Daily Kennebec journal., 1904-03-16
CAPITAL CHAT.
Two Senatorial Hearings Now
Being Held.
Great Interest in the Sensational
Smoot Case.
Li.t,e Interest in the Investigation Of
Senator Dietrich.

tigation of two Senators. Daily now
the doors of two Senate committee
rooms stand open. Within the specta-
tor sees half dozen Senators or more.
seated around an oval table, patiently
to what some witness has 70
say or hauling him over the Goals in q
careful cross examination. Both hear
iugs are in the same corner of the Cap
itol the northwest corner. but one is on
the basement floor and the other on the
CELERY floor.
The first possesses little interest for
the public. That is the investigation
Of Senator Dietrich, of Nebraska, which
Senator Hoar is conducting. A Yankee
sits 1T the door during all
the hearings and admission is not easy,
except for Senators and newspaper
Mr.. Dietrich sits near
the committee table. de is a heavy
set man, of dark cast Of countenancc
and. as his name indicates. is of Ger
man extraction. He requested the in
vestigation, because n federal court iii
Nebraska acquitted him on 4 technical-
ity ana thus left a cloud upon his char
acter He has the ableSt lawyers i'll
the Senate sitting on his case. Proba-
bly, no man in recent times has been
tried by a more distinguished jury, for
that is what the investigation amounts
to. Senator Hoar. the chairman of the
special committee which Senator Frye
designated, is Il great stickler for the
proprieties. The German witnesses in
the case are Il tumultuous lot but Mr..
Hoar rules over them with an iron
hand The scene is generally peace
full one in the committee room and well
in keeping with the dignity of the fine
mahogany furniture and the other
placid surroundings.
Two flights up by the elevator, there
is Il more turbulent and Il more crowd
ed scene in the room of the committee
on privileges and elections. Women rs
well as men fight at the entrance un-
less restrained by n Capitol policeman
| in uniform, for the privilege of getting
inside to look at the great burly Nor
| mons, who are polygamists, and hcar
! the testimony as to whether Senator
I Reed Smoot of Utah should be ouStei
| from his seat. But while the Mormon
polygamists have generally been men
of sturdy physQueS, VINO could stanl
Ian encounter with Senator Dietrich.
|
who also sits near the committee table,
Ian impassive witness of all that is go
ing on, looks frail. He is tall and slen-
der. wears his hair pompaGcur. and has
q nose that very perceptibly turns up
at the erd. Sometimes he gets red in
the face. as particularly damaging tes-
timony is presented, but generally he
sits bolt upright and does not betray
| \; ~
Burrows, of Michigan. who presid IS
over those hearings, himself has very
patriarchal appearance. except that he
has no long white beard. His full beard,
however is streaked with gray and he
has a heavy and rather fatherly voice.
Until Senator Hoar WAS occupied with
the Dietrich hearing he also sat in the
committee on privileges and elections.
OF which he is a member, next 70 Chaif-
man Burrows and was one of the most
searching questionerS around the COM
inittee table.
1t will be remembered that weeks
ago Senator Hale, in 4 brief speech.
called halt to the sneering attitude of
many senators and others towards the
protests against Mr.. Smoot. While no
one can yet tell what the Senate will
finally do with Mr.. Smoot. MIR. Hale
warning was certainly timely one, as
the remarkable disclosures of the tes-
timony of Mormons before the Com
imittee have demonstrated. From evi-
licences received here in Washington, II
is plain that nothing in recent years
has occurred which has so severely
shocked the moral sense of the country
as the testimony OF President Joseph
+. Smith. Of the Mormon church. and
Mr.. Francis NJ. Lyman. who is in lire
TO Immediately succeed him in the
presidency.
Most OF the Mormons who have come
here to testify are men of large means.
They live at good hotels in the town
and. while they live frugaily. they live
in good style. They are not much ac-
customed to city ways, Smith and Ly-
man. who stopped at the Raleigh hotel,
generally ate a supper of bread and
milk and ice cream. at about the hour
when most Washingtonians. are ea,-
ing their dinner. the heaviest meal of
the day. But all Washington for that
matter. dimes in the evening. where
most people of the country dine in the
middle of the day. This modest menu
of the Mormons surprised the servants
about the Raleigh. who We're accus-
toned to more sumptuouS orders from
the guests.
When the Reed Smoot hearings arc
concluded there will be several volumes
of government books to show for what
has been said for and in behalf of Sen
ator Smoot Every word of the testi-
mony is taken down by an expert stem
ographer and within day or two
comes back from the Government
Printing Office in pamphlet form.
Copies of these daily reports are kept
on the committee table for each one OF
the Senators who are members.
After the committee has framed up
its verdict, there will be long debate
in the Senate, probably as long a de-
bate as has occurred on any case of q
kindred character for many years. But.
- Il l~l~