Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-04-15

'soatd completed the scrutiny of the Secor
claims after the death of Admiral Gregory;
the SecoTS had claims for extra work whJh the
navy department could tl;jt allow; an appeal
was made to Congress by the Secors, and
others, Which resulted in the appointment of
the Selfridge board, which made i report on
claims amounting to S2,000,0CO. The secretary
believed no ecii0n was taken on this report, but
a law was passed authorizing the secretary of
the navy 10 appoint a board TO examine claims
and report in detail, TIE secretary appointed a
board, of which Marchand was president. The
BOARD took up claims, went through them, and
made report allowing 100000. After the
passage of the act of congress ioT the settlement
OF the Secor and other claims, application was
made q witness TO reopen them but this he
considered he had no right to do, as those claims
had passed from the control of the department,
congress having dispose. Of them. He regarded
the Secor clai;ns as finally paid so far rs the
navy department was concerned. Witness
recollected the contract with Paul L. Forbes,
who made an utter failure in building ehgiteS
for the Idaho and Aig0nGuin laval department
and refused to ray tie bill, when the contractor
weht &c eohgrcss and received more than he
| Ought 10 have received, namely, 100000.
During the proceedings, Mr.. Blair, chairman
Of the committee, who had Just returned from
Michigan, resumed his seat
Witness was questioned by Secretary Robson:
The Forbes claim he knew was not paid by The
department under his administration of its af-
paid through the committee on appropriations
Or not; he did not examine the bills of the SecorS
in detail. The Ringold board had Oh lhs from
clads under consideration, atd lie thought he
| paid all claims allowed by the board unless eX-
| ceptioES were taken to some portions OF them;
| he could not say that either the Mahopac, or
| Manhattan, or Tecumseh was before the beard,
and could not say whether the roart reported or
not on these vessels he did not suppose the
| Secors had any claims to consider; he had sup
81, ho1 OLE fl,pA
| ment before he left it.
| Question by Secretary Robeson-7Is there any
| record Of evidence written by YOU or by any
officer of the bureau which shows that that AT.
count was closed?
| Answer cannot tell, but | know that
passed on claims, and, as thought, adjusted
and concluded them. do not know on what
| ground the SecOr claims were reopened and
| paid; do not know what the items were, but
they were closed as | had supposed.
Secretary Robesen0Fou have said that sew
| eral times.
Witness-I will say SO again, if the question
| is asked.
In reply TO question by Secretary Robson,
| witness said he wrote no letter to Chas, A. Dana
| that appeared in the Sun, Dana wrote to him,
enclosing a slip from his NEWSPAPER, and asking
him whether he knew anything relating to
| the subjects therein contained. Witness replied
| to Dana that he had heard of some of them, bun
| not all; he denied the right of any one TO call
| upon him for his private correspondence, but
| would say that Para aitefwatd wrote TO him to
| know whether there was a written contract for
| the Athes gun, TO which he replied he could not
reCollect, but his impression was that there was
no such contract. There was in that newspaper
an article containing various charges against
| the navy department; there was something
about biicks being sent to California, but he
| could not recollect the others. The article was
shown to witness; it was dated February 26th ,
he said it was similar to the one he had received
| from Dana.
BY Secretary Robson Did YOU write to back
Dana saying that the charges were substantially
| true2
| Ans%er-I wrote to him that | had heard of
| some of these things, but not of Others. do
not think made use of the expression that they
| were substantially true,
Questionable yeu make the suggestion that
the payment Of the Secor claim was New
| Years present because it was made that day?
| Answer i heard it was insisted that the
| requistion should be issued on the 31st of De.
| cember, but this could not be DONE the hour be-
| ing late and the force having left the bureau.
1t was, however, issued the next day, January
| 1st,
Question-Did you suggest in that letter to
| Dana that the secretary of the navy, or any
body else, received New Years present out of
| the money?
Answer did not say that the secretary re-
ceived any part of the $4,000.
| Questionable you suggest that a lady did?
Answer stated a part of what heard;
| but mentioned no lady's name.
The witness was Intercepted at length by
| several members of the committee regarding the
payment of claims. Peters asked witness
whether he did not consider it proper TO pay
Secors claim of $4,000, they having performed
the work for the navy department, but had not
received a cent therefor
| Witness replied that as congress has passed
on the Secor claims, and made an appropriation
for their settlement in full, nothing could have
induced him to reopen the case.
Edgar Welles, sworn-Testfed that he was
chief clerk in the navy department under his
fathers administration; he had the general i'm
preston that he saw RngOld'S report, but did
not know the nature of its contents.
The chairman said he wanted to call two wit
nesSes. He would be ready Monday evening,
and the committee adjourned till that time.
TARIFF AND REVENUE.
The committee on ways and means were a
long time in session yesterday, on the subject of
tariff and internal revenue, and will resume a
consideration of the subject tomorrow, hoping
TO perfect measures in time to be reported dur
| ing the afternoon. The protectiOnists on the
committee wanted the internal revenue bill first
| reported to the house and voted on before con-
| sidering the tariff, so as to revive tobacco and
other domestic interest, and in order that they
might know the extent of the reduction of
revenue under that bill, as guide
in modifying the tariff; but they were
outvoted by the committee. In conse-
quence of this, Representative Burchard of the
majority will report the two measures, the tariff
taking precedence. Instead of tea and coffee
being first on the list, they are it is said among
the last, which will exclude, at the commence
ment of the consideration OF the bill, test on
these two articles, which produce probably $780,
100000 annually under present duties. 1t is
probable that at some stage of the proceedings
| a substitute will be offered for the bill of the
committee, leaving the house to select between
the two propositions.
MISCELLANEOUS.
The balances in the treasury department to-
day, were Coin 1924 064191, currency S9,1O2 :
961; com certificates, S27 ,10S,500,
1t is thought the president will this week
nominate controller of the currency to supply
| the present vacancy.