The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-04-12
ALOR|CH EXPOSES THE
DEMOCRATIC SCHEME
German and Others Merely Dis
cussing the Postal Scandal for
Political Effect.
SPEECHES IN SENATE

! WASHINGTON, April 1.-THE Culberson
/ amendment to the postoffice appropriation
! bill providing for a commission to investi-
/ gate the PostOfiice Department, was before
! the Senate all day to-day, and after being
! ruled out of order in modified form was
| pending when the Senate adjourned. Mr.
| German made an earnest plea for an in
vestgiation, saying the Postoffice Depart
ment had cast reflections upon members of
! Congress and that thorough investigation
should be made. Mr.. Aldrich answered that
the amendment as finally modified meant
nothing: that If an investigation was to be
had ii should be live one" He said that
| If any specific charges were brought in
they should be looked into by Congress,
but the demand should not be made part
of a general appropriation bill.
| Semi-pOlftical speeches were made by
Messrs Teller and Simmons Mr.. Teller
took UP the Conrad Bonaparte report and
read the comments contained therein con-
corning Perry s. Heath, former first as
sistant postmaster general and also Mr..
Heaths reply to the Tulloch charges. He
made 10 comments except to say that MI.
these things when he declared Saturday
that there was not much in the Tulloch
charges. But. Mr.. President" said Mr..
Teller lit is unnecessary for me to clamor
or even to howl for an investigation"
Referring to the charge made few days
ago that the Democrats did not know who
their candidate for the presidency would
be, Mr.. Teller said: mo. Mr.. President.
we do not know whether it will be Cleve-
land, Parker Hearst or Bryan. The Demo-
cratic party never knows who il is going TO
nominate until after it's convention meets.
In this respect he criticised the Republican
| party for deciding on its candidate and
| platform eight months before its conven-
| ton meets
TE,IJEp,c TrNNECEcc FEARS
Discussing newspaper statements that the
| Republican leaders already have selected
| their candidate for President and the plat
| form which he will stand Mr.. Teller
criticised the programme as one to which
the masses had not the opportunity to con-
tribute He read statement toNthe effect
that reciprocity would be part of the pro-
| gramme aud asked Mr.. Aldrich what he
thought OF the programme.
| Il believe as you do, said Mr.. Aldrich,
that such matters should be left TO the
| convention.
| Mr.. Simmons said he had been charged
| with advocating the selection of neutral
man for President. He (Simmons) had
| demanded a calm, well-poised disposition
| and mind, judicial and conservative tenn
| permanent, and asked whether that would
! be regarded neutral man. Turning to
| the Republican side he said he supposed
| the candidate wanted was one who would
| overturn affairs of the twentieth century,
make new laws when the present ones do
not suit and treaties with foreign countries
| without the advice or consent of the Sem
ate. He said the country has witnessed
| the spectacle of a President held forth on
the one hand trust buster and on the
| other as a safe man for business interests.
I'VE have had the spectacle of the only
original trust busted. the attorney general,
who has acted as lord high executioner,
| and a score or more assistants, said Mr..
Simmons. land they have managed to find
two trusts to prosecute" Continuing Mr..
| yad he nj
"a man who will execute their will. or a
man who will bend them to his will?'
RULED OUT.
| At the conclusion of Mr.. Simmons
speech Mr. Lodge urged his point of order
against the Culbertson amendment and
Mr.. German insisted that under liberal
construction of the rules the chair or the
Senate could hold anything in order.
The point of order was sustained, but
Mr. German persisted and made various
notifications of the proposition in order
to bring 1t within the rule, and finally elm
mated all provisions for an appropriation.
Mr.. German said conditions in the Post
Office Department were such as TO make
an inquiry imperative. The report of the
fourth assistant postmaster general practi-
cally charged members of Congress with
being confederates of Machen and Beavers,
and this account Congress could not in
justice to itself refuse TO make an inquiry.
Senators the other side he said.
may regard their case so desperate that
they will not permit any peep into the
books. Well you have the power. of
course: and you can prevent an inquiry if
you wish to do SO, as you have two-thirds
of the members of the Senate
Mr. Aldrich replied. saying: THE amend
ment in it's present shape shows the folly
of attempting such legislation as this on
Ian appropriation bill. Mr. German has
emasculated it so that it is of no effect
whatever. II We are to have an investiga-
tion let ii be a live one
Then let have one. suggested Mr..
German. without rising and Mr.. Aldrich
continued: Give us an explicit charge and
propriation bill There never has I BEEN en- and
| hope to God there never will be, a time
when this Senate has refused to investi-
gate charge of misconduct against an Of
ficer of the government. But IL we are TO
have inquiry. let us have genuine one.
and not an inquiry to meet mere political
exigency.'
charges were necessary they could be
found in the case of the Montague Indica tor
and in that of John w. Petit. In the for
mer case there Is. he said, according to the
Bristow report, a mystery as TO whether
former First Assistant Postmaster Heath
had received 1900 of the shares of the stock
of that concern. In the case of Petit that
individual. 1t has been developed, had been
on The payroll of the Baltimore postoffice
for four years without doing any work.
and IL never had been shown whether he
had been appointed to this work by Mr.
Heath or by Mr. Beavers. He added that
the case was all the more pertinent because
Petit at the time he was getting pay from
the government had been in the employ OF
tn Republican national committee, of which
| Postmaster General Payne was at the time
vice chairman and Mr.. Heath secretary.
Mr.. Lodge said that both Heath anC
| Beavers out of the department and
that Beavers is under course of prosecu
ton, hence he did not consider the charge
of character to effect the present con
duct of the department. Moreover tn,
Pettitt case had been thoroughly investi
gated by the Postoffice Department anC
also by the Department of Justice. will
the result that proceeding against tn,
bondsmen of the Baltimore postmaster Il
| recover the money paid to Petit had beer
| instituted. He considered the character O
the charges conclusive in showing tn,
demand for an investigation TO be a sham
Mr. Aldrich said that IL there are i'm
| proper appropriations in the bill the,
| should be considered now, and not through
a posto.fice investigation.
, At 6:16 the Senate adjourned with tn,
postoffice appropriation bill still pending.
SEVEN MEN TO WORK