Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-02
BARNES NOMINATION
Two Hours Spent by Senate
Last Evening.
NO PROGRESS MADE ON, CASE
So Many Senator's Want to Talk on
Mrs. Morris Treatment.
SENATOR CLAY'S ABATEMENT
That the Committee Should Persist in
smothering the Facts in
the Case.
10 PROGRESS MADE ON, CASE
SENATOR CLAY's ABATEMENT

| The Senate spent another couple OF hours
! last evening in the consideration Of the
Barnes case, and didn't begin to get down
/ to work. The fact is there are so many
| senators who have something to say on
the outrageous treatment OF Mrs. Morris
| on the occasion of her visit to the White
| House on January In order to appeal to
| the President for square deal" after
| having been refused an audience at the
War Department, that progress on the case
| in the Senate is very slow.
One phase of the case now being devel-
| oped In Its discussion in the Senate Is
| characterized by many senators as even
| more contemplate than the one-sided In
vestigation into the occurrences at the
White House that forms the basis OF the
| report of the committee on post offices
and post roads, Suggestions being
! made in the Senate of charges against
| Mrs. Morris of various kinds with the OBJ
| ject, which is proving successful to a GER
| tain degree, of prejudicing senators against
| her, and consequently gaining support for
| the nomination of Mr.. Barnes.
! Senators Disguised With Course.
| Senators who have heard these things in
| the executive session of the Senate have
| been appalled, and filled with disgust with
| such a course when the committee and the
| Senate is denying an investigation of the
! charges that have been made by Senator
| Tillman against Mr.. Barnes They declare
| that the men who refuse to investigate and
! at the same time rise in their places and
attack Mrs Morris, in order to force the
nomination of Mr.. Barnes through the SEN
ate, are playing a role of moral ghouls
| takfng refuge behind the secrecy that pre-
walls in that chamber In executive session
| in order to make charges without giving
| the accused an opportunity to know what
| they are and to reply to them.
| The making of these remarks about Mrs
Morris in the executive session Is accen-
| tuating the part of many senators the
| justice in having an investigation into the
White House occurrences. That Is the line
| of effort that is characteriZiug the senators
who want all the light possible In order to
| determine how they shall vote on the
Barnes nomination. Many senators now
| say that they are without any satisfactory
| information on which to form opinion,
because they recognize in the so-called
| statements that the committee received
| from the White House only a one-sided
presentation Of the matter
| DR.. and Mrs. Morris have at all times
since the election of Mrs. Morris from the
White House offices insisted that they
would court the fullest investigation and
| that they had nothing to fear from any
| inquiry that might be made They have
asked for real investigation In place OF
| the kind that has been accorded them,
| supplemented by insinuations and remarks
| made under the protection of the secrecy
Senate. They want TO know the charges
and to be given opportunity to reply to
| them.
No Progress Made.
The session Of the Senate yesterday after
noon was one Of considerable interest, but
no progress was made and the chamber
| was deserted during the last hour except
| by six or eight senators. Senator Penrose
| spoke at some length, and among other
| to attempt to investigate by subpoenaing
witnesses in every case that comes before
| 1t it would have its hands full. He was
shown that the case of Mr.. Barnes could
not be compared to other cases far as
| the necessity to subpoena witnesses Is con-
cerned, because it is being judged by The
| Senate fin the light Of testimony that does
not pretend to be comprehensive and fair,
| and which is declared by those who have
| read II to include only that testimony
which was known to be favorable to Mr.
Barnes.
| To permit the case to be finally decided
upon such testimony is declared to be sure
| to give rise to scandal OF the worst kind.
All the witnesses that IT Is desired to bring
before the committee to prove the charges
| of Mr. Tillman are In this city, and 1t is
said to be most unusual for committee to
refuse to hear such testimony. All the tes-
| timony might have been secured in cou-
pie of days, and 1t would have consumed
much less time than the present attempt
| to shove the nomination through the Sem
ate without allowing such testimony to be
| offered.
But all the argument that could be offered
had no effect on Senator Penrose, who
brushed 1t aside.
Senator Clay spoke at some length upon
the unusual course that is being attempt
ed to avoid the investigation of charges
made by senator against a nom
| inee. He claimed that when a senator
| makes written charges that senator has a
right to have them properly Investigated,
and If, as In this case, It becomes neces-
sary to subpoena witnesses, that should be
done. He expressed amazement that the
committee should attempt TO persist in its
course of snlothering the facts in the case.
and said that II the committee did not
want the facts the Senate itself was en-
titled to them, and the Senate could not
act fntelligently on the case until the facts
are placed before it.
Mr.. Paine's Testimony Analysed.
Senator Morgan analyzed the testimony
of Mr.. Elmer q. Paine the one newspaper
correspondent who asked TO make a
statement while Ave other correspondents
who were eyewitnesses of the affair were
ignored In that respect. Mr. Morgan said
that Mr.. Paine's statement alone was am
pie ground to condemn the course pursued
by Mr., Barnes.
Senator Pettus suggested early in the ex-
ecutive session that as Senator Cufberson,
the member of the subcommittee who
brought in minority report on the nomi-
nation of Mr.. Barnes was absent from the
Senate on account OF the Illness OF MS little
daughter he thought 1t was due to him
that the matter gD over until he could be
present in the Senate, especially as he had
been called from the chamber on account
OF this illness before he could conclude his
remarks
THAT is ere pretext," declared Senator
| Penrose when he got up to oppose compli-
ance with the request OF the aged senator
from Alabama.
Senators exchanged significant glances
when this remark was made. and Senator
Clay promptly arose and declared that he
was sure that no senator would for an in
stant accuse Senator Pettus OF resorting to
a "pretext'' on any occasion. He was sure
Senator Pettus had never In his lifetime re-
sorted to q preteyt-
| It waxt stated yesterday that the sons of
Major Sylvester, chief Of police. who inves-