The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-01-08
Perkins Committee Replies to Roose-
velt's Message and Declares His
Language Was Un-
justified.
TO BE LAID ON TABLE
Message Constituted a Breach of Priv.
ilese to the House and Report
Declares There Were no
Grounds for Charges.

WASHINGTON. Jan. S.-Perkins
special committee report has been
submitted to the house and declares
the presidents language is unjusti
fed and lays the message regarding
the secret service on the table.
The report contends the language
is breach of privilege of the house
and says the house declines to con-
slider any communication OF any
source which is not responsible and
recommends tabling the portion re-
ferring to the secret service; that all
of the recent special message regard
ing the secret service be laid on the
table
The house was packed. The report
was heard in breathless silence. Per-
kins of New York, chairman, pre-
sented It 1t led off with a quotation
from the message with reference to
the limitation of the secret service
benef1ting only the criminal classes,
etc. The report proceeds to an un-
derstanding of this language as a re-
ftection of the integrity of the mem
bership and aware of its own consti-
tutional duty of its members the
house respectful turns and called on
the president for any information to
justify the language in the message,
The presidents message Of January
4 denies casting any reflection On the
integrity of the house. Whether the
house resolutions of December II is
correctly interpreted in meaning or
word by the presidents annual mes
sage or whether it misunderstood that
language as the president implies,
must be judged now and in the future
according to the accepted interpreta-
ton of the English language. This
house is charged only with respons-
ibility to the people of the United
States and its obligation to transmit
unimpaired to the future the report of
institutions inherited from the past
and to preserve its own dignity and
must insist ON its own capacity to un-
derstand the import of the presidents
message December s. 1t is unjusti-
fed and without basis in fact and thai
it constitutes a breach of privilege of
the house"
The report then proceeds:
Therefore, be it resolved the house
declines to consider communication
of any source which in it's own iudg-
ment is unrespectful, and declares the
message of the president sent TO the
house Jan. in constituting an evasion
of privileges of the house by question
ing its motives and intelligence of the
members in the exercise of its consti-
tutional rights be laid on the table.
Perkins said:
I'VE are of the opinion portions OF
the message constitute a breach OF
privilege to this house and declare
there is not the slightest ground for
the charge"
The reading of the report of the
Perkins speech was frequently inter
rupted by the applause from the flool
and gallery.
Perkins continued:
1T is dangerous to the republic thai
a large portion of our people should
have their confidence shaken in the
Judges who interpret the laws ant
equally dangerous that their confidence
be impaired in those who enact laws
The duty devolves upon the lawmakel
not to allow the integrity of their mo
tives to be lightly questioned. No leg
isative body could be respected by
people unless it respects itself. W.
are jealous of the honor of the nation
We should be equally jealous of thu
honor of our institutions" He sal,
he declared although dishonest mel
sometimes were found in congress
there were few exceptions and tn
body was composed of men of intes
rity. whose vote was determined no
by fear of the police but by honest re
gard of public service. Perkins quo
eu the President, saying The Presiden
held congress in high regard and ado
ed.
1T would therefore be thing to b
deplored if as a result of inadvertenc
! of language an expression should IT
main in the message which might b
/ interpreted by the people as lessenin
the dignity, thereby weakening tn
authority OF congress"
He says: Congress is a result {