The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-03-12
Cannon Proposed for PreSident,
and the House Becomes Frantic

was defeated, IA to 125. a strict party vote
A resolution for an investigation OF the
connection of members with the depart
ment. offered by Representative Mccall, of
Massachusetts. then was agreed TO, only
Representatives Lind, (Dem., Minnesota),
and Gillespie, Dem. Texas. opposing ii.
At the opening of the House to-day Mr..
Overstreet submitted two propositions, first,
that the discussion be extended until Mon
day at 1 o'clock and second until 4 o'clock
tomorrow, TO both of which Mr.. Hay OBJ
jected. He then renewed his motion for
leave to print, which brought Mr.. Williams
CMiss.) quickly to his feet with the declara-
ton that whatever is said on this subject
should be said in the open House and he
therefore objected. He was greeted with
applause.
Mr.. Cowherd, of Missouri, was recognized
and defended the action of the committee
presenting the report. There was no oc-
casion, he said, to refer the matter TO the
committee. to see whether the charges
against members had been made. The re-
port of General Bristow had gone out with
the approval of the President. Il say
now" he vigorously declared. that If we
must answer whether the charge is true
that Beavers usually complied with the re-
quests of members of Congress, regardless
of the merits of the case, the answer is that
the charge is true
RESTS WITH MEMBERS.
Continuing, he said: Beavers TO blame?
Yes. sir. Are the members of the House
to blame for it? No. If members had
made unusual requests upon the depart
ment.'' he said. 1.-The propriety of their con-
duct was a question between themselves
and their constituents. 1t is not a violation
of the law" he insisted with emphasis. 10
committee" he said, could not undertake
to edit the departments report. nor could
they discriminate between the cases cited.
If they had done SO the committee. he said.
would have been dashed from the floor of
the House"
Mr.. Burleson. CTexas). vigorously assert
n that tho enc ha1 Uixran tho onro-
mittee information not asked for, land yet"
he SAID, you laid it before this House. l
say it is an outrage"
And i say that the committee could do
nothing else" holly retOrted Mr.. Cowherd.
The Members of the House. he said. owed
it to themselves that the truth be given
William Alden Smith jumped up and,
holding UP a copy of the report, called at
tention to the fact that one of the exhibits
showed the words White House on 1t. Tie
had, he said, examined the original papers
and the words whit House were not on
them. Il would like to know he asked,
with considerable warmth, who had the
audacity to write the name White in
that report?"
1.-The committee on postofices and post
roads never added a word" answered Mr..
Cowherd. smarting under the imputation,
Somebody did" said Mr.. Smith, with
equal warmth.
"Well it was done in the department
them Mr.. Cowherd replied. amid applause;
Mr.. Cowherd entered upon a vigorous ana
emphatic answer to the charges and epithets
which members had hurled at the depart
ment. Members, he said, had stated the
department had lied and published ma
House. They said the department did il
for a purpose. land then they say the
committee before which members can go
and have the particular case investigated.
But" he said; his words being greeted with
the department, 1t must be done by your
selves"
APPLAUSE FOR COWHERD.
Continuing, he inquired: Are you going
to say to the country that department that
lies about you tells the truth about its
actions? Do you intend to go before your
constituency and the good people of the
United States and say that this great de-
partment which has published this report.
conceived in sin and born in iniquity.' is
the purest and the best and the most ca
capabIe to examine into its own iniquities? -
Loud applause followed this utterance. He
was. he said, a partisan and party man,
hut he put the honor of the House and the
honor and welfare of the people of the
Trnited States-"aye,' he said, Il put the
honesty and honorable management of the
great department OF the government above
the demands of any party that ever lived. =
The American people are not hysterical, he
said. and members need. not be afraid of
their censure because they go to the de-
nartment and demand their just rights and
the rights of their constituents. 9TH
American press is not a press of the vel
low Journal he continued. In the first
clared. and before the facts reach these
great papers. editorials may be published
that never ought to find a place in the
an opportunity TO examine the facts they
will exculpate every man who did only
his duty, but no man who did what was
not. his duty ought TO be eXculpated. Il
say here and now" he continued. that the
sunlight of publicity never hurt an honest
man or an honest administration.
There was loud applause at this remark;
which was repeated when Mr.. Cowherd
said: eff there is an unwholesome ana I'M
healthy growth the sunlight of publicity
will kill it. If it is an honest and whole
some growth that sunlight will only make
il blossom into better fruition for the peo-
pie of this country He closed with the
suggestion that there is but one path you
can tread with justice to yourselves and
honor to the c~ountry-that is a full examl-
nation of the entire postal affairs both as
to themselves and as to US.
HYENA IN HUMAN FORM.
Mr.. Kluttz maintained that members mad
been charged with no violation of law, but
with a violation of a secret regulation of
the Postofice Department. which could not
have been known to the members named in
the report who made requests for additional
clerical assistance. What more detesta-
L Dle,F he NenemSnlly inQulItus II IhC
in human form who would tear aside the
sepulchre of the dead and seek to besmirch
and befoul an honorable reputation" This
remark was brought out because included
among the names mentioned in the report
was that of the late Representative Moody,
of North Carolina.
Mr.. Hepburn took the floor and said there
was nothing i'm the report he did not avow.
What he had done, he said, was within the
limitation of the law. This. ne said, was a
custom which had grown up and made a
member of Congress the means of COM
municatiOn between constituents interested
and the executive department. They have
no other agent here" he said, ito represent
them but ourselves
In justification of his efforts TO secure
additional clerk hire in an office IN his dis
trict, Mr.. Hemenway declared that the de-
partment had failed to use $4,000 of the
appropriation made for this purpose. In
the office in connection with which he was
accused the postmaster gets a salary OF
s.. 400 a year. Out of this he pays SS5 a
month for "a clerk who has to work four
teen hours a day, and 81 a week TO a young
woman who works ten hours a day. And
vet the department says an allowance OF
500 annually for clerk hire in the office is
not 1ustiiable. l deny it, said MT Hem
enway. IF the postmaster paid simply la
borers' wages on the basis OF seven hours
a dav-the hours worked in the Postofice
m would not have a nickel
of his salary left"
Mr.. Crumpacker put himself on record
in favor of a committee of members of both
sides OF the House TO investigate the in
maue against members. Further