Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-20
The Barnes Investigation"

When President Roosevelt nominated Mr.
Barnes, his assistant secretary, to be post
master of Washington, and Senator Till
man preferred charges against the appointee
on the ground that he had by the expulsion
of Mrs. Morris from the White House dem
onstrated his unfitness to hold public office,
1t was generally expected that the circum-
stances of that outrage would be thorough
ly investigated. This expectation was the
keener because the so-called inquiry by the
President had been ex parte and unsatis-
factory. Not one of the eye-witnesses com
petent to give an entirely unbiased version
was examined On the face of the facts, as
laid before the public. Mr.. Barnes had acted
in manner highly discreditabte to himself
and to the administration.
The expectation of q thorough investiga-
tion disclosing the true circumstances and
permitting a full view of Mr.. Barnes capa-
bilities and record is apparently poorly
founded. The Senate subcommittee to which
the nomination was referred has not yet
decided to conduct a formal Inquiry,
with assurances of completeness. but
persists in its purpose to sit behind closed
doors, to keep, no record of testimony and to
summon no witnesses. This means that
there will be no investigation worthy the
name. and the public should have no delu-
sions as TO it's value at this stage of the
case.
1t was hardly to be expected that the
hearing would be held in the open. in view
of the fact that the qualification of a man
nominated to public Office was under con-
sideration by the Senate in it's executive
capacity. The ancient and honorable
though much discredited-custom of pre-
serving an ostensible secrecy about all nom
nations extends to the committees. But 1t
was surely expected that the committee
would try earnestly to ascertain the facts
1t was thought that 1t would secure the
power TO send for persons and papers, and
in any case that 1t would keep a record of
the testimony.
To organize the inquiry on the lines pro-
posed means merely that any witness who
appears before the committee does so viz
tually on his own initiative, thus presenting
himself, If his testimony is ininical to Mr..
Barnes, in the light of aggressor. 1t
means that the public will never know how
thorough or how perfunctory the investiga-
tion has been, who testified, what was said,
and to what extent the work of the Senate
committee has been conscientiousy per-
formed
Such an inquiry can DE no more than a
farce, Inc IDOIc DcCdu5e Oi tilS
fact that charges OF intolerably improper
conduct on the part of Mr. Barnes have
been formally filed If he is guilty of that
which Senator Tillman alleges, he is assur-
eddy an unfit person to fill office of such
Importance as the Washington post office.
Why the committee should baIk at the
performance of It's obvious duty In the
premises can only be surmised. Is 1T be-
cause the close relations of Mr.. Barnes to
the presidential office renders him. In the
eyes of senator's, immune from criticism?
Is 1t because of fear that an inquiry now
will SAVIOR of a refusal to accept the Presi-
dents own conclusions in the premises? Is
it because there is something sacred in such
an appointment
If the order of procedure Is not changed
and this inquiry Is held. as arranged, not
only behind closed doors, but without the
keeping of a record and with no machinery
to call for witnesses, and Mr.. Barnes is con-
flrmed in consequence of a failure of the
committee to obtain the facts about his
treatment of Mrs. Morris. he will enter upon
the performance of his duties at the post
office with no higher degree of public esteem
than that In which he Is held today. In
deed. Mr. Barnes is himself most grievously
wounded by the committees refusal to con-
duct the inquiry on the basis of frank de-
sire to learn the truth.