Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-06-14
That is what Stanley Mathews Ordered
his ''Dear GeneraP' Smith to.Do with
Anderson If he Refused what was
Offered him for
All his Dirty Work for the Republican
Party in LOuisiana-The "Dear Cen
crap UnwillingIy Tells a Great
Deal More about il.
Butler Subjects Secretary Sherman's APP
pOintment Clerk TO an Excruciating
Gross-ExaminatiOn = Mathews's
Special Committee Organ
lied for Work.

WASHINGTON. June 13.-The Potter in
vestgation committee held brief secret ses
:. sion to-day Immediately before the regula
meeting.
General Smith.
: late appointment clerk of the treasur
department, was recalled, and testified tina
| this morning he went to the secretary's of
fee, at the Executive Mansion, and locke,
over the record of letters, and found tina
there had been letter referred to the treas
ury department March 10, 1877, which hat
| been written to the President by a persona
Trend, recommending the appointment O
James K. Anderson; witness had but one in
terview with the President In regard to An
dersons appointment; he produced a tele
gram from Senator Mathews, bearing dat
January Both, addressed to himself, taken from
the files of the treasury department, which
by Secretary Sherman. The telegram reads
as follows: "The letter referred to has beer
received; no answer needed" Witness haC
written 10 Senator Mathews and showed him
one of Anderson's letters, but did not re-
| member the contents of it.
Mr.. Butler read from the evidence letter
| written by Anderson, bearing date June 49,
1877, in which he said any ward hummer
| who desires an appointment is given a posi-
| ton as inspector of customs, etc the full
| text of which has been heretofore published,
and also letter written to General Smith by
| Stanley Mathews, dated June goth, as fol-
| lows:
| eth No one is under obligations to Anderson.
saw him on the cars going to Baltimore. He told
| what you think is proper, drop him. promised
nothing but TO do what could to have him appoint
STANLEY MATHEWS.
General Butler questioned the witness at
length regarding the letter written by Ander-
son declining the position of inspector of Gus
toms, and as to the time the letter was for
warded to Senator Mathews. Witness said
that to the best OF his recollection he sent the
letter to Senator Mathews on the day of its
receipt. At General Buffers request, after
having said that he had in his possession an
other letter from Anderson, witness produced
two letters, and stated that he had no par
ticular friendly relations with Anderson; he
had advised him on certain points, and had
pointed his brother In the customhouse at
Baltimore. Another letter from Anderson
TO Smith read by General Butler, inuuir-
ing ln Wh ct Senator MatheMgn bad gg
pointed as a clerk In the Philadelphia Gus
tomhouse. and the witness, on being inter-
rogated whether he had replied to that letter,
said that it was his recollection that he did,
and stated that he had not heard from SEN
ator Mathews on the subject.
ness to his testimony, in which he stated that
Mathews had written to the President from
Cincinnati, recommending the appointment
of Anderson, and asked him if that was on
file. Smith replied that it was not.
Ques.-Don't you think it very unfortunate
that that letter is lost? Ans.-No, sir, L do
not.
Ques-Upon whose recommendation did
you appoint Anderson's brother to the clerk
ship in the Baltimore customhouse?
Ans.-U pom the recommendation of Mathews.
General Butler asked General Smith if he
was in conference with counsel last night.
Witness do not understand the ques-
| ton.
General Butler pointing to Judge Shella-
barger, counsel for Secretary Sherman)-Do
| you know that gentleman?
Smith-No, sir.
Ques.-Do you know Judge Wilson
| Ans.-I do not know whether l do or not.
Mr.. Cox objected to the question, and Mr..
| Butler stated that he did not propose to be
reproved further by the gentleman from
Ohio, this being the third or fourth time.
Mr.. Cox said that when occasion, In his
mind, prompted it he would certainly con-
tinue to offer his objections.
| After further discussion, Mr.. M 'Mahon Gd-
| vocating the competency of the question,
| General Butler stated that his reason for put
/ ting the question was to show that Smith was
1 an unwilling witness In connection with either
| side. General Smith stated that Butler in
| his statement claimed that he was of the
opinion, from the beginning of the examina-
ton, that he (Smith) was an unwilling wit
| ness, claiming as his reasons therefor the fact
of the receipt OF personal letter from An.
derson by Smith, which led him (Butler) tc
believe that Smith would not testify to any
| thing unfayorable to Anderson, and as Butler
did not know of the character of the letters
in question until within the last five minutes
he surely could not have considered him ar
unwilling witness from the commencement O.
his testimony, and further, Smith asked the
protection of the committee.
Mr.. Smith further said that the gentleman
who he had been examining had caused GER
tain statements to go into the record which
he tSmith) had not intended to utter.
The investigation was resumed and witness
stated in reply to Mr.. Buffers question, tina
he had not been in consultation last nigh
with either Judge Shellabarger or Mr.. VIII
son.
!, Question by Mr.. M'Mahon-In regard Il
that letter of Secretary Sherman, addres SCI
to the committee, did he show you the lette
the committee had addressed to him
Ans.-No, sir.
Ques.-Give US the language that passe,
between you and Secretary Sherman the da,
you got together when this letter was writ
ten. Ans.-As near as | remember, when
went In said to him that l had received
, communication from the appointment cler
requesting me to send these letters to him, a
: he wished to examine them, and | ha
thought it best to wait on him in person an
, bring the letters with me. The letter of tn
appointment clerk to me simply designate
the letters as the letters belonging to the An
derson matter, | believe, but gave no par
ticular description of them.
Ques.-Go on with the interview betwee
} yourself and Sherman. Ans.-Secretar
2 Sherman then said to me that he wished {
examine himself whether these letters wer
official or not. | replied that that was mat
Ter | had decided for myself-whether th
! letters were personal or not-but that l ha
J no objection to his seeing them, if he wished
| That Is all the conversation; then | submitte
the letters to him, and he read each one hin
self. This occurred in the appointment room
which is branch of the secretary's offict
Anderson was an applicant in the state d.
partment for position as consul up to la
2 | May.
! Ques.-How was it that the letter of I'll
Q committee, written on the sixth or eighth
: March to the President, was sent to the trea
: ury department and then to the state depar
a | ment? How did it come to be sent to Il
! treasury department, where he was not q
v applicant for position until two months a
!, terward? Ans.-They may have sent it, n
being aware that he was an applicant at Il
state department. | will say. as an expeI
If you wish that kind of evidence, that Il
treasury being the department of the COVER
e ment In which the largest number of offices
It large are, that when there is no special pla
i named by the applicant they are very apt
d send such letters there; that matter is, hoy
l. ever, discretionary with the Presidents seer
tary, and they may not at that time ha