Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-04-25
DAVENPORT BEFORE TIE COMMIT
TEE.

The Tribune's Washington Correspondence in
relation to the appearance of John /. Davenport,
Friday afternoon, before Caulfeld's Investigating
Committee is as follows:
"Mr. Caulfeld's Committee has probably stirred
up lively hornets nest 10 its bungling efforts to
convict the President of ordering an illegal use
of the Secret Service fund of the Department Of
Justice. The gigantic election frauds which were
formerly perpetraed in the City of New York IN
the interest and under the direction of the Tam
many Ring have never been seriously denied or
defe ended even by the democrats themselves. The
whole subject has been one which democratic pol
iticisns have studiously avoided, and no one sup
posed that by any blunder of democratic lnses
tiyating committee the history OF these frauds
would ag ain be brought out and spread upon the re-
cord of the House of Representatives. This seems,
however, to be just what Mr.. Caulhelds Commit
tee is doing. After a brief and very superficial
Investigation, in which the committee obtained
sufficient information TO have given 1t clew to
the whole matter, the committee, seemingly with
out stopping to inquire whether any law had been
actually violated or not, lowed the most sensa-
tiona and one-sided report of the proceedings to
be printed The result was that with twenty.
four hours Mr.. Davenport, Chief Supervisor of
Elections at New York, was ON his way to Wash
ington bringing with him not only the vouchers
and receipts for the money spent, but also vol
luminous papers and documents showing the ex-
tent of the election frauds formerly perpetraed, IN
which they were checked, and to some extent, at
least prevented.
Mr. Davenport's examination was begun by the
committee this afternoon in open session. MIR.
Caulfeld, the chairman of the committee, con-
Quoted the inquiry with very little show of courte-
sy to the witness, who seemed TO have nothing to
conceal, and not only the substance Of many of
hi, questions, but tho manner in which they were
put, was such as to be almost offensive. After an
swering a number of irrelevant questions in re-
gard to his age, former occupation, places of resi-
dencc, political preferences, &C., &c, Mr.. Daven.
port was allowed to beg lin 3 complete statement of
the manner in which the money paid him through
the Secret Service Bureau was used. He m ,de
little progress to-day before the committees adj
iournment was reached, but he had sufficient time
TO explain the character of some Of the frauds
which he undertook to check in New York cleo
tions. His further examination tomorrow will
probably be very interesting.
1t is generally conceded in Washington to-day
that there was really very little foundation for the
sensational writing which has been INDUCED in
in regard to the expenditures Of a portion Of the
secret service fund of the Department Of Justice
by Mr.. Davenport. This fund was appropriated
for the detection and punishment of crimes
against the United States. and il illegal voting at
Congressional and National elections is crime
against the United States, as it has been made by
the election laws, then It's detection was a proper
object for the expenditure of this money. The
report of the Presidents feeling and remarks on
this subject have been grossly exaggerated.