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Show SMOOT'S DODGING. Jn the Senate on Friday, Smoot was badly cornered on tho comparison between be-tween tho German wago scale in the razor industry and the wage scale in this country on the samo industry. Senator Sen-ator Slbno of Missouri made tho direct di-rect charge that when tho Senate committee com-mittee reportod that the German wapo scale in this country was far below tho American scalo in tho same industry, it had a full and official statement from Germany that showed diroctly to tho contrary. Senator Al.drich dodged tho point by saying that tho German report re-port had not been translated into English, Eng-lish, and that it was not possible, thcro-forc, thcro-forc, to make tho comparison which Senator Stono insisted should have been made. Common honesty would, however, suggest that, inasmuch as it had. this Tcport which mado tho showing show-ing that there was no such difference in tho labor referred to, between German Ger-man artisans and American artisans, the committee should havo at least refrained re-frained from stating a difference that does not exist and which tho German report showed conclusivcl' was not a fact. But Mr. Aldrich proceeded to explain that tho documents referred lo wore sent for by the President, or by tho Stato Department, and were -not now in the possession of tho committee All of which might have been satisfactory satisfac-tory to Mr. Aldrich. But suroly it was a pi'tifuLshowing to mako upon a question ques-tion of importance and of fact beforo tho Senate. Still, it remained for Smoot to put tho climax on tho ridiculousness of this showing. Smoot appears to have stood upon his dignity in this matter to coifccal his ignorance or his doubb-dealing, doubb-dealing, for, when Mr. Stono inquired whether Smoot thought tho German government would make a false ofli-cial ofli-cial showing in this matter, Smout said ho thought that was "not a proper subject sub-ject for discussion.'-' But since that was precisely tho subject that was under un-der discussion, and had been discussed right along, the childish folly of Smoot's answer is ovideut, as it was confessed by the chairman of tho committee com-mittee that the committeo did .not know what the German wago scalo was, and Smoot left tho matter precisely as it was before, though tho committee had reported ns a fact, that which was not a fact, and which it had full means of knowing was not true. Tho Senate committee, as a matter of fact, roporlcd a certain slalo of affairs regarding tho wago scale paid in Germany in the razor industry, as compared with wages paid in America in the snnie industry, contrary lo the fact which was shown officially by documents doc-uments in tho possession of this committee. com-mittee. On boing called down, Mr. Aldrich confessed that he had made a report without knowing anything about the facts, and Smoot absurdly claimed that tho matter was not a proper ono for discussion which was a disingenuous and presumptuous attempt to play upon Iho assumod ignorance of tho Sonata that can scarcely fail to come under the condemnation of every candid mind. If what the committee reported to bo true was true, thou it was tho commit Icq itself which assailed tho good faith of the German government. The Scnnto has a right to rely upon statements of fa;ts reported by its committees, and if it can no longer do this, then Iho whole fabric of candor and confidence has been undermined, and must crumble into the dust. |