Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-03-27

Rich Developments.
WASHINGTON, March 26.-The Commit
tee on Ways and Means gave another hear
ing to-day in the Sanborn matter. San
bornis counsel came before the committee
and stated that, after consultation, it was
agreed that his client (Sanborn) would pre-
sent himself before the committee to-mOr-
row and make a written statement and
subject himself to the examination of the
committee. a '-al
That arrangement being satisfactory, the
committee proceeded TO hear the statement
of VIM. II. Simmons, Collector of Boston,
and late Internal Revenue Supervisor for
New England. He appeared as a witness
on behalf of Sanborn. He related his con-
nection with the latter, and stated that
when Sanborn first came into his office in
Boston and told him of his contract and
his right 10 be aided in his examination by
Internal Revenue officers, lie (Simmons)
declined on that statement and immediate
ly went to see Richardson, then Assistant
Secretary of the Treasury, and who was
then in Boston, and that he got verbal in
struetiOns from Richardson TO assist San
born He subsequently got a letter from
Secretary Boutwell, and still later from Sec
retary Richardson to the same effect. I'm
der these instructions, he had detailed
Revenue Detective Horton TO aid Sanb0rn.
and Horton had continued to do so while
he (Simmons) remained in the Internal
Revenue Department.
Upon being pressed by members of the
committee as to his views of the propriety
of turning over a salaried officer of the gov
ernment to the employment of private in
dividual, be said th-t his rule was always
to obey his superior officers. To the ques-
tiOn as to Sanborn's peculiar qualifications
for the business of collecting direlict taxes,
he replied that Sanborn was known in
Massachusetts as
ava u ssThe Mysterious MAN,
that he was acquainted with every member
of the Legislatures of Massachusetts,
Maine and New Hampshire, and that he
managed the business OF railroads, particu-
larry the Eastern railroad, in these Legis-
latures, as a member of the third estate. In
answer 10 a question by Mr.. Wood, he
stated that he had no conversation with
any Congressman in regard to the Sanborn
contracts. As tc the policy of the law un-
der which contract could be made, he de-
clined TO give an opinion, lest he might be
supposed to be casting reflections on the
members of Congress who voted for it, but
he expressed his decided conviction that 30
per cent. of the $4,000 collected in New
England, under the Sanborn contract,
would never have been collected through
the regular channels.
Sanborn's Agents.
F. NJ. Greene and o. F. Presbrey. agents
employed by SanbOrn 20 work up the
Western railroad cases were examined at
length. They both testified that the cases
they had dealt with were not of record in
any internal revenue Office, and denied
that they had ever represented themselves
as agents of the Treasury Department.
They admitted, however, that they had
never announced themselves as agents Of
SanbOrn, but had left parties to draw their
own differences from the secret service
credentials which they presented. Ad-
iourned.
The District Investigation.
The entire morning session of the Dis
trict Of Columbia Investigating Committee
was consumed in the examination Of Col.
Thomas Soma of the United States engi-
neer corps, who testified concerning esti-
mates and measurements made by him OF
work done by the Board of Public Works,
around government reservations and govern
ment property, upon which measurements
the bills presented by the District aUthori-
ties against the United States have been
based. During the croSs-examination of
the witness Judge Wilson asked him if he
was willing to stake his reputation as a
civil engineer on his measurement of the
work charged for around government reser-
vation No. II, in Washington City. Soma
replied that he would, and in response TO
further questions, stated that $4,000 worth
of tagging had been laid there. Wilson
remarked to the committee that, so far as
he could Judge, from personal observation,
no work whatever of this nature had been
done there.
The President has signed the joint reso-
luton making an appropriation to def ay
the expenses Of the Joint Select Commit
tee to enquire into the affairs of the Dis
trict of Columbia.
The customs receipts for the week end
ing March u, were as follows: New York
S2,50S, ,654; Boston S291,0S6; Baltimore
S195, Philadelphia Sl76, ,l59.
More Deficiencies.
The House Committee appropriations
to day heard the statements of supervising
Architect Mullett, in regard to deficiencies
in the appropriations for furniture and fuel
for the public buildings throughout the
country and agreed to insert in the deficiency
bill items amounting to about Sl25,OOO for
these purposes. The committee also agreed
TO an item of S20,0 900 10 cover the deficiency
in the appropriation for the bureau Of stat
istics and SIS, 900 for Prof. Hayden's geo.
logical Survery Of the Yellowstone region.
This latter deficiency has been caused by
departure from the usual custom Of selling
the mules, wagons, etc, at end OF the sea-
sons work, it having been thought advisa-
bic to retain them for thisyear'sexpedition.
The Howard COurt-MartiaI.
Gen. BabcOck was on the stand again to-
day in the Howard Court of Inquiry.
The principal portion of his testimony re-
lated TO the State bounty fund, witness
testifying that the vouchers therefor were
presented to the auditing officers of the
Treasury, who refused 20 receive them on
the ground that it was not a public fund
belonging to the government, upon which
witness filed the vouchers in his office, leav-
ing them in his desk when he was relieved,
from which time he has no knowledge of
their whereabouts. Gen. BabcOck was also
examined in regard 10 the retained fees OF
suspended or unlicensed attorneys, regard
inc which he testified he had kept an ac-
count book of them in his desk, leaving
that also when he was relieved from duty
and since which time he had not heard OF
it. The court to-day ruled that its action
was an investigation, not a prosecution and
also that counsel of accused shall have the
nriviIege of objecting to receive any teSti-
monv. the question of receiving it TO be
afterwards ordered and decided upon by the
court. .,,,
The outstanding legal tenders are $751;
100000.
A Touching Topic.
~,,.,, MI, or Tho Illinois House