New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-06-03
Veteran Senators Even Assert
Halls of Congress This
Session Are CleaneSt
in Years.
ODD TREND BACK TO SOIL
Farming Seemingly the Hand,
maiden of Statecraft-"Man
Named McMurray" Is
Nearest to Trail the
Inquiry Reaches.
IFrom The Tribune Bureaul


Washington. June THE Senate.
through the medium of a sub-commit-
tee of the Judiciary Committee. set it,
self to-day diligently 10 the task of
investigating itself. After the exami-
nation Of nearly a score Of legislators
and elder statesmen. it was unable to
unearth Clew TO the 'insidious lobby"
which. President Wilson says. is work
nr TO block the tariff bill
The Investigators were unsparing in
their hunt for indications of activity
Of the lobby Each Senator, beginning
with Ashurst, of Arizona, was put un-
der oath 10 tell the whole truth and
nothing but the truth. and the COM
mittee plodded well on the way TO the
Us without coming across so much as
an insidious scent.
Senator's who had served in Con-
gress for many years repeatedly testi-
fed that they r-lieved there were fewer
PERSONAL appeals to members Of the two
houses no that at any tariff revision
Of recent years.
leuerdemain with Eels.
only twice during the session did the
testimony even suggest the existence.
past or present Of a lobby or lobby
is,s. Senator Ashurst expressed the
belief that "a man named McMurray."
interested in legislation affecting an
Indian contract worth to him 5000
coo was lobbyist
He is the smoothest man l ever
met" said the Senator from Arizona.
He could carry bundle Of eels up
stairs without dropping one
J. r. McMurray. an attorney Of Ne
Alester. Okla. prominently identified
with Indian legislation, has a contract
with the Cherokee Indians for the salo
Of sS5.O00OOO worth Of land. for which
he is 10 receive 10 per cent. \ move
ment is being pressed in Congress To
annul his contracts.
.--SsRa tor -fSurIoff- sVfso said that II had
behooycd a Senator to be cauuors
when the question Of a route for the
interoceanic canal, which lay between
Nicaragua and Panama. was under
consideration. and in the old DAYS
when a bill granting water power size
privileges was before the Senate. He
did not however. give specific test.
mony as TO the existence of lobby.
Just before the committee began taxi
ing testimony Chairman Overman and
Senator Reed conferred with Presi-
dent Wilson. II way said the President
would not be callsd before the COM
mittee, but would transmit any infor-
nation he might have on the subject Of
the "insidious lobby"
When the session came to a close
there was not only no information un-
earthed which indicated that any i'm
proper attempt had been made 10 in
duce Senator's 10 change their convic-
tons with respect 10 the tariff bill, but
there was a greater variety Of opinion
than when the investigation opened as
10 what constituted a lobbyist and
what kind Of lobbying might be con-
sidered a trans -ression Of the proprie-
ties.
Senator Borah, after giving his
definition Of the term lobbyist" re-
marked "and haven't seen any
around here this year"
Il never had the pleasure knowing
~" said Senator Bradley, "of having
met any such gentlemen since l have
been in the Senate
There is absolutely nothing going
on that ought not to go on" said SEN
alor Chamberlain.
Such were substantially the opinions
Of all the Senatorial witnesses exam
med All Of them said that they had
discussed the tariff with manufactur-
ers importers and the representatives
0 commercial and industrial interests,
and had received many hundreds Of
Continued on second page. hfth column