Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-03-11
WASHINGTON.
The District Investigation Begun
SPECIFIC Charges FILED.


Specific Charges Filed.
WASHINGTON, March 1O.-The District
Investigating Committee has been engaged
to day in examining w. o. Syphax, formerly
superintendent Of the cOlOred schools OF
Washington in regard to the condition on
their affairs when he went out of Office,
July 4, 1871. He testified that at that date
all the debts of the colored schools had been
paid and there was a balance of 500 TO
their credit in the Treasury.
COUNSEL for he memoralistS handed to the
chairman, Senator Thurman,) document
which had been prepared in compliance
with the order of the committee requiring
the memOrialsts TO present specific charges.
This paper will not, however. be accessible
to reporters until after it shall have been
formally submitted TO the committee. The
committee went into secret session to read
and consider the memorialists' charges.
When the doors opened, Mr.. Thurman
announced that the committee would order
the memOrialiSts' charges to be printed, and
before pursuing the investigation would
give the Board Of Public Works an oppor-
tunity, if they so wished, to make a written
reply to the specific charges.
lie further stated the counsel for the
the committee issue subpoenas duce tecum
to compel the attendance of certain wit
neSseS with various private papers. The
committee had decided that prior to grant
ing such a motion II would be expedient to
hear argument from counsel as to thepOwer
and duty of The committee to compel the
production CT private papers and especially
to hear argument as TO what certainty Of
agreement and description should be re-
quired as a condition predecent to grant
ing such motion and whether the question
of how far the rules prevalent in courts
should be applied to an investigating COM
committee. He therefore announced that
next Thursday would be assigned for
hearing argument on the above questions,
and he furthermore suggested that counsel
should consent to the admission of certified
copies of sundry hotel registers in Phila-
delphia and New York for the production
of which "subpoenas dUces tecum" were ap-
piled for, and thus save unnecessary ex-
penses. The specific charges were then read.
They relate to alleged collisions between
the board of public works and outside
rings of contractors by means of which it is
charged contracts were eXtrayagantly and
frauduently awarded.
The Howard Court
The Howard Court of Inquiry assembled
at noon to-day, all the members present ex-
cepting Col. Getty. The court organized
and the session was mainly devoted to
hearing correspondence from the depart
mentS relating to the alleged irregularities.
The outstanding legal tenders are 1882,
100000.
The Bankrupt Bill.
The House Committee on Judiciary to-
day directed Gen. Butler TO report back the
bankrupt bill to the House with a recon-
incubation that Senate amendments be nom
concurred in, and that a committee of con-
ference be asked. The committee are
nearly equally divided, but a majority are
inclined to adhere to House bill repeating
the law.
The Gust ms Abuses.
Mr.. JAYNE resumed his sta ement before
the Committee on Ways and Means
this evening. He said the committee had
been told by the gentleman now present
(Schutlz) that he had been going around
among merchants and feeling the pulse OF
various patients. He had all respect for
the honesty of purpose of that gentleman,
but if YOU were to array all cOnvicts of all
penitentiaries in a row, and ask them, ''are
YOU guilty?- there would be one universal
mo" 1t had been said he had
made much money, but he.
could have made more in a single
transaction, namely, by taking a check for
a large sum Of money to leave the city,
where he was not popular among those
whose frauds he undertook TO detect. Eos
ter inquired whom he employed as counsel.
| JAYNE replied: Gen. Butler. In questions
Of law which he did not understand he had
| consulted that gentleman. He paid him
One Thousand Five Hundred Dollars,
| besides a fee, in the Phelps X Dodge case.
| He had consulted Gen. Butler in three or
| four other cases. Mr.. Foster asked wit
ness questions with regard TO tie case of
| Woodruff, Robinson x Co., and Jayne said
| he thought the amount they paid (S3,OOO)
/ was in excess. JAYNE, in reply TO ques-
| tions by Mr.. Beck, OF the Committee,
| said in Sixty-One cases in his charge fifty
| two or fifty-three were in consequence OF
COIIusiOn with CustOmhOuse Officials.
| He reported them TO the Secretary OF the
| Treasury. Some of those officers are now
out of a place, but others are still in office.
He reported tie facts to the Secretary. tie
thought these men ought not to be in Of
fee.
Mr.. Beck-DO you think it safe to carry
on business where such men are kept in
Office?
Mr.. Jayne-While thieves are in office |
look on the seizure of books and papers as
no better than
Highway Robbery,
and so l have quit. Laughter.
Mr.. Niblack asked Mr.. Jayne to explain
the discrepancy between the actual sum
paid and sums reported in seizure cases.
Mr.. Jayne explained that it was owing
to deductions for payment of expenses.
Mr.. Niblack said there was a rumOr to
the prejudice of an officer in the Treasury
Department, namely, that Jayne had di-
vided portion of the mOiety with a subOr
dinate in that department, whose hostility
he did not care to incur.
Mr.. Jayne replied that it was not true
but a gentleman there had information like
himself concerning the same house. The
information was discovered from importers
books. He said to him, Jayne, let the
case appear in your name" This was done
and thew divided the money.