Evening star., 1926-08-08

Hereafter congressional investigat.
ing committees probably will remain
at home, in Washington. When they
go out into the wilds. like Chicago.
they do not seem to fare so well.
Recalcitrant witnesses. fianked by
high-priced lawyers. defy the commit
tee and tell ii to do its worst. They
grin with glee when threatened with
citation for contempt of the Senate.
Evidently out in those open spaces.
where men are contributors. they very
generally hold the Senate in con
tempt 1t is strange in the ciIculn.
stances that they should spend q,
much money trying to elect their
friends to such u body.
1t is a fact. however. that a Senate
committee is far more formidable i'm
ltS natural habitat I'm Washington
than 1t is on the road. There 10
.Omethlng In the SURROUNDINGS of the
Natlonal Capital that lends dignity
ana respect to congressional commit
tees and congressional Investigations
In Washington they are surrounded
ny the power and panoply of govern.
ment. Usually the hearings are hold
in one of the big rooms of the Senate o
once Building. The building itself is
Impressive. If one can imagine the
~'AtSN NhoLCS supreme N-OuTI leaving
us dignffled bench in the Capitol and
holding sessions In a hotel room II
VIII be possible to visualize some of
the loss of prestige which goes with
a change of environment.
1t requires far more courage Tn
defy Senate committee in Washing
ton than 1t does in Chicago. although.
or course. it has been done. Harry
sinclair did it some years and more
ago. and thus far he has neither beer.
punlShed nor purged of the contempt.
Nevertheless, taken by and large. "A
Senate committee feels far more at
home and far more powerful i'm Wash.
ingtOn than In any other part of the
country. They fare forth occa sionallv
10 try to get nearer to the seat of
trouble and possibly to save some
money tn Uncle Sam in the upkeep
or witnesses summoned but the
chances are in the future that where
an inquiry is so poignan MT az to find
witnesses reluctant and defiant. the
hearings will he held in Washington.
Another circumstance which NAV
or may not have had something to
do with the lessening of respect for
Senate committees Of investigation IS
the fact that very seldom are all the
members Of the committee present
IN nlcagO. 1Or 1nStAn nee. Spna or
Reed of Missouri had to conduct the
'slush fund.- hearings virtually alone.
Senator La Toilette was with him
part of the time. The committee ha 5
five members. The two out IA nd-out
Republican members of the commit
tee, Senator's Goff of West Virginia
and McNary of Oregon. pa ssed up the
Chicago hearings entirely. Senator
King of Utah, Democrat. also was
absent. 1t is a little too much to ex-
pect a wealthy witness and his law
yers to have any great amount of fear
of One-man Senate committee. Then.
too. 1t must be remembered that Sena
tor Reed Is just a Democrat. while the
defiant witnesses We're Ropubica MS
That lent sort of partisan color to
the alleged contempt.
1t is inevitable that people through
out the country find it difficult to
understand how it is that a Senate
controlled by the Republicans. should
send forth an investigating committee
headed by Democrat. 1t is apparent
they do not believe the Senate is in