The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1880-04-24

THE RuLER or THE NAVY IL COURT
TWO THOUSAND PENSION CLAIMS PEND.
ISc.--MR. AcKLEN's CASE


~ 1tS titV 43difiif "a Va tti1 - a<.y y III
court as a defendant, and small
pug.noscd clerk, who once held d
subordinate place in the Admirars
| office, as his prosecutor, is an in
structive tableau, and one calculated
to produce reflections id the minds
Of those well enough acquainted
with history to know that this situa-
tion would not have been possible d
j few generations ago. The suit was
to recover money said to have been
diverted from the pay Of the clerk
Wetmore, to his divorced wife.
| Until he insisted upon going upon
the stand to testify In his own be-
1 half, I believe against the advice Of
his counsel, Admiral Porter was d
tdignified looking object. But now,
how reversed the position Of the
Ruler of the Navy, the quarter deck
martinetl Admiral Poster started out
confidently talked well, but lie talk
ed too much. His counsel, Mr. Mer-
Trick, the same who had argued Mr..
Tildcn's claims before the Electoral
Commission, tried to restrain him,
but the Ruler of the Navy was not
accustomed to restraint. The Adj
miral thought the ship was going
swimmingly, but there came a squall
in the way Of q cross examination.
The modest little counsel Tor the
plaintiff handed him a letter and
asked him if he recognized the hand
writing Let me see,n said the Ad-
miral He read IL carefully and said:
Il object with q comicai emphasis
that brought down the house. The
AdmiraPs confidence was gone. Let
ter after letter was handed him in
his own handwriting, and his con-
fusion grew, He argued that they
had no relevancc, told the counsel
for the plaintiff that he was no
lawyer, and said many other indis-
Greet and indiscriminate things. The
trial is not yet concluded, and has Of
course but little general interest. I
refer to II only because Of the prom
inence Of, the defendant and because
Of the sharp contrast presented Of
o man accustomed to autocratical
authority compelled to defend him
self against ono Of the weakest Of
his former suhordinates.
Some time since the Senate adopt
ed resolution asking the Secretary
Of the Treasury whether any reduc-
tion in the clerical force of that De-
partment could be made with ad-
vantage to the Government. 10
this the Secretary yesterday sent
reply stating that no reduction Of
clerical force can advantagcously be
made in that department, except,
perhaps, that somc old and infirm
employees might be replaced BY
younger men. The Secretary thinks,
however, that their dismissal
would be unjust, unless some proyi- \
sion be made for their old age, in
recognition Of their long service to
the Government,
There are already pending before
the House Of Representatives. up-
wards Of two thousand pension
claims, and, unless night sessions arc
ordered to consider snch claims, not
more than one hundred can possibly
be Disposed Of. Thus far the House,
out of This large number, has dispos-
ed Of only about twenty cases.
The Investigation as 10 Mi. Ack-
lens motive IN reporting to the
House document which he was not
10 report, which has been
conducted by the Judiciary com
mittoe, has closed, The committee
will soon make it's report and, t1is
understood, will exoncrate Mi hck-
len from any corrupt motive.