Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-05-21
ssth CONGRESS.
fcontinued from Page One.)

CONTINUED 1TOU1 1dSo OhC.l
House recommended that the penalty
nrascribed for officers of the govern
ment who violate the code created by
the act should apply to members OF
Congress.
This recommendation led to one Of
the most interesting debates of the
session. Mccall. Mass. leading the OPP
position against making members of
Congress amenable to the penalties of
the measure He said the clause of
the bill sought to be Incorporated was
an advertisement to the world that
the members were crooked. He said
members of Congress were neither COL
Iectors nor the guardians of secret
government Statistics They are rep
resentatives and can have no secrets
from their constituents.
eff you are to enter upon this field Il"
Mccall said. "Why not make a COM.
plete code? Why not provide that:
members shall be taken into the Police.
Court and be fined when they fail to
vote, imprisoned when they do not at
tend the sessions of the House. and
that the speaker, when he plays he
I Zdl Siidi pS noSStu ct tIlC 1hI I ldiL
in the public square.
"lf you want to encourage filling the.
chambers of the two houses with pa
triots Of the gum shoe greed. mere
ciphers whose footballs you never hear.
men who will want always to stand
behind somebody. somebody VINO per-
haps, at the moment. is playing all the
roles of government. then pass such
bills as this. Laws like this will make
congress still less attractive to honest
mem
During the course of his speech
which was punctuated with applause
Mccall paid his respects to eX-Secre-
tary Paul Morton of whom he said:
81 am very far from regarding MI
Morton as an enormity of wickedness.
He is an able man and l believe an
honest man. but he should. l think,
have been permitted to go to the courts.
Certainly two very eminent doctors.
selected by the administration. pre-
scribed the courts and yet we say
Mr. Morton reSencrated and made
whole again by the course of treatment
which he took at the immunity baths.
Quite natural too. the executive would
his own department with whom he was
more closely in contact and who en-
jcvcd his confidence.
For the reason then that there is no
ground in fact to support this confer ence
report" he continued. that it would in
wade the proper independence of the leg
islative department. that it would fur
nish a weapon by which timid legislators
in the future might he cocrced and that
in a word it tends to foster government
OF executive. by the executive. and for
the executive, | shall cast my vote
against It..
Buricson Tex. the author of the bill.
said that the measure WIS aimed at the
corrupt practice of giving. out informal
ton of a confidential n1turc winch might
seriously affect markets or stocks. He
wanted members of Congress to be in
Guided in the bill not because he believed
they would violate condolences, but might
be tempted on some occasion to use the
information they are possessed of for
purpose of gain. He thought the legisla-
tion was vital and recalled an incident
| growing out Of the consideration of the
| Wilson tariff bill when sugar schedules
| were subjects OF investigation. He toll
how +. c. Chapman, Il broker. went to
Jail rather than answer a question as to
what senators were dealing in sugar
Mccall said that the point made by
Burle son regarding the Chapman cas-
| was not provided for in the bill. and HI
| did not know how it could be presented
| unless II could be in raising the penalty
to testify.
l Tho conference rpnnIt rejected III