The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-04-14

the gentleman a question Did or did |
not this occur at the meeting?
That the President thought when
the members of the subcommittee /
took up the case of Judge Whitley
they should have gone no further
than to find that the basis of the
charges against him did not con-
stitute an Improbable offense, and
let it go at that.
Mr.. Diekema. 1t did not occur.
Mr.. Williams. l will ask the gentle
man if this occurred because | am
anxious to get at the facts, and | am
perfectly willing to take the gentleman
as my own witness:
The President is understood to
have thumped on the desk to EN-
phasize his points; so did Mr.. Die
kema.
l know the gentleman so well that |
know if the President were humping
at the gentleman the gentleman would
thump back Laughter) Nor am l
charging for one moment that the Pre-
sident either did or could have pre-
vented the gentleman from debating
his own case. The gentleman is not
afraid of the President nor of anybody
else. But, in the Presidents argument
concerning the matter, did he en-
phasize his point by humping on the
desk?
Mr.. Diekema. In answer to that, Mr..
Chairman, | am glad to say that the
President did not thump on the desk,
but that the President, in his usual
vigorous style, used gestures. Laugh-
teri
Mr.. Williams. Now, would ask the
gentleman this question. This report
says that the President called him to
account Now, would the gentleman
mind-if he objects to it, of course,
have no right to cross-eXamine him
would the gentleman mind giving the
House, to the best of his recollection
just the conversation that took place
between him and the President upon
/ this subject? Because if it be true
that the President questioned or argued
or debated with a member of this
House concerning his right to cast q
vote, to make a speech, or to make a
report in this House, he committed a
! breach of the privileges of the House
Would the gentleman mind answering
the question?
Mr.. Diekema. / am very happy tC
answer that question. Mr.. Chairman
the President did not agree with the
result of the findings of this committee
and expressed his fear that the greal
work which Judge Whitley had been do
ing in China in cleaning up corruption
in removing from there American cor
ruptionists, in purifying the admins
tratiOn of the law i'm that distant land
might be hampered as the result of {
misconstruction on the part of the
Americans and the Chinese residing
there of the meaning as expressed II
our report and felt that the commit
tee might have been happier in eX
pressing their conclusions in a differ.
ent manner, such as in his opinion
would not iniure the American court
and the administration of American
justice in China which, as he ex-
pressed to me as his opinion, had beer
raised to a wonderful height during the
administration of Judge Whitley, and
had commanded the praise, not only
OF Americans, but of Chinese and Of
/ foreigners in Shanghai.
Mr.. Williams. One more question
and 1 am through. Did the President
say that the subcommittee had no right
to go on and make these reflections up
on Judge Whitley; that all they hac
the right to do was to say whether oil
not he was guilty of an improbable
offense?
Mr. Diekema. He did not, nor did he
intimate in the remotest sense that the
committee had not a complete right
to investigate and report on the whole