Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-12-23
BLAINE's COMMITTEE IN FLETCHs
ER'S FIX.

They Cam. Specify What They Want to
Find Out-A Slight Insigh. Into the
Crook edness of Consul Seward.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 2l.-Chairman Teller, of
the Senate committee appointed under the
Blaine resolution, reported that he was unable
to furnish Blaine with a copy of the resolution
requesting him to supply the committee with
specifications regarding the matters to be in
vestigated. resolution was then adopted re-
questing Senator Thurman to give the commit
tee any facts in his possession. The committee
agreed to hold future. sessions with open doors,
and adjourned to Jan. 10Th.
GREENBBAcKs AS GOOD AS GOLD.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 2l.-The secretary of the
treasury has issued a circular to customs Off
of January, United States notes as we'll as gold
coins and standard silver dollars in payment
of duties on imports.
CONSUL SEWARD.
The Seward investigating committee was in
session to-day, and Chairman Springer said
the question whether Seward should be request
ed to obey the subpoena duces tecu,n and produce
the books, papers and vouchers called for would
remain undecided until the House re-assembled.
Lemis, consular clerk at Shanghai, who had
charge Of the book in which was kept the &C
count known as the seaman's fund. testified
that all through his service an addition of per
cent. TO Disbursements charged against
the government under instructions Of Seward,
who said it was designed to cover the loss by
exchange At one time the percentage was in
creased to &c, but Acting Secretary of
State Conger reduced the percentage
70 5, and requested the REIN bursement
Of the differences. Witness also testified to
his refusal to sign quarterly voucher for
1900 for services in the consular post0ffice, on
the ground that he bad worked very short
time. The explanation given of this was that
while witness salary in the consulate was
S2.200 hi nominal salary az consual clerk was
only 81 900, and the difference was made up
either out of the postofce fund or else Sew
ards own pocket. Witness specified two mort
cages aggregating some 5000 Seward had
taken about the time there the largest
balance on hand from the seaman fund. Sew
ard was also the owner of forty or fifty Chinese
houses in Shanghai. the aggregate cost of which
oonld not exceed 5000. Seward was
lessee of the consular building at Shanghai, and
sublet it to the govern ment at 20 600, whereas
an equally commodous building could be OBJ
tanned at much less rate. Witness. after de-
scribing the books at the consulate in which
the daily transactions were entered, was pro-
ceeding to state how he went to look for them
in the left of the consular building, where the
old books and documents and other rubbish
were kept, and learned from the Chinaman
who had the key of the loft what had become
of them, but before he could finish the story,
Merr'ck, of counsel, objected, on the ground
that the testimony was hearsay, therefore in
competent. After long discussion the chair
man overrrled the objection. assigning as one
reason that there had been bad
faith on the part of Seward and his counsel in
withdrawing these books, while one of the ex-
press conditions on which it had been contin-
ued was that these books should he produced.
Merrick and Ashton resented the charge of bad
faith, and claimed that the books were private.
An appeal from the decision of the chair was
taken by Bundy; the committee sustained the
appeal. Yeas, Bayne, Bundy and Dunnell;
nays, Dean and Wayham The chairman later
modified the remark which had given offiense
to :'violation of what, in his judgment, was
the understanding" The reporter was directed
to omit all allusion to unpleasantness. Adj
journed till Monday.