The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-08-07
lBy ]. A. BreckonsN

Especial Correspondence of The Starr
WASHINGTON, July 24.-Whatever
else may go into the record concern
ing the work of the first session of the
Congress, history must
chronicle it's most prominent feature
as that of investigation. Even world
wide reciprocity must pale into insig-
nifcance beside the inquisitoral activi-
ties of this lift-the-lid congress. AL
though the SiXty-second Congress has
not yet entered upon it's first regular
session, it has established a record for
all time for inquisitiveness
A careful scrutiny of the list of
ffty-seven varieties of Investigations
started by the present Congress leads
to the conclusion that about the only
subjects omitted and still open to in
puery are the age of Ann, why the hen
crossed the road, or who feloniously
and maliciously contributed to the
concealment of one c. Ross of verdant
memory
Results Small So Far.
Thus far, it must be admitted, the
results have been exasperatingly dis
appointing. Three months of per
sistent probing with every known i'm
plement from gimlet to post-augur
have thus far brought to light but one
matter over which more than ordinary
concern has been expressed-the inn
mense cost of this "show-me" session.
Already one deficiency bill has been
put through in order to defray the ex-
penses of the probers, and it is safe
to say the grand total will aggregate
many, many times the amount a tri-
umphent democracy heralded to the
nation would be saved as a result of
it's assuming control in the house.
Each investigation" calls for a special
appropriation of from $4,000 to $4,000,
which does not include the innumer-
able incidental expenses Uncle Sam
will be called upon to pay as a result
of this lift-the-lid session.
CHANGING for a moment at some of
the results achieved by the probers,
the committee on expenditures in the
Navy Department furnishes a fair
sample. Somebody told somebody else
that men were having their private
yachts and motor boats repaired and
rebuilt at the Washington navy yard
using government material by the
pound, yard and gallon The commit
tee investigated-found the facts sub
stantially as stated as far as it con-
cerned several naval officers. But the
eXasperating discovery was made that
all this government material and labor
had been charged up to and paid for
by the owners of the boats, and your
Uncle Sam had made a profit on his
man and materials.
The Day portrait scandal" promised
better results. Here was 81 800 out of
pocket, with nothing to show for it
juggling of vouchers and mystery in
chunks. In the end the committee
found this sum had been used in the
Department of State, for secret SER
vice 'work-activities on the part OF
the government the publication of
which, at any time, would be contrary
to public policy. The committee found
that the United States spent less
money in this manner than any nation
on earth; that every other govern
ment placed large sums at the dis
posal of it's State Department as a
necessary part of it's proper admins
tration.
The Interior investigating commit
tee heard a number of alleged Indian
agency scandals, found them to be
mostly private grievances of interested
parties with axes to grind, or just
plain Indian fairy tales. Then this