the Bris-
tow report on the post office investiga-
ton. Representative Overstreet of Indi-
ana, chairman of the house committee
on post offices and post roads, upon
January 23d, asked Gen. Payne, the
postmaster general, to give the commit
tee all the information possible about
allowances for clerk hire when those al
1owances had not been continued in Of
fees, and also about leases of buildings
made to members of congress, and to re-
port by Monday which he was unable to
do. February 25th a second request
was made for the same purpose, and to
send report Eat the earliest practicable
date" Mr.. Bristow, the fourth assistant
postmaster general, prepared few
pages but was taken very i'll with the
grip and was not personally able to at
tend to it. but it was ordered to be pre-
pared and sent to the chairman, regard
ing leases only; and facts should be pre-.
sented as found in the records. It now
comes out that Gen. Bristow never saw
the manuscript of lists of names and only
knew what was in the first few pages
under his signature. Under the circum-
stances he cannot be blamed for this re-
did comply with this request of the con-
gressiona1 committee, for they did not
know that it was to be made public.
When it was found that from 1853 to ISL
names of congressman were given in "the
Roll of Honor" as they are ironically
termed, the sensation created in the
house was as if a bomb had been thro wn
into their midst. Republicans and demo-
Gratis had been equally honored and
great wave of indignation and protest
burst forth, rarely seen even in ''the Bear
Garden" One member after another
rose to explain the situation. It was
evident that the majority had not been
guilty of any irregularities" but the
charge was only technical one. Many
members owning buildings had rented
rooms for post Office before they were
elected to congress, and if for term of
years they could not cancel that business
erected building in his town for post
Office, because there was no suitable one
for it and rented it for moderate price
and at lower rate than could be OBJ
tanned of any other party. One member
stated that they hired a room for the
post office before he was elected and there
was no other one to be had suitable, so
as not to come under the law the con-
tract had been made in the name of his
daughter. There was a desire on the
part of many members to free their
minds and there was good deal of dy-
Mantle in the air; some denounced Gen.
Bristow until they learned he was a very
sick man and knew little about it; then
one Southern member said, that this was
supposed to be a government by the
people and for the people, but now it had
become a government by the bureau and
for the bureau. The chairman tried to
house was sup in arms" and not to be
silenced. Representative James Hay OF
Madison, Va, had made the original
resolution on January 5th, asking for the
appointment of committee of FIVE men,
bers to examine the charges in Gen. Bris-
tow's report in reference to members of
congress. Representative Overstreet is
chairman of that committee. When the
matter was brought before the house, it
was decided to allow a three hours de-
bate and to have 4. 900 copies printed for
the use of members. One reason why
great excitement prevailed was that the
reelection of some members of the house
will soon be pending, and where the con-
test is likely to be very close, it may re-
suit in his defeat, should some opponent
make use of it for that purpose. Many
of the headlines in newspapers are quite
misleading it is claimed.
Representative Mccall of Massachu-
sets declared that the public mind of the
country had been so reused by reports
of fraud in the post Office department,
that when whisper was made by any
one that whisper reverberated from one
end of the country to the other. He
thought they should all engage in gen.
eral laundry business and he made
motion to refer all of these papers and
the report to select committee of seven,
appointed by the chair and said commit
tee should be authorized to investigate
and hear members reports and make
report of the result. Representative
Moon of Tennessee, democrat, wished to
offer substitute for this resolution,
asking for the investigation of the entire
post office department by committee of
five, but Representative Overstreet raised
point OF order and Representative Will
liams of Mississippi, leader of the dem
ocrats, affirmed that suppression of the
truth" was thought wise by the republic
can party, but they could appeal from
the decision of the chair. Speaker Cam
non thought that the question before the
house was one of high privilege, touch
ing the integrity of the house in their
representative capacity and therefore