The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-06
Criticises Method of Dispos- ing of the Secret
 Fund
BECOMING HAVEN OF
 OFFICIAL PIRACY"
Taft Asked to Inform House What Nations Have Applied for Free Wood Pulp and Print
 Paper

Washington. December 5.-Criticisms of the President and secretary of state, for their interpretation of the statute govern ing the secret fund of the state depart- ment was made by Representative Ham- lin of Missouri, in speech in the House today Mr. Hamlin is chairman of the committee of state department expendi- lures which has been making an lnvessl- gaton of this matter.
 lp six years. said MT. Hamlin, depart- ment officials had expended secretly s732.- 9sl, averaging S122,OO0 a year when the se- cret fund appropriated for such q purposs was only S9O,0d0 year. He called upon the House to amend the statute to prevent the fund becoming the very haven of official piracy As a remedy MT. Ham lin urged the passage of his bill to create a joint committee to whom the Presdcns shall make an itemized report on the 1st of December on expenditures Of the mon ey given him for the preceding fiscal year for Emergencies arising in the dip- omatic and consular serviee.' The bill makes misuse of the fund high crime and misdemeanor and an mpeaehable offense. The committee. 1t proposes, should hold in confidence all Information necessary to be secret.
 q have found out enough about the secret fund" declared MT. Hamlin. "to make me anxious to know how many thousands of dollars have been expended each year on portraits, pleasure trips, dollar diplomacy increased salaries and other things that Congress never con tenplated should be paid from the se- oret fund.
 Large Expenses Last year we spent nearly $200,ooo when there were no war clouds on the horizon, The President while bearing the olive l branch in one hand, with the other was pulling the money out of the treasury 1t | the rate of $432 a day including Sun | days. We are told the u2eney went fota
 secret purposes but where it went only I God and the little crowd at the White | House and state department know" l During the last six fiscal years. l he continued. "the state department has | used money from s funds besides iiie emergency fund and covered the eN- penditures by a blanket certificate of Isecrecy."
 Among the funds so used Mir Ham lin mentioned contingent expenses of foreign missions international seis no1ogical association. international prize court conference at London, St. Johns rver litigation, celebration of discovery of Lake Champlain, S10,0t0 spent in the Champlain fund to enable this country to participate in the celo bration being covered by secret voucher.
 MT. Hamlin said that if this money was actually used for that celebration it probably went for railroad fare. hotel bills automobile hire, banquet wine and the like.
 Yet" said he, instead of furnish ing vouchers the President causes the Secretary of State to make q certilicat9 solemnly declaring that the nature aud object of this expenditure is deemed inexpedient to make known. This Is d monstrous proposition freighted with great danger to the public treasury.p
 Referring to the mystery of last summer over the departments actuai expenditure for d portrait of former Secretary William l.. Day MT. Hamlin said:
 "'rhe committee had certainly got on a trail so hot that the President. when appealed to, instructed the state de- partment to refuse any information a bout the secret fund doubtless intend
  handling of the secret fund.-
 Bills Introduced
 To prevent railroads from controlling the water lines through the Panama canal, Representative Knowland If California introduced two bills pena' izing any coastwise water lines that may be controlled by railroad com- panes. One of the bills fixes the Pan anna tolls from 50 cents to $l.50 per ret ton.
 President Taft was asked to inform the House of Representatives what for eign nations had applied for admission into the United States free of duty of wood pulp and print paper under the most favored nation clause of their treaties.
 Representative Harrison of New York introduced 8 resolution today to this eff feet It also asks whether any print paper or pulp has been imported from Canada under the paper clause of the Canadian reciprocity law.
 Court of Commerce
 In introducing a bill for the abolition of the court of commerce, Senator Poin- dexter today sharply criticised the decis- ion of that court in the Spokane rate case. He declared that the effect of the courts decisions was to destroy the long and short haul clause of the interstate commerce law well as the power of the interstate commerce commission to per form it's functions
 MT Poindexter declared that fin ev- cry important case where the petition was filed by a resident company. the court has enjoned the orders of the in- terstate commerce commission.
 Tt has destroyed the effectiveness of this commission" he said. ''The com- mission by its good work for years. has won the confidence of the people. The Spokane case was carefully considered by the interstate commerce commission for years. Conclusions were tested by applications to actual business before orr dered into effect. And yet the raw conn., merce court without special experience, on a brief hearing enjoins this carefully considered and thoroughly tested matter.
 ''The court is entirely superduous. has grossly exceeded it's authority and will be constantly prone to arrogate to itself functions which do not belong to it. which are not judicial and which can pever be properly exercised by judi cial tribunal It should be at once abol- ished.
 A bill prohibiting corporations from