The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-05-20
Recommendation Leads TO a
Lively Discussion
A STIGMA ON cONGRESSMEN
Recommendation That Members Be
Included as Subject to the Penal.
ties of the Pending Act
Loses the Measure.

Washington. May 19.-rhe conference
report upon the so-called "anti-leals and
/ anu-graft' bill. making 1t Il mlsdemeanor
! for advance Information to he given out
| by any officer or employ for the gov
/ eminent that would tend to exert an in
! fluence or affect the market value of any
/ product grown within the United States,
I or affect the value of stocks and bonds,
came up in the House today The con-
ferees of both Senate and House recom-
mended thai the penalty prescribed for Of
hcers of the government who violate the
code created by the act should apply to
members of Congress-
This recommendation led to one of the
n ost interesting debates of the session,
Mr.. Mccall of Massachusetts leading the
opposition against making members of
Congress amenabe to the penalties of the
measure. He said the clause of the bill
sought to be Incorporated was an adver-
tisement to the world that the members
were crooked. lie said members of Con-
gress were neither collectors nor the
guardians of secret governmental statis-
! ties. They are representatives and can
have no secrets from the constituents.
IF you are to enter upon this field"
Mr. Mccall said, why not make q COM
pete code. Why not provide that men,
bers shall be taken into the police court
and be fined when they fail 10 vote, inn
prisoned when they do not attend the dis
| cussons of the House, and that the speak
er who plays the Gar shall be foggcd
at the carts tail In the public SQUARE.
"1f you want to encourage filing the
ri, .f
the 'gumshoe breed, more elphers whose
feotfalls you never hear, men who al
ways stand behind somebody. somebody
who perhaps at the moment is playing all
the roles of government, then pass such
bills this. Law like this will make Con-
gress stlll less attractive to honest men,"
Pays Respects to Morton.
! During the course OF his speech. which
was punctuated with applause Mr.. Mccall
paid his respects to ex-Secretary Paul
Morton. of whom he said.
II am very far from regarding Mr. Nor
ton as an enormity of wlckedness. He
Is an able man. and ] believe an honest
man. but he stould, l think. have been
permitted to go to the courts. Certainly
two very eminent doctors, selected by the
administration prescribed the courts. and
vet we saw Mr. Morton regenerated and
made whole again by the course of treat
ment which he took at the immunity
baths quite naturally, too, the executive
would regard NOR leniently the officers
of his own department with whom he was
more closely IN contact, and who enjoyed
his confidence There Is shown by the
case of Mr. Aarfield an excellent officer
who needed no yndicatlon but who was
declared free from all blemish by that
same remarkable message whieh de-
nounced the officers of another DEPART
ment, who at the same time was acting
under all the sanctions surrounding the
judiciary; great coordinate branch OF
the government" ~,
Mr.. Crumpacker of Indiana said the bll
waiss clearly obnoxious in character ana
Thought If it became law every Dill OF
general Importance introduced III eieher
branch of Congress would contain dyna-
mite He thought the conference report
ought TO be disagreed to and then SO hxed
/ that IL would never see the light of day
hereafter.
! Mr. Burleson of Texas. author of the
bill said that the measure was aimed az
the corrupt and venal practice OF giving
| out information Of a confidentlal charac-
ter which might seriously affect markets
or stocks He wanted members OF Con-
gress to be included In the bill not be-
cause he believed they would disclose con-
\ fidences, but might be tempted on some
| occasion to use the information they are
possessed of for purposes of gain
He referred to an alluslon made by Mr.
| Mccall to the muck rake In public Ire.
and said he had had no more respect for
| the muck rake even II the handle was at
the head of the avenue and the rake in
n messag % criticising the judiciary. than he
| had of the yellowest journal dealing with
| the sacred affairs of life. He thought the