Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-11-07
TENNESsEE's BUTLER.
The Defeated Congressional Candidate
Of the First District in Very
Bad Box.
Misfortune ON Misfortune Piled-De
feated for Congress, He Is TO be
Tried for Fraud.
H0W, Beaten in the House, He Carried
a Fraudulent Claim through the
Treasury Department.

WASHINGTON, October 31.-On the
fifteenth of December, 1873 Hon. II. II. Har-
rison OF the Nashville, Tennessee, district,
introduced in the house of representatives a
bill for the relief OF sugg Fort, Of Robertson
county, Tennessee. The bill, which appro.
priated the sum of twenty-three thousand
seven hundred and twenty-three dollars and
fifty cents in full payment for two thousand
seven hundred and ninety-one barrels of
-four alleged to have been taken from his mill
at Forts station in December, 1852, and after
ward, by United States military authorities
and converted to the use OF the United states,
was referred to the committee on war claims,
and in that committee was referred 10 Hon
Isaac W. Scudder, of New Jersey, as a sub
committee. On the tWenty-ntnth OF May the
committee unanimously agreed to report the
bill adversely to the house. But this was not
the end of the matter. Hr. Harrison beng
satisfied that rat MS sSadoWy Character
declined to render him any further as
sistance Discouraged, but not disheaItened,
that claimant brings into the case tnat lrleno
byists, Hon. RodeTick Random Butler, Of the
first Tennessee district, who will be remem-
bered in connection with the cadetSnlP scan
dal in the forty first congress. That gentle
man proceeded TO business at once. On the
nth OF June he appear ed before the commit
tee on war claims, and made an argument IN
behalf of his client-I mean friend-and his
claim. Mr.. Butler only asked that the claim
might be referred TO the commissary general
for examination. The committee reminoeo
Nj. Butler Inab congress- uhu ldh6n away TIC
Jurisdiction of the commissary- general TO eX-
anime aud settle claims OF this character, ana
had established a tribunal called the commits
sioners of claims, by the act OF Aareh s, lSll,
especially to consider such cases. Mr.. Butler
retired after this with the firm con-
yiction that the chances OF Sugg Forts
claim passing that committee were IN inverse ne
proportion TO the amount of the claim. He
was right. The door OF the committee room
had hardly closed behind him ere the COM
mittee again decided unanimously that the
Cd. oh ha mazda tn the house.
But unchanged, Mr.. Butler, eleven DAY S
thereafter, moved in the house that the rules
be suspended and joint resolution be passed
providing that the commissary- general should
have and exercise Jurisdiction over the claim
or Sugg Fort. 1t was objected TO by Mr.. Beck
and others that this was not the report OF q
committee and tire motion was lost. The re-
lection of this resolution by the house would
nave settled the case with the average mem
Der. But Mr.. Butler is not an average MEMBER.
Apparently satisfied with this result, he OBJ.
tained leave of the house to have copies OF
the papers in the case made for presenta-
ton at the department. This leave was OBJ
tanned two days before final adjournment,
and the claim having been advers ely report
ed TO the house on the last day of the session,
the papers in the case went TO the files OF the
house. ThereupOn MIR. Butler selected from
the papers that had been filed before, and OBJ
tanned by the committee on war claims, only
such papers as were favorable TO the case, had
copies OF the same made, which were, on the
tweuty-ffth OF June, certified as correct
copies by the clerk OF the house. 1t would
hardly be supposed that Mr.. Butler would
again present the case TO the eommissary-
general, who had but year before declined
70 entertain IL for want Of jurisdiction. But
that is precisely what he did, the case being
presented to that officer on the twenty-sixth
OF July. And here The MISCHIEF was done. Inc
acting,commisSary general instead of prompt
ly rejecting, or rather refusing, to entertain the
case i'm mediately, took cogn,zance OF 1t, and
four days Rfterward forwarded the claim 10
the third auditor of the treasury, recommend
log the payment of the whole amount
claimed. Singuiarly enough, this favorable
action was secured on the very last day of the
fiscal year, after which there was no fund out
of which TO pay such claims, congress hav-
Ing, during the last session, put provision
in the legislative appropriation bill covering
in all balances unexpended from former APP
preparations for that purpose. The commits
sary-geneTal forwarded the claim TO the
third auditor shortly after one o'clock on
Tuesday, June 0th, with favorable recon-
mendation, and thither IL was followed by
MIR. Butler and "the claimant" The third
auditor was at first unwilling to touch the
claim, urging that, as the claimant had gone
to congress for relief, he should await
its decision, and asked II IL had taken
any action on the claim. The re-
ply was prompt and positive that it had
not; that under the new rules it was imposs4-
BILE to get action on such cases; that the claim
ant was bankrupt and ruined in consequence
of the conversion of his property to such use
and, in fine, the same pitifuf story which nine
out of ten of this class of claiman invariably
tell. Finally, the auditor consented that the
case should De maze Speclal, was done
and about an hour afterward the case was
forwarded TO the second comptroller, with the
verbal message that the case had not, from
want of time, received that careful eXamina-
claim was allowed IL must be on the strength
of the recommendation of the commisSary.
general of subsistence, who was presumed tc
have gone to the bottom OF the claim. o.
course, the persistent But er and the claimant
followed hard after, and the second
comptroller was subjected to the samt
n,wau ENnrg how
forms necessary were gone through with
the secretary of war was followed to hi
house, and called from the dinner-table tC
sign the necessary reQuisitton. All these de
tails were completed about six o'clock, three
hours after the usual business hours of the de
partment, and to complete the story, thC
money was drawn in the most prompt man
ner the next morning as soon as the depart
ment opened, after which Mr.. Butler and the
claimant stole away to their respective homes
in tennessee. An examination OF the evil
dence relied on to substantiate this claim
shows IL to possess really no foundation what
ever and what is somewhat peculiar, por
ton of the evidence, really the most import
ant, is that of officers of the quartermaste
and commisSary departments relating to
claim for thirty thousand bushels OF wheat
which claim was presented in the summer o
1868, and allowed and paid for in November o
the same year. This evidence, relating en-
tirely TO whest taken at Paris, Tennessee, IL
May, 1862, seems to have been satisfactory Il
the commissary-generala and the accounting
officers of the treasury, although appearing IL
a claim for -four taken in December, 1852, ant
January, February and March, 1873, in anothe
country. Then, toe, the evidence as to the time
manner and circumstances of taking the fiou
is of the most improbable character; and al
though Colonel Irwin, the chief quartermast
er who was on duty at Nashville, stated twi
years ago in confidential letter TO Genera
Eaton, which appears in the papers in tn
treasury department, that the claimant new
er had the flour for which he claims pay, ant
that It was not taken as alleged by the claim
ant, no attention seems TO have been paid u
his communications. The claim was, to sun
up, put through by the persistent begging ant
appeals OF r Butler, in hasty manner, ant
under circumstances which show, to say tn
| least, a want OF considt ration of the publi
interests, and deviation from safe bushes
principles, not compatible with the theory q
prudent and economical administration o
public affairs. The secretary of the treasur
having had his attention called to the cas-
| has ordered an investigation, and two specia
agents have been sent to Tennessee to exam
! Inc into the case more thoroughly What &C
ton can be taken against Dir. Fort when tn
claim Is reported to be a fraudulent one, q
will undoubtedly be done, remains TO be seer