The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-03-11
ROOSEVELT WAS
 THE |NST|GATOR Suggested BriStOw Report h. dieting Members of Congress ALL ARE IN ANGRY SPIRIT Claim That People VIII Not Under. stand the Charges and That Re-
 port Is Liable to Un-
 seat Them.
ALL ARE IN ANGRY SPIRIT
BY wArrERsoN sTEALEY.

Washington, March lO - 0Speclal)- There Is az rowing impression among that very. large number of republican members of congress who are supporting Roosevelt under protest that the Bristow report h. dieting members was sent to congress really at the instance of the President through the postmaster general. The President is against general inVestiga- tion of the postoffice department. F1lr- ther investigations he knows, as does everyone else, will simply uncover further republican rascality
 Strange as 1t may seem the President expects to make the postoffice frauds and the investigation one of his trongest cam paign cards. Of course, little is to De said about the frauds per SC, but the investigation is to be made the text or continued sermons on civic virtue. By de- crying the corruption in his own admins tration the President reasons that the people will lose sight of that corruption: According to the belief Of numper oi me .nbers the President thereiore leeis satisfied oyer the present political status of inc nostoffice scandals, and desires the matter to rest where 1t Is.
 Would Deprive nm VT N'SN@
 A congressional investigation would de- tract considerably from that so-caheo credit due the executive branch TOT the Bristow investigation. The BrlstoW re- port placing the names or mempers ol congress in the Machen ana beaVers class is believed by many to have been threat aimed by the executive branch at the legislative to prevent the lae'er rum making an Investigation
 Yesterday the republican side of the house as well as the democratic was in an angry spirit over the Bristow report Today things are not quite so bad ana IL ia expected that by tomorrow the repupll- can side wil have about reached It's nor nal temperatire and be willing to do most anything the party leaders want done The party whip is cracking long and loud. and there will be few to Kick over the traces The republican leaders have ordered the Hay resolution to be voted down. In its place a resolution will be passed providing for the appointment of a select committee to investigate the charges Bristow inferentially makes In his report against members. The dem ocrats will attempt to amend this privi- legged resolution by asking for general investigation of the postofflce department.
  on the ground that 1t Is not privileged. The main question will then come on sus- taining the decision of the chair.
 Can Show Their Position.
 If the republican side is really as angry over the whole matter as 1t pretends to be 1t will vote with the democrats against sustaining Speaker Cannon's decision and thus order a general investigation of tho grafters in and out of the postoffice de- partment. If on the other hand the re- publican side is to be satisfied with sim ply an investigation of the Bristow re- port, which means nothing, 1t will sus- tain the speaker Heretofore the leaders have won out in anything they wanted and 1t Is reasonable to suppose that the amendment for a general investigation will be indirectly voted down.
 Many members of congress who are mentioned in the Bristow report and who have not yet been renominated say the publication of this report will undoubt- edly do them harm.
 People Do Not Understand.
 '"The people" one of them said this morning, "do not understand these ref erences of Bristow but imagine that ev- cry member whose name Is mentioned in the report is as bad as Machen and Beavers. Here are perhaps two hundred members who within few weeks or months will be before nominating con ventions. It is out of the question to suppose that their enemies will not make the most of these postal disclosures and seek to show that the men named therein are really guilty of something reprehen- sible.
 Tn close districts the effect of this can be ina gined. Undoubtedly a number of representatives will be defeated because of tha charges" f"