Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-04
BINGHAM CENSURE
VOTEDDY SENATE
Amendment to Resolution Ex-
onerateS Legislator of
Corrupt Motives.
CONTINUED Prom sirst Pass)

that the debate today disclosed that the
charge made earlier in the discussion
to tie effect that his resolution was OF
a partisan nature is without foundation
senator Norris SAID that In the resolu-
zion which he introduced there was no
cf1atge OF personal ifatd. He Added
that he beneved 1t Is true tnat it is
dintciilt 20 condemn an act without
affecting TO some extent the individual
t.eIerrmg TO amendments which hau
bsen proposed 10 the original resola-
ton, senator Norris declared:
I'VE say we coidennfi this act, sena
tor Bingham, but We laud you to the
skies.
In conclusion Senator Norris said the
most discouraging thing IN the debate
was that Senator Bingham has not vet
graSped what the Senate Is doing; =
Senator Norris said that Senator Bling
ham has not yet reached the point
where he realizes the Senate is con-
demning the action.
Binfhams Defense.
Senator Bingham made a statement
in his own defense at the outset Of the
debate today in which he said;
Whatever mistakes in judgment I
have made, however indiScreet, or over
Jealous / may have been. the fact re-
mains that whatever did was done in
an effort to obtain the most complete
information"
senator Bingham denied that he mad
been guilty of any wrongdoing.
Senator Qillett OF Massachusetts
while frankly declaring that he did not
approve of the employment OF Eyansof
by Senator Bingham, insisted that the
incident was not such as to demsI.d
formal action by the Senate.
He said that he had seen men in
the House when he was a member of
that body taking part in legislation
under the influence of liquor. He said
Senators had bottles of liquor in their
6fdces. These things, he said, were
wrong, but. he added, that no effort
was made by Senate action to condemn
them nor would he join In any such
action,
AS Soon as the Senate met, Senator
Norris requested that his resolution re-
lating to Senator Bingham be laid be-
fore the Senate. He said everything
relating to 1t was we'll known to the
Senate ana that ne was ready for q
Senator Blesse, Democrat, of South
Carolina, requested that the resolution
BE- read, and indicated he had an
amendment he wanted to OFFER. Senator
Bingham had obtained the floor, how
ever, and said he would rather proceed
with his speech before yielding.
The Connecticut senator began By
telling his colleagues that the Norris
resolution asks for condemnation of
my having placed Mr.. Eyanson on the
pay roll OF the Senate on three grounds"
He said these three grounds we're: That
1t was contrary to good TnoralS con.
trary to senatorial ethics, and that it
was damaging to the honor and reputa-
ton OF the Senate.
In q speech LASTING about 20 min
utes, Senator Bingham took up sep
arately each of these three phases of
the resolution and denied that there
was anything dtshoYI0rAble or corrupt
connected with his action.
Referring to the frst charge, Senator
Bingham said that II it meant anything
1t suggested that his action was dis
honest or corrupt.
Pleads mot Guilty" to Each.
ITO this charge I plead not guilty"
Senator Bingham continued. There
was nothing dishonest or corrupt. Not q
dollar of public money was wasted. !
did not profit by a single dollar. Not a
penny Of public money stuck TO my
fingers or to Mr.. Eyansons."
Taking up the charge of senatorial
sthics, Senator Bingham said that every
profession has It's ethics, and this ac-
ton of mine is called contrary to SEN
atorial ethics. Again plead not Guilty."
Senator Bingham explained that every
one knows that four clerkships are as
signed to each Senator, whether he be
an old member or new one. He said
it may not be known to the public, but
it is understood by every Senator, that
n nf
four clefkships are filed and how these
services may be rendered to be Of the
greatest value to the Senator and the
people of his State.
mo Senator is criticized If he puts
his relatives in these positions" Sena-
tor Bingham declared He added tina;
he did not see how his placing of Mr.
Eyanson on the roll as one of his clerks
to give him expert advice which he
needed on the tariff could be held con-
tTary to senatorial ethics.
Taking UP the portion of the reso-
luton relating to the honor and repu-
tation of the Senate, Senator Bingham
declared that ne did not believe any
one who listened to his previous ex-
PLANTATION would say that he had acted
on dishonorable or unpatriotic motives
Senator Bingham said that he had
learned recently that four or five Sena-
offices by the Government.
SmOOt Offers Substitute.
As soon as Senator Bingham had
concluded his statement Senator Smoot,
Republican, Of Utah offered his substi-
tute for the Norris resolution. The SUBJ
stitute eliminated Senator Bingham'S
name and read IS follows:
Resolved, That the Senate disap-
IF I'll tn
Senator or committee of the Senate Of
any person who at any time during his
service as such clerk has been or Is
employed by any individual, partner
ship corporation or association engaged
in the manufacture, production or I'M
pOrtatioh Of articles affected by tariff
legislation or by any Association or
group Of such manufacturers, produce
erS or importers"
who has served in the House and the
Senate for a great many years and
was Speaker of the House before he
was elected to the Senate, rose to de-
fend Senator Bingham. The MAssa-
chusetts Senator made no effort, how
ever, to defend the action of Senator
Bingham in employing Eyanson to aid
him on the tariff bill. He merely said
that ne believed Senator Bingham had
no intention of wrong doing.
MY fundamental reason said Sena.
tor Gillett. "for voting against this
resolution co11demning Senator Bine-
ham, Ia that it Ia not the duty of the
Senate to pass upon the propriety and
the discretion of members Of the Senate
in some of the things that they do. 1t
is only on great occasions that the
senate should feel compelled to act,
and this is not one Of them"
did What He Thought Necessary"
Senator Bingham did what he
thought was necessary. He had never
been before q member of the committee
dealing with the tariff bill. We, all Of