Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1904-03-10
THURSDAY EVENING. MAR. 10, 1904

CHAIRMAN OvERsTREET's committee
programme yesterday suffered defeat III
the House. A food of indignation swept
over all his plans to table the Hay reso-
luton and prevent its further conSldera-
ton That an investigation of the Post
Office Department by Congress will be
ordered is now almost certain. Mem
her. nm both sides bitterly denounced
the Payne report, claiming that 1t was
NOT only inaccurate and misleading, but
that it purposely suppressed information
which. if made public, would justify the
recommendations for which they had
been 50 severely criticized. The feeling
was intense and denunciation unrestraln-
ed. Mr.. William Alden Smith, OF
Michigan, declared that he knew that
facts had been suppressed which would
be elected through an investigation by
Congress. This unexpected republican
support for the democratic PROPOSE
ton brought a round of applause
from the minority, in which consider
able number of the majority Joined.
Members declared that they had visited
the Postoffice Department and attempted
TO discover the author of the report, to
obtain from him a view of the records
from which it was complied. They IN
sisted that they we're unable to secure the
information they sought, and Mr.. Hill,
of Connecticut, whose name appeared
conspicuously in the report, said that,
though he had tried repeatedly, he had
been beaten in the attempt. He passion
ately declared that he proposed to "camp
on the trail of the author OF that inia-
NOUS document" 81 waive all rights
and protection afforded me as a member
of Congress, he said, "and brand that
author as liar and scoundrel." Mr.
Cooper, of Wisconsin, declared that as a
member under indictment he desired
every opportunity for investigation and
discussion, and that he was unalterably
opposed to any further delay. lie IN
timated that he could see no valid reason
why a Representative should favor post
ponement unless he were guilty as charg-
ed. Referring to the authorship of the
report, Mr.. Cooper said that the Fourth
Assistant Postmaster General had told
can old and highly esteemed member OF
Congress that he had not prepared the
document" This announcement caused
a decided sensation, and one member
was heard to declared that subordinate
in the Postofice Department remarked
when the request for. the information
came in, "Here is our chance to get even
with those fellows on the Hill.
This seems to have been the intent OF the
report, the Postofice Department hoping
to, partially, at least, remove the
odium that has fallen upon that
department and transfer the scan
dial to the House. This was quick
ly seen by Mr.. Williams, the demo-
cratic floor leader, who said he wanted
the corruption in the Postofiice Depart
ment to beinvestigated, not by the friends
of the men who have been guilty of cor
ruption, but by the House of Represent
atives. Continuing he said:
If a point of order was not raised by any
member we will have an opportunity TO in.
vestigate the we'll known and already partial
ly ventilated fraud in the POstOfiice Depart
ment by a committee Of the House to be Sc
lected by the Speaker, in whom every one Of
us has confidence. The Hay resolution did
not touch the question that somebody at the |
Postoffice Department has somehow included |
in the report the name of man after man in |
ate guilty of apparent wrong, guilty Of no |
violation Of any law, guilty elmo moral OBJ |
liquity, guilty of nothing that bears even the |
tinge of crimnality. What was the motive |
of it? Wasn't il to give the Congress notice |
that the depa' tment had something held over
Congress and that Congress had better let the |
department alone? Are you going TO meet it, |
or are you not to meet it? Are we going to be
permitted to have hearing upon the propo-
sitiOn and also TO examine into the corruption
in the Postofice Department. Not from the
standpoint of the Postofice Department, in
tertwined as men there necessarily are with
one another upon lines of personal friendship
and political utilization, butby outside parties
standing above them and beyond them and
aloof from them and capable of being Impair
tial The Postmaster General had put $50
members and Senators on the list and sent
them into the newspapers under the head OF
Charges, 4" irregularities, etc.
THE TURBULENT scenes in Springfield,
nk.o T,osJau p;rbf on1 tho cuhsanuanf