Evening star., 1914-04-24
URGES M'DERMOTT
Be GIVEN CENSURE'
Majority of judiciary Subcom-
mittee Presents Report
to the House.
EXPULSION RECOMMENDED
BY MINORITY OF MEMBERS
Proposed ceusure Of Officials Of Ma
tional Association Of Manu-
facturers 0verruled.

Reports from the House judiciary COM
mittce In the Mulhail and McDermott
lobby investigation of last summer were
presented to the House today. Chairman
Floyd and majority of his subcommittee
which handled the question OF punish
fncnt recommend censure for Representa-
tive McDermott of Chicago for his trans
actions with certain pawnbrokers and
liquor dealers of Washington: Representa-
tive Nelson. republican. of Wisconsin, in
a minority report, in which Representa-
tive Graham of Pennsylvania Joined.
recommends expulsion; Representative
rftzhenry disagrees with the major
ity TO the extent that he believes
the House should express disap-
proval of the conduct Of the oficers and
agents Of the National Association OF
Manufacturers. while Representative Nc
Coy, democrat, of New Jersey expresses
the view that the Garrett investigation
committee should take the responsibility
OF recommending the course to be pursued
by the House.
He believes it unfair that after the
Garrett committee has done the work
of compiling evidence and a report In
the case the judiciary committee should
have the burden of the responsibility of
action.
Recommendation Of Majority.
The resolution of censure recommended
in McDermott's case by the majority
declares:
That Representative James T. Nc
Dermott. while a member of a former
Congress, in his associations with NJ. NJ
Mulhali, a lobbyist of the National As
sociation OF Manufacturers. and In ac-
eepting loans of large sums OF money
from George d: Horning. pawnbroker.
and from Hugh F. Harvey, a member
of the Retail Liquor Dealers Associa-
ton. both then vitally interested in le,-
islation pending before such former Con-
gress. was guilty of acts Of improperly
honor and decorum which should char
acterize the conduct Of a member of
this House, and that the House strongly
condemns such conduct of the said
he was thereby guilty of acts of grave
inlpropriety unbecoming the distinguish-
ed position he held"
Regarding the power of the House in
the the McDermott case: Representative
on resolutions of expulsion from the
House and reaches this conclusion:
Great Caution Necessary.
In considering this question and in ar
riving at the conclusions we have reach
I'd. We would not have you unmindful OF
the fact that we have been dealing with
the question merely as one Of power, and
it should not be confused with the ques-
tion Of policy also involved. AS a mat
ter of sound policy, this extraordinary
prerogative of the House. in eur judg.
ment. should be exercised only in .ex-
treme cases and always with great eau
ton and after due circumspecti6n9 and
should be invoked with greater caution
where the acts of misconduct complained
Of had become public previous to and
We're generally known at the time Of the
members election. To exercise such
power in that instance the House might
abuse its high prerogative, and. in our
opinion might exceed the juet limitations
OF its constitutional authority by seeking
70 substitute its own standards and ideals
for the standards and ideals of the con.
-tituency OF the member who had DELHI
erately chosen him to be their represent
auve. The effect OF such a policy would
tend not to preserve. but to undermine
and destroy representative government"
The Judgment Of a majority of the
House judiciary committee overruled the
Floyd subcommittee in the proposed CEN
sure OF the officicls Of the National As
sociation of Manufacturers. It was held
that there is grave doubt as to the power
of the House to rightfuily punish per-
sons ether than members by censure or
otherwise for contempts committed
against the House in a previous Con-
sress." The full committee recommends
the enactment of a law by which lobby
ists shall be registered at the Capitol
and their activities strictly limited TO ap-
pearances before committees. The full
purport Of the proposed bill has been
previously published in The Star
Representative Nelson's minority re-
port thoroughly d;sagrees with the ma
jority.
Based entirely on transactions between
Representative McDermott and Washing
ton liquor dealers and pawnbrokers, Rep
resentative Nelson's report demands ex-
pulsion for the Illinois member
The Nelson report furnishes scath-
ing words. 1t said that a careful weigh
ing OF the evidence with personal SYM
pathly left out must inevitably lead to
the conviction that Mr.. McDermott is
guilty, to say the least, of corrupt mis-
conduct wholly incompatible with oficial
honor, trust and duty. His admitted
transactions with the District liquo.
actions with the pawnbrokers' lobby;
MS peculiar relationship with the Ma.
uonal Brewers Association; his proven
transactions with Mulhall in accepting
sums Of money: his inexcusable action In
asking the Manufacturers' Association fol-
financial credit: and his soliciting cam.
paisn funds from corporations, knowins
that such contributions are In violation
Of law. these interests being vitality con
eerned in pending legislation and in
very instance il being clear that Mr.
McDermott received these funds in hi.
representative capacity-all these vena
transactions lead imperatively to the con
ciusion OF guilt to a moral certainty.
And when these grosser offenses are
supplemented by his other misdeeds-
his abuse Of the control of his clerk-hirt
allowance. in obtaining his clerks checks
many days before due to pawn them witt
pawnbrokers without payment Of inter
st and for his personal use: his abus,
~ the franking privilege: his guilt,
knowledge of the highly questionable
conduct of a confidential employe of the
House in the pay of a notoriousiy cor.
'rupt lobbyist; his sharing In the salary
Of such employe. even IL only by way
OF loans. knowing the source: HE pro
curing room in the Capitol itself 10,
this notorious lobbyist to occupy fol
months when Congress was in session
MS duplicity. double-dealing and generally
dishonorable conduct to the labor peo
pie he represents; his bad habits ane
worse immoralities. suppressed in tn,
record for the sake of decency and In
uocence-how can We declare to our con
sutuents and to the world at large Ii
u solemn record vote. that shall stant