The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-03-16
GRBGCS IS CAUST|C
The Georgian Delivers
Thrusts That EnIiyen
the House.
(By the Associated Press.)

Washington, March 15.-Durlng the dis
cussion of the Postoffce Appropriation
bill in the House today the recent report
of the Postoffce Department regarding
Congressional solicitation of clerk hire al
lowances and rental of quarters to the
government was again brought up. NJ
Griggs, of Georgia, got into an argument
with Mr.. Cooper, of Wisconsin, as to the
authorship of the document and insisted.
over the protest of Mr. Cooper, that 1T
was prepared under the direction OF Mr.
Bris.ow.
Discussing the prohibition in the bill
that rural carriers shall not after July
l. 1904 solicit business or receive orders
of any kind from any person, firm or cor
poration, Mr.. Griggs said that if these
carriers were permitted to act as agents
he wanted the law so framed that the
carrier would not become a dictator as to
what newspapers he shall carry or the
trades people he shall represent. The Law,
he said, should REQUIRE them to accent
orders equally and irnpartially from every
body He assailed the letter carriers OF
SANITATION for the manner of making its
demands upon Congress and said the car
riers he'd made an effort to intimidate
Congress into acceding to these demands.
He was interrupted by Mr.. Burleson.
(Texas) who asked if the executive order
prohibiting government emnloyes from
lobbying before Congress was ''jest.'
II always have thought so, Mr.. Griggs
replied. and he said further that if he
was representing the present occupant of
the White House as his attorney, he would
enter a plea of guilty and stop further
investigation.
Mr.. Griggs referred to the recent report
OF the Postoffice Department as ''the
Bristow report and this opened UP
fresh discussion of that now famous docu-
ment which had brought forth such
storm of Indignation from members OF
the House. He said that as a member
of the committee he did not see how they
could have done otherwise than make the
report public
Was there anything in it which au-
thorized the committee to print that data
under the heading charges concerning
members of Congress- y inquired Mr. Coop
err CWisl
Mr.. Griggs said he. of course. did not
endorse that and it was unfortunate.
whereupon Mr. Overstreet chairman of the
committee, explained that as soon as he
saw the heading he notified the Govern
ment Printing Office that it was not
justified by the manuscript.
Mr. Cooper sarcastically remarked that
he never had known the government
printing office to print anything that was
not on the copy.
Il understand the heading was written
in the Postofhce Department Mr.. Griggs
said in reply.
Mr. Bartlett (Ga) said the House soon
would find out who was responsible for it.
General Grosvenor suggested that it
no to no
knew more. about the matter. but Mr.
Cooper insisted that the report should not
be credited to General Bristow.
Mr.. Griggs, however. maintained that
it was Bristow's report.
Continuing, he said it had leaked out
that the committee were in possession of
information that would condemn members
of Congress.
In the committee, he said. he had con-
tended that if there were to be leaks ii
was the committees duty to make it pub
nc; which they very properly had done.
The United States he said lis too
powerful and too great to convict any
man by suppression of facts.
But" he said, 'if the publication of
ali those things would convict not only
men under indictment. but men higher up
or lower down. the report should be taken !
Tor what ii is worth
II there were men in the inspection
service, he declared, who We're afraid to
have their reports see daylight such men |
ought to be gotten rid of ~and men put |
III who were not afraid. There was yet |
more of the report, he said, the reports of
inspectors which ought to go before the !
public. He called attention to what he |
termed the ridiculous position the House |
had placed itself in"
We sought to investigate the Postoffice |
Department he said, "and you gentle |
men turned out here like hornets and in
sisted that the whole department from top !
to. bottom must be investigated /
Both Republicans and Democrats he |
said, further had declared that they would |
tear the roof off the old thing" and |
he incurred What did you do? The |
House got scarey and turned tall Amid |
laughter and applause he chided the men,
bers OF the House with having started /
out 10 investigate the department and |
wound up by having the department in
vestigate them. THAT was great coup
on the part of the department, he said,
with sarcasm. He poked fun at the Re-
publcans for having so readily yielded to
the persuaslons of the party leaders and
voting against departmental investiga-
ZION, adopting instead "a miserable reso-
luton investigating yourselves The Re-
publican organization, he said. was the
finest IN the world. There is nothing
like it, he continued, from julius Caesar
down to General Roosevelt" which latter
remark provoked much laughter No
conquerng hero. said he, every marched /
before better drilled hosts than does the
republican leader. Mr. Payne. at which
there was more laughter, only to break out
again when he referred to Ir Dalzell as
lieutenant
Mr. Griggs then said the present sys-
tenn which had grown up in the depart
ment, requiring members to go PERSONAL
ly and ask for what their constituents
were entitled to, was wrong.
The secret regulations of the Postoffice
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