The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-07-24
'MULHALL Case IS
LOSING INTEREST
Room m Which Inquiry Is
Conducted Almost Empty
Of Listeners.
MANY LETTERS ARE READ
connitfee Goes Through More Than
soo-Efsrt b. \. A. N. Counsel
to Cross-Exanias Fails.
MANY LETTERS ARE READ

Interest in the examination Of Col. Null
hall and the review Of the mass Of his
correspondence has petered out The In
vestigatIng committee yesterday acceler-
ated its pace sHd ran .madiy through
more than 800 of the coloners 5000 let
tiers. The room in which the inquiry 10
being conducted was almost empty Of
visitors yesterday, and the review
dragged sadly.
There prevails a feeling Of disappoint-
ment at the failure Of the colonel to pro-
duce a real sensation. His promised ex-
-posure Of the corruption Of James e.
Watson, Of Indiana, has been knocked
skyward. One by one there have ap-
peared. as the case progressed. CONTRA
dictions with documentary proof Of most
Of his allegations, and yesterday only
the statements Of the colonel in his own
| letters and the subverted views 0f his
most active correspondent Fred c.
| the promised explosion.
The Republican members Of the COM
mittee deserted the committee room alto
! son nor Cummins appeared during the
| five-hour session.
At the beginning OF the session there
was little excitement. Attorney Robert
McCarter. for the National Association
of Manufacturers, made another EFFORT to
obtain from the committee some sort of
an agreement as to cross-examination of
Mulhall by the counsel for the National
Association of Manufacturers. He was
: zb,tfF hx,G iotrS
occasions, and the committee. following
Senator Reeds views, refused to permit
the interjection of q single cross-Ques-
ton.
VIII Make Another Effort.
The attorneys for the National Associa-
ton Of Manufacturers are determined to
make one more effort to obtain consent
to cross-examine MulhalL They know
that they are foredoomed to failure, for
the committee stands against such q pro-
posaI 3 to 2, divided on strictly partisan
lines. Senator Cummins Is not disposed
to make a fight for the attorneys. Not
that he does not think they have the
right to such a privilege, but on the
ground Of expediency Senator Cummins
regards the Mulhall sensation az rather
flash in the pan and is opposed to
dragging the examination of the colonel
through weeks Of endless repetition.
Senator Nelson, on the other hand.
thinks the attorneys for the N. A. NJ.
should be given at least q chance at
Mulhall. He has been displeased from
the beginning at the onesided methods of
conducting the inquiry employed by the
Democrats, and h. not hesitated to
say SO. At the same time he Ii opposed
to lensthening the inquiry unduly.
The present plan Of the defense" A.
the attorneys for the National Associa- |
ii n of Manufacturers have come to be |
termed. is to wait upon the conclusion |
Of the Mulhall review and the direct |
testimony Of the colonel. Then they will
make a last effort to get the privilege
of putting the colonel on the grill. and, |
failing in this. will perform a waIk-out
Yesterdays session was utterly unpro- |
ductive of line of new testimony. 1t
dwelt largely upon the campaign of the |
Tariff Commission Committee of 100 before
Congress, during the tendency Of the
Payne-Aldrich bill. There was nothing
in the correspondent to indicate that
pressure had been applied in behalf of
the measure.
Wanted Mulhan in Congress.
Mr.. Schwedtman and Col. MulhalPs in |
terchange Of amenities went merrily on, |
and Schwedtman urged the colonel to |
run for Congress in the Fourth Maryland |
District, while the colonel was hoping to |
land Mr.. Schwedtman on the tariff board. |
Needless to say, both efforts failed igno-
miniously. The colonel at one point had |
tried to interest Secretary Macveagh |
in the selection of Schwedtman, and had |
tried to have Mr.. Watson take q hand, |
but Watson had turned the suggestion |
down. with the statement that Franklin |
MacVeagh was a mugwump, and he |
never had known how to handle mug |
wumps where the laws prevented killing |
them.
The committee rested at o'clock. and
will resume today. Owing to the interest /
in the pending tariff bill in the Senate, l
the investigators have decided to give up /
their roomy quarters in the Senate Of
fee Building. and today's session will be /
in the smaller judiciary Committee |
room in the Capitol. handy to the floor |
Of the Senate.
cr7vrY CnFErn unnT,n End