Los Angeles herald., 1909-01-09

his inquisitor could find his answer in
the newspapers tomorrow.
Mr.. Tawney was recognized and as
he arose he was greeted with vocifer-
Gus applause.
Honor of Congress AssaiIed
Mr.. Tawney asserted that no disclaimer now
could modify or change either the meaning of
! the language used by the president or the
Interpretation by the people, under which
| Interpretation the honor and integrity of
congress has been assailed and stands i'm
peached.'
He referred to the further utterances of
the president regarding members of congress
being afraid to be investigated, and said
that to thus impugn the motives Of the mem
bers of the legislative branch of our govern
ment violates not only the constitutional priv
! ileges of congress, but is calculated to
| arouse popular prejudice against all
branches Of our government more injurious to
! its continued success than anything that has
occurred in the history of the republic
If, he added there was no intention to thus
| impugn the motives of congress, then 1t
was extremely unfortunate that he gave to
| the people of the country the opportunity to
say that that the intention and that
| such language would not have been used by
| the head of the executive branch of the gov
| eminent without Justification
| He would prove, he said, that the presidents
| utterances were unfounded, but he added:
When proved unfounded it is unfortunate
| many, the result of this charge, the sus-
| picion that there does not exist among those
intrusted with the duties and responsibilities
! of government that degree of faithfulness to
| duty and unselfshness in patriotism which
| the people expect of their representa- ives in
| all branches of the service"
Duties Long Prescribed
| Taking up the resolution in regard to the
| secret service, Mr.. Tawney declared that for
thirty years the law specifically had confined
! Int RI hat rfr9 7ar7f hut hat
| law in that respect had been strengthened.
He denied that the provision tied the hands
| Of government officials in ferreting out crime,
| because, he said, the secret service Of the
! treasury a very small part of the secret
service in the various departments.
| He refuted the statements that land fraud
| Investigations were estopped because of the
provision referred to, and cited the appro-
priation of 100000 given last year for land
offices alone for detecting fraud, amount.
| he said, double that ever allowed before
| The president, said Mr.. Tawney further,
| had completely misquoted his speech men
toned in the message whether unintentionally
| or not" and he read from the Congressional
Record certain extracts to support his state
ment
AS to Moran, the assistant chief of the
| secret service division of the treasury, who
! frauds Mr.. Tawney declared in conclusion
| that the promotion made the initiative
| of the committee on appropriations itself and
no one else.
| Deliberately Libeled House
Representative Shirley of Kentucky said
he could not see how any other conclusion
could be reached than that the president
deliberately Hbeled the house.
Mr.. Shirley devoted his remarks princi-
/ pally to the presidents references to him in
! his special message. He characterized the
action a grave breach of the privileges
of the house and thereby grave injury to
! the country, and claimed that mo response
| to the previous resolution of the house could
! be accepted that did not contain a with
| drawal Of the offensive language objected to
and an apology therefor"
| Instead of such a response, however,
| continued Mr.. Shirley, 'the president has
| declared that the language used by him
does not mean what it plainly says, and no
effort is made to change the issue existing
between the house and the executive"
| He said this issue is whether the execu-
] tive warranted in impunging the mo-
| tives of the house in enacting legislation
that was believed by him TO be unwise.
''To attempt to answer such an issue by
a disclaimer of any intention to offend
while repeating the offensive language is to
/ add additional insult" added Mr.. Shirley.
Quotes from Message
He quoted that portion of the presidents
message which said, 1.-The chief argument in
favor of the provisions was that the
gressmen themselves did not want to be
| Investigated by the secret service men"
How any person can carefully read the
1
any other conclusion than that the president
deliberately libeled the house, I am unable
| to understand" said Mr.. Shirley. 1T being
apparent that a stigma was placed upon the
membership of the house, but two answers
were open to the president. First, to prove
| that the stigma was deserved; or secondly,
| like brave man, to withdraw the offensive
language and apologize to the house. The
president has done neither.
In dealing with the presidents direct
reference to him, Mr.. Shirley read from
! the congressional record the remarks he
made in the debate on the much-discussed
| Limitation. He analysed his remarks and
| declared that the president mot only by
| intimating subordinating several of my re-
marks but also by ignoring the remarks of
| Mr.. Bennett that called them forth, under
takes to convey the impression that the
| secret service investigation of members of
congress was the dominant idea in my
mind.
81 did not have in my mind at any time
the fear of being investigated by secret
! service men," continued Mr.. Shirley. In
my judgment there was not member of
this house who voted out of fear of being
| Investigated by the secret service. The
presidents stigma is gratutous and without
the shadow of an excuse"
Opposed to Repeal
| Congressman Fitzgerald of New York said:
| ST am opposed to the repeal of the provision
1 shall oppose its repeal If 1t be attempted
1 shall not quarrel with the president, nor
(
me about legislation.
Neither shall 1 permit my judgment to be
| improperly swayed nor my action upon legis-
lative matters to be controlled by him.
shall continue to act as a responsible repre-
sentative; 1 decline to become a mere empty
echo.''
Apparently he continued, there was an ir-
| reconcilable difference between the house and
the president to the meaning of the presi-
dents language. Referring to the quotations
by the president of certain remarks by Mr.
Fitzgerald when the provision criticised was
up for discussion, Mr.. Fitzgerald said that no
/ language used by him had been quoted by
| the president as justification for the asser-
ton that 1.-The chief argument used in favor
| of the provision that the congressman
did not themselves wish to be investigated
! Mr. Fitzgerald likewise refJt7d the presi-
/ dents views that the legislation was in the
| interest of criminals, and he quoted every
appropriation to every department and bureau
| of the government for the year 1908 to show
/ that large sums had been granted and We're
still available to be used if necessary in de-
| tecting frauds and effecting punishments of
| teh guilty.
Is Unimportant Branch
| The secret service of the treasury depart
ment, he asserted insignificant part
| of the governments detective force, and he
| fcers special agents and many others en-
ployed in secret work.
He believed the president has been misin-
| formed by some one regarding the effect the
! legislation would have in curtailing or cut
ting off investigations of crime or suspecting
crimes. It was apparent. however, that it
1 never had been the policy to establish a