The Portland daily press., 1876-05-29
WASHINGTON.
A Charge against Speaker Kerr.

n OhdH 10 dssdkAst SPChAcE AcrFs
New YORK, May 2Z-The Herald says ely
mer's committee is about to investigate the
statement that A. S. Green was made a lieu
tenant in the regular army by President john
son at the request of Mr. Kerr, now Speaker
of the House, and that Green was introduced
to Mr.. Kerr by doorkeeper Lawrence Harvey
to whom Green paid $500. Harvey states that
he paid Kerr for having Green commissioned.
Harvey is now employed in the appraisers
office in New York city, aud the matter is op.
ened to-day in Washington.
The committee this afternoon examined in
secret A. ?. Green relative TO the charge against
Speaker Kerr. He merely confirmed the state
ment already published that he expressed to
Lawrence Harvey his desire to obtain a COM
mission in the army, and that Harvey said it
would cost money and arranged an interview
with Kerr, through whose influence a commits
sion was obtained. Green also testified that
he paid Harvey $500 for his services, but be-
yond this he knew nothing. Speaker Kerr
does not seem to be disturbed about the mat
ter.
The Naval Investigation.
WASHINGTON, May 27.-Members of the
House committee ON naval affairs say they
have only two more witnesses to summon be-
fore they complete the testimony in their in
vestigatiops, namely, Score tary Robson and
Admiral Porter, The Secretary has not yet,
however, signified his intention to appear as
the committee have not complied with his re-
quest to conduct the examination with open
doors.
Senate Amendments 10 the Leg fsIative
Appropriation Bill.
The Senate committee on appropriations
made over thousand amendments to the leg
islative appropriation bill. Among them are
the following
Clause reducing the compensation of Con-
gressmen stricken out, leaving the compensa-
ton $4,000; salaries of various clerks and other
employees of the Senate and House restored ;
haf 10 f,,ff ba al Oh
have the care of the building instead of the
Commissioner Of Public Buildings. Another
amendment appropriates SIS, ia for compen-
sation OF the Congressional printer and clerks
and messengers in his Office, and $25OO for con.
tingent expences; compensation of Librarian
of Congress restored to $4,000. The Hoase in
serted a provision that from and after March
4th, 1877, the salary of the President shall be
$4,000, but the Senate committee struck it out
leaving the compensation $50, 900. The appro-
priations for various departments are restored
and increased.
The Alaska Company
The subcommittee on ways and means has
prepared report on the testimony taken con-
corning the Alaska Commercial Company, and
the manner in which it obtained lease of the
Fur Sea islands. They arrived to the conclu.
sion that Secretary Boutwelps award of the
lease was properly made and thatit should be
sustained The report was prepared by Fer
nando Wood and Ben Hill, and signed also by
Burchard, Kelley and Chaplin. 1t exonerates
the Treasury department and the company in
very emphatic terms from all charges of i'm
proper conduct, fraud or mismanage ment.
Secretary Robson again Demands a
Hearing.
Secretary Robson has written in reply to the
recent letter of Mr.. WhitthorD, chairman of
the House Committee on Naval Affairs as fol-
lows:
Hon. w. G. Whitthorne, Chairman Of Com
mittee on Naval Affairs, House OF Represen-
tatives.
Sir:-Your letter of the Oath inst. has been
received. In reply beg to say that the de-
mand to be heard contained in my letter was
founded upon the reasons therein fully and spe-
officially stated; that said demand was not made
in response to the resolution of your committee
which you say was adopted on the 18th inst,
"as mere formal expression of the purpose
entertained by them from the institution of the
investigation, it such course should become
necessary for the very conclusive reason that
that resolution had not been made public and
was, of course, unknown to me. Nor am
even now advised that the terms Of said reso-
luton apply to myself, because 1 have never
informed that L am implicated by any proof
taken before the committee, and because, as L
can learn, of ALL the witnesses examined in Sc
cret by your committee tmore than 800 in num-
ber) not one has been found bold enough to say
single word against my personal honor and
good faith.
But Eot being willing to stand upon anv
question of feeling or ceremony in this latter
and knowing that any attempt to give to my
appearance before your committee a different
character from that which properly belongs to
it will fail in the judgment OF fair minded
public, hereby renew my demand for a speedy
hearing in justification of every matter charged
and in refutation of every false inference that
can possibly be made, and L desire that the
committee will be pleased at as early day as
possible to fix the time and place where such
hearing can be had. L also again call the atten-
ton of the committee to the other demand of
my letter to which no reply is made in yours,
namely, that this bearing shall be had in open
session of the committee, and beg hereby to
repeat that drmand.
[ regard to the additional resolution recited
in your letter, saying in effect that permission
will be given to any officer in the Navy Depart
ment to have re-examined "any witness whose
testimony may effect his L confess that fail
to see the value of such permission while such
officer is kept in ignorance of the points upon