Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1873-08-21
THE VIENNA SCANDAL.

IL, 10 10.
THE VIENNA SCANDAL.
Report OF tho Special Com na fx4iOn 0l
lnvcstigatiOh.
the Special Commissioners have
sent to the Department of State q full
report on the irregularities charged
against Gen. T. B. Van Buren, and the
replies thereto, together with the cor.
respondence, evidence and reports con
nected Herewith. The correspondence
is vOluminous, and touches upon all
the points involved in the management
OF the American Department at Vienna,
such as the receipt of money by Van
Buren, and Meyer for the privilege of
erecting bars and restaurants, the cor
rurt contract for roofing the American
Court, and variety of other matters
which have heretofore been published.
In conclusion, the Special Commits
sioners find that the Commission to
Vienna has been managed cor.
ruptly and for personal purposes,
to the great detriment of the
American Department and in violation
of American honor, and has exposed
us to national humiliation at Vienna
and throughout the world. The evi.
dence shows no taking of money by
any members of the Commission except
General Van Buren and Mr.. Meyer.
In regard to General Van Buren; the
Special Commission do not hesitate to
report that they dissent from his justi-
ication of taking $500 as a loan from
Hugel, under the circumstances shown
in the evidence; that they hold some
satisfactory explanations given by Gen
cral Van Buren, touching the 100000
which he received from Behm and
Wiehl that they find an utter want OF
frankness and an inexcusable disregard
of exactness in the statements made by
him to the Secretary of State in his
letters OF the 10Th and 18th of March
in regard to a number of concessions
for bars, and touching kilograms from
Vienna, reporting the character of the
corruption, and that the exactness of
the assurance given mislcd the Govern
ment into the belief that no irregulari-
ties have been committed demanding an
investigation at New York, and thus
compelled the transfer of the inquiry
to Vienna. As to the justification set
up by Meyer, that all he did in taking
and asking of money was done by him
as q subordinate, with the knowledge
and approval of the chief Commission
or; and as to the various cases of yer.
acity raised by the evidence between
Gen. Van Buren and Gen. Murphy,
touching the alleged completely of the
former in the proceedings of the latter,
and the sharing by Gen. Van Buren of
the second 81, 900 obtained from Behm
l. Wleht, the special Commissioners
refrain from expressing an opinion, for
the reason that they don't deem the
discussion of these points essential to
Gen. Meyer. since no such approval of
acts nor apportion of moneys, should
in their opinion render the acts proper
or constitute valid defence for their
their commission. They hold that it
was the duty of the chief of the Ameri-
can Commission to exercise so wide q
vigilance in the appointment of each
and all of his assistants, and
especially the first and confden-
tial assistant, and so exact su-
pervision of the management of the
Commission as to protect it from the
smallest faint or suspicion of corrup-
ton, and enable it to accomplish at
Vienna reasonable success, and fitly to
represent the integrity and honor of
the government. Were special COM
mission to admit the jastice of Gen.
Van Buren's defense for acts which he
acknowledges, and were they pro-
nounced against every charge made
against him by Gen. Meyer. of having
approved and shared this exaction of
money, there would still remain the
charge, the greatest, save that of cor
ruptioD, which should be preferred
against the chief of commission ap.
pointed to represent in an assemblage
ofnations the industry, the culture, art
and fame OF our Republic, as to the
charge OF having permitted, through a
period of months, from a want of clear
sighted intelligence and vigilance, loose
management, indicat d by the
testimony, marked by Irregularities
which have arrested the success of the
Commission and brought dishonor on
the Republic. The Special Commits
sion, therefore, without entering at all
upon the charges of completely made
against him by Meyer, are comrelled
to regard Gen. Van Buren, MS RESPONSE
BILE as chief of the Commission for
abuses of authority committed by his
confidential assistant, and apart from
the charges of corruption they find the
management generally of the Commls-
sion, which Gen. Van Buren appears
to have LETT to his subordinatea, to have
been marked by lack cf judgment
and foresight, an absence of effective
system and oder, and looseness in con-
tracts, in instructions and in accounts,
calculated to insure the ruin of any
private business, and which in a great
national trust like that intrusted to Gen.
Van Buren was to the last degree dis.
creditable and intolerable, as indicat
ing Indifference or incapacity, or both
combined. The Special Commission
speaks in terms of the highest praise of
the Commissioners appointed by the
President, with J. Shultz as chief. and
say that the intregrity and prudence of
the present management are we'll calcu-
lated to cause the past irregularities to
be forgotten, to restore general conf
dence IN the American Commissioners,
and to encourage the hope that the art
and industry of Europe may be fairly re-
presented ut our own centennial in 1876.
In view of the fact that bars have been
multiplied by corrupt practices, and to
the great scandal of the country, the
Special Commission recommend that
the American Commission at Vienna be
instructed to advise the Imperial man.
ager Of the Exposition that the
authority given for the establishment
of said bars was given improperly, and
that they will nolonger sanction, super
wise, nor be in any manner responsible
for the same; nor consent to their
using the national name "r national
colors. All of which is respectfully
(Signed) JOHN JAY.
L. F. MCELRATH.
VIENNA, Austria, July 5, 1873.
Substitute for Rubber.
Daniel NJ. Lamb, of Strathoy, Cana
da, is the author of method of pro-
ducing gum from the wildwood plant,
of the asclepia family. and flax and
other seeds, which consists by macer.
ating and fer,nenting the substances,
and then by evaporation reducing the
resulting liauid to a thick gummy
mass. The cum thus obtained NAV be