The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-06-26
BARNES WILL Be POSTMASTER
His Confirmation Strongly Opposed
by Senator TiIIman
DRAMATIC SCENE IN THE SENATE
Barnes Gained Much NOtoriety
Norris Incident-During His Speech
sir. TiiIman Produced the Skirt
Worn by the Lad v When She Was
Dragged From the White House.

Washington, June 23.@en jamin F.
| Barnes assistant secretary to the pres
ldent, was today confirmed by the SEN
| ate as postmaster at Washington
The vote was 35 to IS, and by the same
vote a resolution was defeated provid-
ing for an investigation of the Incl
dent in March when, by order of Mr..
Barnes, Mrs. Minor Morris was elected
from the White house offices, where
she had sought an audience with the
president to urge him to re-appoint
her husband to a position in the pub
lie health and marine hospital service
from which he had been removed. The
nomination had been pending in the
senate since April 2
The procedure in the senate, though
behind closed doors, was dramatic in
the extreme. Senator Tillman went
over the testimony he had gathered
preparatory to offering it to the COM
mittee On postofices and post roads,
but which was declined by that COM
| mittee when it refused to enter upon
an investigation of the Mrs. Morris in
cident. He took up the evidence and
discussed it analytically but dispas-
sionately. He had read the statements
OF the eye witnesses to the affair, and
then drew from under his desk a black
silk skirt wrapped in a newspaper.
This was the skirt worn by Mrs. Nor
ris when she was carried, or "dragged''
as he claimed, from the White house.
It was torn and muddy, showing clear
ly the imprints of shoes. It was
charged by Mr.. Tillman that the low
er part Of the woman's body had been
trampled by the police officers and the
white house attendants, including a
negro who had assisted in taking her
to carriage.
No effort was made by any Senator
to defend the action of the police Sen
ator Carter said that if there had been
any assault upon the woman the police
alone were to blame, and that it was
| unfortunate, for Mr.. Barnes that he
had been involved. Senator Carter
said Mr.. Barnes could not be held re-
sponsible for what the police had done
and that the ill-treatment, if any
| there had been, occurred outside of the
Offices, and after the woman had pass
ed from his notice.
Two votes were had by the senate,
the first on a resolution by Senator
| CulbersOn, providing for an investiga-
| tion of the incident and the second on
the nomination. After the latter vote
| Senator Tillman gave .:otice that on
/ Tuesday Immediately after the morn
! ing business he would repeat in the
| open senate the remarks he had made
| behind closed doors. He said he
would exhibit the torn clothing Of Mrs
| Morris in order that the public could
be informed of the entire affair He
| will find the occasion for this exhibi-
| ton in moving for a vote on his reso-
luton for an investigation of the
Washington police force, in connection
| with the incident.
During his speech Senator Tillman
said that it was a peculiar coincidence
that the only eyewitness who defend
ed the white house incident were Ell
| mer E. Paine, newspaper man who
! had received a naval academy appoint
ment for his son, and the police, whose
| superintendent, Richard Sylvester, had
received a like favor from the hands OF
| the president.