The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-05-10
BY ]. n. Reese.


Tallahassee May 9.-Without sue
cess with respect to. the findings of the
committee, and unreasonable with re-
gard to the testimony of the house
messenger, are the terms which will be
employed in the report of the bribery
! investigating committee which will re-
port its findings to the house Thurs
day.
The committee held it's final meeting
tonight as to the consideration of tes-
timony and formulated its report. This
report, has not been signed and will
not be printed until the end Of testi-
mony is offered.
/ That the house messenger, j. W. Ed
wards, withheld information from the
committee in regard to the identity of
! the party who gave him the envelope
containing the two hundred dollars
| which he delivered to Representative
| Wall, IS the conclusion of the COM
mittee, but the transcript of testimony
! is submitted to the house without
recommendation.
TWO COMMITTEES Probe.
The two committees, smelling, COM
mittees' they are called about the cap
| itol, held sessions last night, and what
| they didn't find out was yoiuminous
The committee to investigate the
! bribery matter held a session without
| Chairman West and the other commit
| tee held meeting without Chairman
| Smith
The bribery committee had House
Messenger Edwards before it and his
testispony was interesting but not es-.
sentialiy important. He could not re-
member to whom he delivered the en-
velope containing the two hundred dol
| lars after 1t had been given him by
| Representative Wall. to return to the
sender, and the committee failed to
develop anything Of substantial value
along this line.
The other committee has been inves-
tigating. the public land affairs and
suggested irregularities in connection
| with them,, but their witnesses did not
| disclose anything that would lead to a
| real investigation and some members
| of the committee seem to think that
| the investigation will be barren of any
real results.
| AS a matter of fact the committee to
| investigate the administrative Offices is
| proceeding upon questionable lines ac-'
cording to some members of the house
among them being Representatives
| Gornto and Stringer.
The state governments are modelled
| as a rule upon essential lines after the
United States government, and in in
vestigations of such character it is the
usual procedure in the case of the fed
eral government for specific charges to
| originate in the house and for the sem
ate ITO take up impeachment proceed
| ings.
! There has been no specific charge
| lodged in the house against any ad-
ministrative officer. The allegations
upon which the committee Is proceed
| ing are alleged to have occurred in
committee, of which the house has not
been made cognizant in any sort of
formal or official manner. The author
ity of the committee might be ques-
l toned in the event of any disclosures
that should be turned up, and there is
no question that there is decided SEN
! timent against the investigation in the
house. Thus may. reach its origin
through members who are near friends
and believers in some special one or
more OF the administrative officers.
The point has been made that the off,
Gals were placed in a delicate position
with regard to the investigation; If
they refused to be investigated upon
the resolution they would be imme-
diately subjected to the criticism that
there must be something in their de-
partments that they were not willing
for the people to know; the other al
tentative was to submit to a probe
which was not duly authorized. The
resolution and the subsequent investi-
cation although 1t has not proceeded
far, has caused a great deal Of talk
and some hard feeling. Under the cir
cumstances it seems but reasonable to
predict that the Investigating commit
tees will have nothing OF any great
value to report. The bribery testimony
will be spread upon the journal and
4 will afford interesting reading, because
OF the mystery surrounding It The
j mystery arises purely out, of the ban
placed upon the news reports emanat-
ing from the committee room. The in
vestigating committee appointed sub
committee to censor the news reports.
This was agreed to by the news re-
porters for the same reasons that &C
tuated the committee. II was feared
:, that IL the testimony were disclosed
'l day by day that the committee would
have troubles In getting witnesses be-
fore t.: some OF the witnesses live in
remote parts Of the state, and If in the
course Of the Investigation it turned
out that there was something of an
unsavory nature to be revealed the
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