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Salt Lake Tribune | 1913-08-31 | Page 6 | An Absurd Investigation

Type issue
Date 1913-08-31
Paper Salt Lake Tribune
Language eng
City Salt Lake City
County Salt Lake
Rights No Copyright - United States (NoC-US)
Publisher Digitized by J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah
ARK ark:/87278/s6184ht2
Reference URL https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6184ht2

Page Metadata

Article Title An Absurd Investigation
Type article
Date 1913-08-31
Paper Salt Lake Tribune
Language eng
City Salt Lake City
County Salt Lake
Page 6
OCR Text AN ABSURD INVESTIGATION. Some of our Btalesmen appoar to be absolutely mad upon tho question of investigations. One of the most ridiculous ridicu-lous propositions for investigation was that in Congress whon Secretary Mc-Adoo Mc-Adoo charged tho banks of Now York with being in a conspiracy to decrease tho value of their own assets, particularly particu-larly tho value of tho 2-por-cont bonds. The idea of investigating a thing like that, howovor, at onco was seen to be absurd on tho face of it; and tho move was dropped. But now an investigation investiga-tion is proposed bp Representative George Kindol of the Denvor district in Colorado, of tho settlement arrived at by tho courts in dissolving tho Hurri-man Hurri-man merger. Tt is impossible to seo how CongreB3 hns any sort of control over tho procodure of the Federal aourts in the matter of a docroo rendered or in approval of a settlement made under that decree. Tho whole matter was determined de-termined by tho courts on due hearing. Judgment wan rendered that tho Harri-man Harri-man interests must bo unmergod, and after a number of experimental propo-( propo-( Hitious had beon made and rejected, the ! final settlement waB approved and decree de-cree cnterod accordingly, But Representative Kindol has heard that on the day of the final hearing of this caso at St. Paul in .Tune last, Attorney At-torney General McReynolds dined at a club with tho judges and tho counsel for the Union Pacific Railroad Com-pauy, Com-pauy, and those for tho banking firm which has long beon concerned in Pacific Pa-cific railway financeoring. Tho invitation invi-tation to this dinner was given by the presiding judge of the court. According Accord-ing to Representative Kindol 's understanding, under-standing, there was something sinister about this, nnd, ho wants to find ont whoro the blnck spot is located. Attorney Gonoral McReynolds admits ad-mits the dinner, and also that there was a consultation thoroafter, which rosultod In the plan of unmorging which was finally approved by tho court. There was, of coutbo, no secrecy about this, save only that the parties to the consultation wore in a 'room by themselves. them-selves. Everything done, howovor, was publish' reported, and was published in tho papors at the time. McReynolds states further that there is nothing to conceal in the matter, and that such consultation between judges and counsel coun-sel aro not at all unusual in such finnl procedure. Representative Kindel must be of a very suspicious turn of mind. He "smells a rat and wants to nip it in the bud." In order, however, to got action, ac-tion, he has to assume something disreputable, dis-reputable, and to connect tho Federal CoiiTt for tho Eighth Judicial Circuit, the Attorney Goueral, and counsel concerned con-cerned in the suit, with that disreputable disreputa-ble suspicion which he harbors. It is a. case of frenzied Investigation, of unworthy un-worthy ferreting, and of an attack which has no merit; for the determination determina-tion arrived at by the court and the approval of tho plan of unuiouging wore, both perfectly opou aud above board A numbor of plans had boon proposod that had failed, and finally one wus hit upon that was agrooablc to all par-tics, par-tics, and in strict consonance with the decree of the U. S. Suprome Courl. As Attorney General McRoynoIdd enys there was nothing underhand about it tho whole matter was given to tho public pub-lic at onco, nnd there wan on all hands a general approval oC tho plan nnd decree. de-cree. The Federal Circuit Court faithfully faith-fully carried out tho judgment of the U. S. Supremo Court, and tho whole matter has been closod by the conHr. mation and approval of tho plan. What could possibly bo gnined by an investigation in thig case, it is quite out of tho question to see. Suroly Congress Con-gress would not undortako to interfere i with or try to annul a ruling and decree of the Fedoral Courts. Suroly It would not undortako to legislate upon the official of-ficial action of the judiciary, a co-ordi-nato branch of the Federal Government. Thoreforo, since thero Is absolutely nothing to be gnined, and since there is in fact nothing to Investigate, one must concludo that Representative Kin-del Kin-del proposed this investigation merely to keep tip tho investigating fever, nnd to get his nnmo in print as somewhat in advance of all others in tho prevalent craze.
Reference URL https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6184ht2/14338126