The Washington times., 1904-03-13
SEEKING THE EFFECT
OF BRISTOW CHARGES
Members of Congress Counting Political Cost of Having
Names Associated With Postofice Corruption

Now that a calm has come after a
week Of raging storm in the House over
the sO-caHed Bristow charges concern
ing members both Republicans and
Democrats are considering what the
possible political effect Of # all Will be.
In the fury of the tempest. when
members keenly felt the sting of having
their names linked directly with those
Of Beavers and Machen In connection
with the Postoffice scandals. and were
seeking to vind:cate their characters
from the reproach cast upon them,
there was little opportunity 70 give
careful and deliberate thought 10 the
politics Of the matter. Then they were
seeking to preserve their regulations
against what must In all fairness and
justice be rega rded as unjust attacks.
Now they are in a position TO review
the happenings and scan the printed
uJterances Of the past week, and with
these make an attempt 10 figure out
what the result VIII be.
There exists difference Of opinion.
The House leaders who are safe enough
anyway, and whose constituents would
demand of them no explanations under
any circumstances, believe that a great
effort has been made to make some
thing out Of nothing, that the whole
affair is but the incident of a passing
hour. or rather. a passing week. and
that by the time the people come to
vote next November the charges con
corning members will have been quite
forgotten by the people; that they VIII
have been submerged in the considera-
ton OF the more important issues of
the great national campaign, and. in
short. that they viii cut little If any
figure.
Some SWIM Suffer.
In many cases, doubtless, that viii
be true, but in others, no matter how
honest and upright may have been the
course pursued by the individual men,
Der. the fact remains. his name was as
ISOLATED. with charges" and his politi-
cal enemies viii seek to make all the
capital possible out of It, He viii be
obliged 10 do a heap" of explaining.
and man is always at a disadvantage
in political campign when he is forced
TO explain anything. There is always a
large clement among the voting pOpu-
latioa which ridicules explanations, aud
no matter how just they may be de-
clines to accept them. and where the
personality and popularity of the MEM
Der are not especially strong he is like
~ to suffer.
II this is tie case the Republicans
will be likely to suffer most. because
there were more of them. and they are
calculated of course, to have greater
influence than Democrats with the Of
ficials of their own partisan administra-
ton. Many have determined to make
an effort to turn the charges 20 their
own benefit by showing that by doing
what they did they We're working in the
interests Of their constituents and do
ing their duty az members Of Congress
In some instances this may serve TO
offset the stigma of the word charges. -
but the general public win not be as
ready to accept this sort Of an explana-
ton az the individuals especially inter
estcd in the results Obtained by the in
huence" of their members.
There can be no doubt that the report
OF the committee Of seven. of which Mr.