National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1876-08-05
MIR. sPRINGER's BLUNDERs.


MR. sPRINGER'S BLUNDERS.
Mr.. VIM. NJ. Springer, chairman Of the
sub Committee on Foreign Affairs, has pre-
pared report recommending the passage
of a bill to repeal the act Of 1878, which
declares that the awards made by the mixed
commission at Caracas, in 1868, under the
treaty with Venezuela, are binding and
subsisting, final and conclusive. The in
vestigation resulting in the proposed report
was made on the petition of Seth Drugs to
Congress, the allegations of which are
directly contrary to an affidavit which the
petitioner made in May, 1870. This aft
davit Springer has seen, and he has other
evidence of the utterly corrup! character
of briggs. This petitioner and witness, to
palliate his crim., accuses one VIM. P.
Murray of suborning perjury by inducing
him Driggs) to sign statement setting
forth the same facts to which he sub5e-
quently took oath in the aforesaid affidavit.
In 1870 briggs and Murray were at one; now
they are at swords points. Springer has
not summoned Murray, but has printed
briggs testimony, which reflects upon the
character of Talmage, United States COM
missioner under the treaty; the umpire Ma
chado, Mr.. Orth, Senator Morton, and
other gentlemen in public life.
Mr.. Springer, relying on false testimony,
which he prints with his report, confounds
General Talmage with brother Henry,
who was in the coal trade, and is now
dead. General David NJ. Talmage IS
Democrat and has occupied positions of
high trust He was Colonel OF one of the
New York regiments, and was appointed
by Governor Morgan member of the COM
mission to disburse the fund for equipplng
the troops that the Empire State sent to
the war. He was appointed commissioner
to Venezuela by President johnson upon
recommendations previously given for ap-
pointment as American Minister to that
Republic by such men as Governors Nor
gan, Seymour and Dix. General Talmage,
whose complaint of Mr.. Springer's behavior
we print elsewhere, is perfectly willing to
go before full committee, but not before
solitary individual, who, he believes, has
prejudged his case.
Machado, the umpire, who is attacked in
the testimony, has not been requested to
appear. Mr.. Springer, says, however,
that he was rot aware of Machado's
Whereabouts. Machado gentleman of
high social position, is now a resident of
Baltimore.
Mr.. Springer's letter inviting claimants
to appear before the committee put them
off their guard by stating that "the COM
"mittee have directed an inquiry into the
truth of the allegations contained in this
"petition" that of Seth Driggs--lnd as
they knew that the evidence of his perjury
was among the documents printed in the
unanimous report in favor of the awards by
the Committee on Foreign Relations, of
which General Banks was chairman in
1870, they did not put in an appearance.
This applies especially to Mr.. W. II.
Wilton, gentleman esteemed by all who
know him, and who could set Mr.. Springer
right as to the identity Of General Talmlge
When Mr.. Wilton saw Mackies' testim ony
he prepared to leave for Washington next
day, but was sunstruck July 10, and has
since been dangerously i'll.
But Mr.. Springer's most serious blunder
is yet to be related. The diplomatic cor
respondence on Venezuelan affairs since
1868 proves the fertility of the Venezuelan
officials in procrastination, duplicity and
delays But their last trick, which may
have serious results, was at once the most
audacious and base, and has been com
pletely successful in deceiving their jealous
advocate Springer. Indeed, it has pricked
his eager spirit into unwonted energy and
devotion. Here are the facts:
DR.. Blanco, Venezuelan Minister of For
eign Affairs, makes the following grave
charge in letter which Springer prints,
and to which, by the way, Secretary Fish
has written an unanswerable reply: "The
Russian minister who appointed Ma
chado in Washington, and the govern
"ments of that and of this Republic which
accepted him as such third, and as judge
"of the last appeal, were deceived and
that which Is called sentence is only
" the fruit of this fraud" Then follows,
in Springer's report, what purports to
be an official (Venezuelan) transla-
ton, furnished by briggs, Of Baron
Stoeckls letter TO Secretary Seward
announcing the appointment of Senior
Machado as umpire. Next comes a
translation of the "act of the Commission"
at Caracas recognizing Mr.. Juan N.
Machado, jr., as umpire. The counsel for
Venezuela has affirmed, and till yesterday
Mr.. Springer has devoutly believed, that
General Talmage cheated Baron Stoeckl by
furnishing credentials as to "Senor
Machado," an old and eminent resident of
Venezuela, and then by forgery made the
Baron's appointment apply to Juan N.
Nachado, jr., an altogether different per
son, mere tool Of Talmage, and en-
tirely unfit to discharge the duties of
umpire. Yesterday Secretary Fish fur
nished certified copy of the Baron's let
ter, and 10, the name appeared in full
Juan N. Machado, jr.-and the forgery and
fraud were fastened on Venezuela. Mr..
Springer may possibly feel that 1t is scarcely
utterly impossible that he may for once in
his life possibly happen 10 have been mis-
taken. The Foreign Affairs Committee,
Of which General Banks is member. aud
on which there are Democrats who are
neither knaves nor fools, will probably
hesitate to repeal an act, annul o treaty
and destroy the work of years-perhaps
forever-on the report o. that "sub-commit-
tee of one," Mr.. VIM. NJ. Springer.