The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1912-08-25
DEBATE CAMPAIGN INQUIRY.
Many senators Dodur i"'e ~ ,r"h-
boId-PerLinS imendmcnt.

bOld-Perkips imendmcnt.
WAsHrNGToN. Aue. - The uuIlnuh
al midnight for tn" passage 81 IN
Penrose- Reed resolution providing for
Investigation into the contributions tu
the 1904 campaign and to- thc primary
contest In the oanIpaign uf this yea
looked unfnvoraOlc Senator La fu.lcti'
and Senator Borah. however, 'uu d"-
cided to force action un tn, resolution
by holding up Adjournment IL naors-
sary. and there wes = likelihood ma,
the Senat" finally w"'ild consent to l
vote.
An amendment offered hy senator
poindexter of Washington, itonsevc,
supporter WAS responsible for he
blocking Of the pcnroSe resolution
This amendment cNtrndrd th" apur
of the inquiry so as tu iHCiu." li, COM
munications and transactions hrtwcrh
John -. Archhold ana ur.uh.l. -
Congress To this swe"plnr PR, is.rr
was added another ancndm. d; by
Senator pcnrose including within tu"
inquiry all transactions and nomnuni-
cations between George ". porhIn,
and members Of Congress and col
Roosevelt.
The Roosevelt Senator Whu was r,.
sponsible FOR this sweeping extension
in the inquiry blocked g vut" on thr
Penroso resolution vest rdaN WhAr
the Roosevelt people posed ~ hul1t
sincere in their effort To- ,strnd IN,
inquiry II was believed THAT their ,hlrr
phrposc was - accomplish It's defeat
BY indirect methods AMI thds pr".,i..
an official inquiry into the Gposr,clt
primary campaign
Nnny Lose Interest,
At the same tim" il WAS lpt!,oau.r
thai many members of tn" Seuatr
seemed To have lost intor, st IN .h. p.u-
posed investigation after Il had been
opened so as to inClud" al members
of Congress. Senator H"yhuru o'
Idaho objected several times {, allow
ing the resolution to come e. rot.
He characterized II 49, n mauhunt. Il
dragnet and fishing excursion
Senator La Toilette Interested himself
In the resolution for the first tim. ana
urged its adoption by tho S"na;c. IL
pleaded personally with Senator li-N-
burn to withdraw his objection S"y-
eral attempts were made to Cuinp,l "a
vote on the resolution, bu, .~ua effort
developed "A lack of q quorum in ihr
Senate \ test vote of those present in
the chamber bowed that twenty seven
favored the passage OF tho resolution.
compared with eight opposed to II.
Efforts were made by the S.rg-au.
alarms to bring in absentees. but he
was not able to round UP a sufficient
number. Members purpcsely abseated
themselves from the chamber and re-
fused to come in. 1t was an obvious
Af a
luton and prevent the inquiry Demo-
Gratis were as unresponsiye as Repub-
hcans. In fact. the Senate sr"moi de-
cidedly opposed to having itself invcsti-
gated.
At ate hour Senator Pcnros. and
Senator La Toilette We're bending their
energies toward accomplishing the pas
sage uf the resolution 10y means If som
compromise
II the resolution dies on tn, calendar
IT will mean that there will be no in
vestigation into the contributions to the
Roosevelt primary campaign. The Sem
ate Committee on Campaign Contribu-
tions WILL however be able To conduct
an Investigation into the contributions to
the 1904 fight.
Trouble began EARLY.
Trouble over the Penrose-Reed resolI.
ton began early in the afternoon wher
Senator PoindeNter of Nashintogn aro5t
and announced that he would ca II the reSo.
luton up for consideration. IL was upor
Senator PoindeSters objection that tn.
passage OF the resolution was prevented
yesterday and Senator Penrose immedi.
ately expressed his satisfaction over tn.
change OF mind that had been experienced
by the Roosevelt Senator
Senator POiQdp yter lost no time in nm.
nouncing that he had two amendments
TO oher TO the Penrose- Reed resolution
His first amendment extended the scope
OF the investigation SO as to include al
correspondence and financial transact ions
that have taken place between John Is
Archbold and Col Roosevelt and members
OF Congress and the United States Senat,
from the year 1900 to the present
The effect of this amendment was OF
course to include every member of the
Senate and OF the House within the scope
of the inquiry and to open up any trans
actions or communications that may have
taken place between any Of them and Mr
Archbold. The Senate plainly was
startled at this amendment and although
on Its face 1t proposed sweeping inquiry
1t was Immediately accepted ~ an in,
direct effort on the part of the Roosevelt
people to kill the proposed inquiry, cspe
cially as regards the contribution to the
Roosevelt primary campaign,
In llry Senator PenrOSe was on his
feet.
To Take in Perkins.
q desire. said he. TO amend the rp-olu
ton so aS to include George " Perkin
with Mr.. Arohbold in the correspondence,
to be produced relative to Congr.ssiona
matters in 1904 and correspondence witt
members of Congress- and the ex-Pres
dent"
This amendment of course would hav.
the effect OF opening mp many privat.
matters that may have taken place be
tween Mr.. Perkins and members Of Con
gress. The Senate seemed SOmewha
dazed at the turn affairs had taken anC
the amendments We're adopted withou
dissenting voice. Senator Poindexte
then offered another amendment autnoriz
ing the investigating committee To rstaiI
counsel to help in the inquiry. This
stirred up lot of discussion and immedi
ately strong opposition began TO nantes
itself to the amended resolution.
Senator Hoke Smith of Georgia had n,
particular objection to the resolution, bu
he contended that no single lawyer coulC
be found who could deal fairly with tn,
three factions represented in this inquiry
He contended that each faction, the Re
publican regulars and Progressives an,
the Democrats. ought to be represente,
by lawyer.
Senator Clapp, chairman of the investi
suggestion that the committee ought I,
hire lawyer. He argued that the mem
bers OF the committee themselves wer,
La l. Al