The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-02-10
THE POLlTIcAL TELEaRAaa
the Potter committee Gets a Letter.

| WAbHlN1ToNI tepruAty t.-4he fotLe
Committee received the following letter
NEw YoRK, February s, 1879!
10 Hon. ClarksOn N. Potter, Ch'n:
slR:-The testimony recently elicite
by your committee concerning this COR
pany's action In respect TO the politica
kilograms taken from us in 1907 by tn
Senate and House committees, subp9ned
appears 10 have been so uniformly mtsun
derstood by the press as TO make II nos
seem proper to alnpliiy the same by wa.
oil gucrding against like miBappre
hension OF the committee itself ant
of the members OF the House
Accordingly respectfully submit the fol
lowing Driet statement Of facts, all Of whiel
already appear upon the, records Of Con
gress, asking that II be laid before YOU
committee and spread upon It's records
70 the end not only that . correct history
Of these transactions may appear, but q
the same time o simple act OF justicG
may thereby be done TO the company
which have the honor 10 represent. In
the resulting vindiCation OF It's late and
present administration from any charge oi
political bias In the conduct OF It's bust
ness. The plain truth Is that the compa'
ny, realizing q great moral obligation to
preserve sacred, from threatened expos
ure, all telegrans committed TO It's conf
dence and keeping, both before and alter
the service Ot sllbpGnas, resorted toeY
cry legitimate and proper device, consist.
e1t with q due respect .forithe authority
OF Cong4ess to prevent such exposure
BY a timely transfer Of the mes.
sages from The custody OF the man.
ayers and officers likely TO be called
on to produce them to the executive off,
GERS in New Y York, and thence bylafesolu-
ton Of the Executive Committee Of the
Board OF Directors from the custody OF
the executive officers to that OF the Execu-
tive Committee itself. When, therefore,
Manager Barnes, OF the New Orleans Of.
flee, was subpenaed by the Morrison
Committee, almost allof the kilograms he
was called on TO produce had been taken
from his custody, and he had no power to
produce them. So also when the President
was brought to the bar OF the House he
was enabled to testify that he had not Gus.
tody OF the messages called for in his SUBJ
p1na. The proceedings Of the House, as
published in the Congressional Record, show
that Mr.. 0rton himself on this occasion,
through the statement Of his answer rs TO
the attitude taken by the executive COM
mtttee, disclosed to the House full infor-
nation as 10 where the messages could be
reached, but Notwithstanding this
fact no member of this House, or
OF its committees, saw Ct to
to act upon the information thus given.
The Senate committee, however, took the
initiative, and sending Immediately to
New York on the next day served every
member ofthe company's executive COM
mittee with q sweeping subpoena, which
demanded the production of all messages
to or from the principal Offices Of the %.
where important political kilograms were
supposed 10 have been sent or received.
Under this subpoena the Executive Com.
mittee Composed about equally OF mem.
bers Of the two political parties) proceeded
with the messages to Washington, where,
soon after their arrival, they we're served
with q like sweeping subpoena from the
House Committee. A meeting OF the Ex-
ccuive Committee. was thereupon held
and by resolutions then passed, it was
decided to, respect the service on
the companies President and committee
alike, and to surrender to the House Com
mittee all the messages covered by its sub
p@na to President 0rton. This being
prior, in tine Of service, 10 the subpoena
from the committee Of the Senate, and TO
surrender to the Senate committee all the
covered iby its subpoena. This
list being prior, Iin1 time ofits service, 10
i[n lika Trhn;nnu Trnn, fhnT nnpn nrn;Itaa,
Of. the House. II, was further.
resolved that I'd otder to comply as far as
possible with the conflicting subpGnas
that which ever. committee failed to re.
ceive the original messages should have
copies OF all such originals as were de-,
liyered to the. other committee; or II it
should be concluded that the immense Ia.
Dor OF copying might be saved that the
committee OF either House receiving
the Original messages should hagree
that tho members OF the committee
ofthe other house which had called for
them should have free access to examine
such originals and TO make copies there!
from Idesired. Acopy' Of these Fesolu.
tions, Of which the foregoing is the sub.
stance, was served upon each committee
on January 10Th, and on the 24(h Of Janu.
ary Senator Sargent wrote to the com.
pany Stating tliat the committee OF the
Senate had conferred with The committee
OF the House, and that the alternative Of
the latter feature Of the above mentioned
arrangement was accepted as entirely sat
isiactory to both committees The surren.
der Of the messages was then made, but
not until the company had urgently en-
deavored 10 impress upon the respec-
tive committees the necessity OF
guarding the kilograms from theft and
rom disclosure to others than those who
from their position on committees, were
entitled 'toI theif Inspection II will be
seen that our course in these matters was
strictly fair and impartial. We were
powerless TO take further precautions
in the premises, and weiare in no manncr
responsible for the subsequent loss OF the
tsleg'sT4s6s tsS T46GE 6s Senate commit
have the. honor, &C., very respectfully
yours. ftt f-E NORSIN GREEN,
p .4.LaI:.s1 lfsrf2''ffe4ii