The Washington times., 1914-04-27
THE M'DERMOTT CASE.

Congressman McDermott, of Chi
cago, was one of the central figures
in the "lobby investigation" By Con-
cress that followed the publication
of the celebrated batch of Mulhall
correspondence. Mr.. McDermott
was found to have conducted a re-
markable series of borrowing trans
actions with various interests that
were concerned about legislation, and
which had ready money and readi-
ness to loan it to statesmen. Nc
Dermott took advantage of these op-
portunities to an extent and in a
fashion that causes Congressman
Nelson, reporting on the operations,
to refer to them as "venal transac-
tions."
Mr.. Nelson presented to the
House a minority report recommend
ing that McDermott be expelled from
the House. The majority of the
committee recommends censurc. If
the majority report shall be accept
ed, it will establish an important
precedent. In future it will be diff
cult to calculate a degree Of imprC-
priety which must be attained in a
Congressman's conduct in order to
warrant separating him from his
seat.
Summarizing the offenses of Nc
Dermott, Mr.. Nelson, among other
things, says a careful weighing of
the testimony
must inevitably lead to the conviction
| that Mr.. McDermott is guilty, to say
the least, Of corrupt misconduct wholly
incompatible with official honor, trust,
and duty. His admitted transactions
with the District liquor dealers lobby;
his undeniable transactions with the
pawnbrokers' lobby; his peculiar rela-
tionship with the National Brewers AS
sociation: his proven transactions with
Mulhan in accepting sums Of money:
his inexcusable action in asking the
Manufacturers Association for finan-
cial credit: and his soliciting campaign
| funds from corporations, knowing that
such contributions are in violation of
law, these interests being vitally con-
cerned in pending legislation, and in
every instance 1t being clear that Mr..
McDermott received these funds in his
representative capacity-all these venal
transactions lead imperatively to the
conclusion of guilt to a moral GER
tainty.
And when these grosser offenses are
supplemented by his other mtsdeeds-
his abuse of the control of his clerk
clerks checks many days before due
to pawn them with pawnbrokers with
out payment of interest and for his
personal use; his abuse of the franking
privilege: his guilty knowledge OF the
highly questionable conduct Of con-
fidential employe Of the House in the
| pay Of a notoriously corrupt lobbyist;
| his sharing in the salary of such en-
ploye. even II only by way of loans,
knowing the source; his procuring
room in the Capitol itself for this no
| torious lobbyist to occupy for months
when Congress was in session: his du-
| plicity, double-dealing and generally
| dishonorable conduct to the labor peo-
! pie he represents: his bad habits anu
worse immoralities, suppressed in the
| Record for the sake of decency and In
| nocence-hoW can We declare 10 our
| constituents and to the world at large
! in a solemn record vote, that shall
stand for all time as our approved
standard of official conduct that Mr.
| McDermott is morally fit aDd worthy
to hold the high office Of member oi
Congress in this enlightened land we
! proudly call our country!
There is reason to expect that the
House will present less one-sided
division when it comes to voting or
the report than the committee did
1t seems to be one case that deserves
thorough consideration in order
that the country may get accurate
understanding of the moral stand
ards the House is disposed to set W
| for its members.