Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-10
THE BR|STON REPORT
To Be Referred to Select
House Committee.
PLAN OF THE LEADERS
CoNGRESsMEN TO HAVE oPPoR-
TUNITY TO EXPLAIN.
Indignation of Members Growing as
They Begin to Hear From Their
Home Districts.

The republican leaders of the House have
determined upon the course to be pursued
in the pending embroglio over the Bristow
report. Tomorrow at o'clock action will
have to be taken on the recommendation of
the post Office committee that the Hay reso-
luton do lie upon the table.
The leaders will propose substitute for
that recommendation. 1t will provide for
the creation of a select committee of the
House to be appointed by the Speaker. to
which the Bristow report shall be referred
and all the evidence" against congressman
submitted by that report. This committee
will be authorized to investigate the allega-
tions made against members of the House
and Senate in the Bristow report. Post Of
flee officials will be hailed before the COM
mittee and asked to explain why that testi-
mony was selected and made public Sena-
tors and representatives will be given oppor
tunity to explain their correspondence with
the department and to bring out all of the
details of the transactions for which they
are censured, by Inference at least, in the
Bristow report.
Sharp distinction is to be draw however,
between the proposed drag-net investigation
of the Post Office Department involving the
whole range of the postal scandals and this
specific inquiry into the transactions with
which members of the House and Senate
have been personally connected.
Plan of the Leaders
This is the plan of the leaders, and it is
expected it will be indorsed by the repub-
licans unanimously. and probably by many
of the democrats. 1t is offered as substi-
tute for all other propositions on the
ground that the main question of interest
to Congress at this time is the dragging
into the malodorous postal cases the names
of innocent and unoffending legislators.
The greater question of the postal frauds
is lost sight of for the moment in the local
issue precipftated by the publication of the
Bristow report.
A bitter feud between the legislative and
an executive branch of the government
seems impending. Congress is deeply in
censed at the Post Office Department, and
will manifest resentment for the sending
names of senators and representatives in
directly with the postal scandal The
speeches in the House late yesterday aft
ernoon gave some indication of the depth
and intensity of this feeling.
All day today the Indignation has been
growing members talked with each
other over the features of the BriStow re-
port, and nothing else was heard about the
House but expressions of bitterness toward
the post office officials. Some of the MEM
bers are beginning to hear from their dis
trictS, as the country papers are coming
in, and the comments in many cases are
anything but favorable. One Nebraska
representative was showing his colleagues
today a clipping from home paper which
suggested, the suggestion being made, no
doubt, by his political opponent that
grand jury investigation ought to be had
of his case. That is said to be a sample Of
numerous instances of like import.
Storm Will Grow in Intensity.
The storm which is gathering. and which
was expected to break today, was post
pCned by the adjournment CT the House in
consequence of the death of one of it's
members. The storm has only been post
poned, however, and there is every indica-
ton that 1t will grow in intensity between
now and tomorrow
Some members of the House went so far
today to claim that the Bristow report
was drawn up by clerks of the department,
and was in retaliation for the imposition
of the extra half hour on the department
clerks by the appropriations committee.
This view was not generally entertained,
however and was deplored as bringing the
question of personal privilege down to too
petty base.
For some time prominent men in Con-
gress have been restless under what they
claimed was the growing tendency Of the
executive department to manifest spirit
of aloofness from the legislative branch.
This has been indicated, it is said, in many
little ways, none of which was of sufficient
| Importance to merit notice by itself, but
all of which are remembered at this time
when absolute friction seems imminent be-
tween the legislative branch and one of the
most important executive branches of the
government
In the open debate late yesterday evening
members did not hesitate to charge that
the Post Office Department had malign
purpose in dragging the names Of congress
men into the postal cases However that
| may be, it is claimed by members today
| that the proposed investigation by the Sc
| lect committee will be advantageous, and
| that if the Post Office Department did not
! have such purpose 1t will furnish good op-
portunity for the officials to clear their
| skirts of the imputations made in debate.
Cannot Lay on Table.
| 1t became evident today to the leaders of
| the House that it would be impossible to
| carry out the unanimous recommendation
/ of the post Office committee, made by re-
| Hay resolution on the table, and to thus
! pass up the whole matter. Members of
| both sides of the House, or, 1t rather should
| be said, sufficient number Of members on
| the republican side of the House, had ex-
pressed their intention not to let the matter
drop, to give warning to the leaders that
| the program could not be carried through
| 1t was therefore determined after talking
| the subject over by the prominent men on
| the republican side that it would be better
| to appoint select committee which would
| ventilate the whole subject. Members feel
| that they have been placed in an unjust po-
| sition before the country by the Bristow re-
| port, and the leaders think that an inyeSti-
cation by committee would afford oppor-