Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-07
ADOPTED BY SENATE
Action on the Tillman Bank
Resolution.
POLITICAL DONATIONS
CONTRIBUTIONS BY INSURANCE
COMPANIES DISCUSSED.
After Debate of More Than Usual In
terest and Animation Adjourn
ment to Monday is Taken.

Senate the Vice President designated
| Messrs. Lodge and Bacon to serve on the
| board of regents of the Smithsonian Instl-
| tuition.
| The Senate granted a request made by
| Mr.. Culberson for the printing of a docu-
| ment prepared by Allison Mayfeld, MEM
| Der of the railroad commission OF Texas,
| In reply to attacks made before the inter-
state commerce committee on the railroad
laws of Texas by Victor Morrowitz of New
| York, when the latter gentleman was be-
| fore the committee as witness.
| At tie instance of Mr.. Gallnger a resolu-
ton directing the committee naval at
fairs to investigate the condition Of the old
| frigate Constitution with view to its re-
pair was adopted.
Banks Campaign Contributions.
| Mr.. Tiiiman called up his resolution call
| ing upon the Secretary of the Treasury for
| information as to whe her the reports of
bank examiners show the payment OF cam
paiga contributions 10y national banks and
addressed the Senate. Outlining his reasons
for the inquiry. he called attention to the
| recommendation made by the President in
| his annual messages of 1904 and 1905 Tor the
enactment of a law Tor protection against
bribery and corruption in connections with
| elections. He quoted with especial en-
| phasis the Presidents remarks concerning
campaign contributions by corporations.
Our chief executive has taken a very
| progressive stand to secure purity II eiec-
tons he said. and added: Every good
American viii say Well done ami look
| for progress along that line"
He also quoted atements by Secretary
| Root and Perry Belmont OF New York, of
| the same tenor as the Presidents reina. ks,
| saying that he would be impartial as be-
| tween political parties.
!. Hg SGpr IA ft- aif.fnt mt
! have the facts wanted, but he thought he
| ought to have. Incidentally, Mr.. Tillman
| said that be had been informed that the
controller OF the currency has been i,avcsii-
| eating the subject of bank contributions
with the view of instituting legal proceed
| ings.
Before Mr. Tiilman had proceeded far MIR.
| Gallinger, who had yesterday objected TO
| the consideration of the resolution at that
time. said that he had done only for the
purpose of inspecting 1t, that he had done
| so and being entirely satisfied as to its pro-
priety. would support the resolution.
| Continuing Mr. Tillman said that the con-
| troiler has means of getting information
| which others have not and added thac IL he
| would push in his probe he can make dis
| coVerIes that are worth while"
| The Insurance Scandal.
| He added that his reason for requesting
| the information is found in the reveluations
| concerning the insurance companies at
! has been shown by the testimony or confess
| sion of a member of this body" he said
| that for ten years the insurance corpora
tions have been making annual donations
| to the republican party with the under
| staiding that they should be protected from
| adverse legislation at Albany" He went
| on to say that such revelations were not
| agreeable.
Il am the holder of a small policy In
one of the Mutuals," he said, and / don't
| like to have my dividends cut down in
order to give Mr.. McC'urdy $50 600 and his
! sisters his cousins and his aunts $4,000
| each.''
He expressed douot as to the right OF
! the federal authorities to take control OF
/ Insurance companies. and Mr.. Hale inter-
rupted to say that he agreed with Mr.. Till
man on that point. He said further that
| the provision providing for such a pro-
vision was not properly considered, and he
did not consider II binding.
Return of Contributions.
Mr.. Bailey asked whether the Insurance
| company contributions to the republican
| national committee had been returned to
the donors.
| II understood" replied Mr.. Tillman. that
| the President going to have Mr. Cor
| tciyou return them, but / don't know
whether he has done 1 know that 1
| haven't got my share"
Ar. Spooner-"ls yours a life polIcy?'
Mr.. Tilman-'It is"
| Mr.. Spooner-"Then it is not yes time 20
| realize it,.
l.
| ana not the policy itself that he wanted
| paid
These" he said. were pitifully small.
| While McCurdy has been getting tat with
| out doing anything
| Mr. Bailey said he had not supposed the
| President would make second reoom-
| mendation on the subject of publishing cam
| paign contributors until the money had
| been returned.
"Ah! MIR. President responded Mr. TIL
man, "all the Turveytops and Pecksniffs
are not dead yet: although l would not for
| a moment be understood comparing our
strenuous occupant of the White House
with those characters What want Is
| results. and those we do not seem to have
procured so far"
Quoting the testimony of Senator Platt
| before the New York committee. MIR. Till
| man congratulated that senator upon his
straightforwardness. There was no dodg-
| ing he said. ''and 1 do not believe that
| dollar of the money ever stuck to his
| fingers
He added his conviction, however. that
| the conditions had had the effect OF con-
| trolling the New York legislature In the in
terest of the insurance companies.
Judge Parker's Charge.
Mr. Tillman quoted the charges made by
Judge Parker in the last campaign con-
Meeting the republican campaign contribu-
tons with the fact that Chairman Cortel-
you had recently retired from the Office of
Secretary of the Department of Commerce
He also quoted the Presidents reply
which he said was "red hot" and added
that not a dollar had been needed TO e.ect
the President. Notwithstanding this fact.
he said that it had been shown that $780,
900 had been contributed for that purpose.
that is IL the newspaper men may be be-
lieved, and he added they are about
as reliable as any other class
They will lie sometimes as we do, and
occasionally they get orders that such and
such a man shall be fy-biown. Then they
proceed TO plant the microbes. but upon the
whole they may be depended upon.v He
also made reference TO the charge that
large expenditures had been made BIZ the
democrats in the Cleveland campaign. say
ing it would have been fortunate for the
democratic party f Mr.. Cleveland had
never been elected
He closed with an appeal for thorough