New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-20

hide behind disagreement and 70 make ho
report at all
THE ERWIN "SCANDAL"-Determined
10 find some scandal in the Department Oh
Justice the committee on expenditures III
that department summoned Marion hr"lh'
United States Attorney for the souther"
District of Georgia. to-day and sought 10
elliott from him a confession that he was M
properly drawing his salary OF s5'ooo year
But Mr.. Erwin proved too capable lawyer
for the members of the committee lie so'
into the record a number of facts hghlS
unpalatable to Chairman BeaH ana inc
Democratic members of the committee. MI
Erwin admitted that he had drawn a salary
of $4,000 a year for ten years, that MS eh-
nenees had been paid, and that he hau
shared TO the extent of 1000 IN the
amount recovered from the defendants
"And what have you done in return FOR all
this money!" Numbered Chairman beali'
That gave Mr.. Erwin mis- opportunity ne
told the committee he had secured the COLI
yictions OF Greene, Gaynor and carter tha'
he had recovered and actually returned 10
the Treasury s227,S52 from these men, anu
that he was now conducting litigation WHO"
promised to recover 100000 for the gov
eminent. when is this contract going "
end?" Numbered Mr.. Beall. Nhen we
LITIGATION ends, I presume, repheu WI
Erwin Then he told the committee 'n't
no had given up private pracuce Vi
enc oo0 q wear to accept the government >
a. 900. that he had sacrificed practically all
,Je homo life To conduct this litigation III
all parts of the country. and that he was
ais,osoa n believe he had made mistake.
FINALLY. Mr.. Beall could find nothing more
- oo,,,nlaip of than what he called IAN
inenired story from the Department oi
Justice" telling how much had been re-
covered from Greene. Gaynor and 'ar'cl
The truth about that story was that II
was elected by much hard work on the part
~ the newspaper men and was reluctantly
given out by the Attorney General
THE DEMOCRATIC BLUNDER.-lh
thus severely condemning the invesuga'ihs
committees Of the House, it is only tair 'o
the House leaders, men Of known lhtesI"S
ike Speaker Clark. Representative ohuel
wood and a few others, 10 say that the
democratic House made perfectly natwa
but rs II has proved, serious blunder When
&, orqanized its committees. Whatever may
have been the original purpose OF creating
the various committees on expenditures IN
the denartrlents, they long ago ieli lH'"
ipnoouous desuetude and have been used 10
furnish places for members who were ho'
regarded as of sufficient calibre to warrant
oi,inq them chairmanships OF or putting
Thorn on committees 10 which any respoh-
sibility was intrusted. Until this Congress
.bo,, have not held meetings for years ano
oeeiqnment to one of them was regarded
largely as a Joke by those familiar with the
machinery of the House. The Democrats
followed this precedent, but then. IN al
effort TO create campaign material, theI
oor,,-itted these almost obsolete an'
tboroughly irresponsiblue committees, mace
IN IF the riffraff Of the House membershlp
IN undertake serious Investigations. MT
COY of Indiana. who implored the newspape
correspordents 10 find some scandal for MIN
90 r,rohe ca that he could get his name OF
the front page of the newspapers, as wei
&c REPRESENTATIVE Hamlin. chairman OF the
| Co,,,,,-tee on Expenditures in the Depart
r,o,+ of state, is q fair example OF the
TYNE put that is an inside fact, and one
tbat &c hardly likely to excuse the Demo
| crat,c. Marty in the eyes Of those people
who abhor calumny and falsehood, as was
ror,arl,nd 10 the writer by one OF the Des
ond most prominent Democratic Senators
N''N G. G.. II.
recently.