The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-03-12
Trescott Wanted ut Washington.

ing into the Peruvian scandals, has wisely
decided tO sit with open doors but the Senate
Committee on Foreign Rclations-though
the implication of Senator BLAIR makes pub
lefty specially desirablc-proposcs, it soclns,
to conduct its investigation i'm secret. The
proprioty of the course adopted blythe House
committee was stlliingly demonstrated by
the results reached on Friday.
The primary effect of the Information Oh
tanned on Friday from the State Department
employees was to throw some light on the
pcrplexing question why an obscure person
like Mr. TRESCoIr should have been selected
to represent the United States at critical
juncture as special Commissioner to Chill
and Peru. Let us say at once that President
ARTHUR cannot be held morally responsible
for this appointment He knew and could
know nothing about the devious course OF
our South American diplomacy, except what
Secretary BLAINE saw fit to tell him; and
the nomination In question and that
Of Mr.. WALKER BLAINE are believed TO
have been made at the Secrotary's earnest
request. Why Mr.. BLAINE considered Mr..
TREsooTT prominently qualified to con-
duct negotiations with the South Amer
lean States is now sufficiently apparent, in
wow vi lut ulSclDSuItS Drought Oul ny lut
search for the missing documents.
Let US look little closely at this interest
ing testimony. +. O. ST. CLAIR, who had
charge of the Index Bureau in the State De-
partment up to June u, 1881, swcars that he
indexed the letter now missngl from SKIP
HERD to BLAINE dated May rs. Strange to
say, this employee could not tell what be-
came of this document, nor is there any rec
ord Of the time ut which and the person to
whom it was delivered. Questioned more
sharply, he admits having an impression
that this and other missi. papers were
called for by Secretary BLAINE or by Mr..
TRESCoTT. Accordingly, when the witness,
about Aug 10, had occasion to search for
the letter of May Is, he asked WALKER
BLAINE II the Secretary had 1t. WALKER
BLAINE did not know, he said, but
would see If it was at his house. The witness
Significantly adds After this did not hear
more about it," AS regards three other
missing letters from Shit rERD to BLAINE,
dated respectively May d. May a. and June
4, JOHN NEWTON, who was at those dates a
subordinate employee in the Index Bureau,
remembers indcXing them, but never set
eyes on them afterwurd. The last knowl-
| edge he had of them, they went to the chief
clerk, one BROWN, who, we are told, WAS
privately examined by the committee some
days ago, and eXoneratcd from completely in
the disappearance of the documents. In
view OF MENTIONS evidence it looks as
IL the committee might find it eXpedicnt to
summon BROWN again.
TREsCorr's name having cropped out in
ST. Glars testimony, the question natural
ly arose, What business had TREscorr with
the official papers of the department On
this head ST. CLAIR was unable 10 fully en-
Tighten the committee. "TREsCoTT," said
the witness, Frequently called for papers,
and IRE used to let HIM hare them ,rithom an
order from the Secretary" Asked how he
proposed to reconcile such a performance
with his official duty, witness said he I'M
derstood that TRESCoTr was in the en-
ploy Of the department as coun-
sci. 1t is noticeable, by the way, how
invariably this convenient but now unsavory
term counsel turns up in Credit Mobilcr,
De GoLYER, Star route, and analogous in
| vestigations. Not satisfied with this loose
and suspicious definition OF TRESCorTs
functions, member Of tho committee pro-
ceeded to corner ST. CLAIR by asking whether
he was accustomed to permit official papers
to be taken from the department without a
| proper rcquisition The witness promptly
answered in tho negative, but remembering
his former admission that he had al
| lowed PRESCOTT to take documents
'cHhoW an Ordor, he tried to recon-
struct his previous impression" by affirm
ing that "TREsCoTr was investigating
the Chil-Peruvian matter" Interrogatcd
further on this point, the witness overhauled
his memory and dragged out another inn
preston that " TREsCOrT was assigned the
duty OF preparing drafts of letters on the
Chili-Peruyian affair. lie had Il room in the
department, but l don't knO1 Of my opn
Knowledge that he held any official posi-
ton ia the department. He appeared to
act in II confidential relation to Secretary
BLAINE. 1t is my impression that the let
tcrs will be found at TREsCorr's house in this
city" Washington.
We may remark in passing that an en-
ployce who confcsses that he removed official
papers from the files without q requisltion,
and delivered them to Il private person not
known by the employee as holding any
official post in The department, has fur
nishcd an excellent reason for his own dis
missal to another field Of usefulness. II Is
clear, however, from the testimony that
MI. iRlSCOTr was continually about tn"
State Department in some indefinite but CON
ildential CAPACITY during BLAITES tenure Of
Office, that he wa permitted to carry away
any official documents he chose to ask Tor
and that when d'mand was subsequently
aug lOJ Inudc for some of them, their
absence was explained by their delivery to
! TRESCorr; yet the custodians were not sub
iccted to u word Of ccnsure for the act. And
| curiously enough, the papers in which TIES
coTr evinccd most interest, ard to which he
chung most consciously, were some Of the
most elaborate and interesting letters for
| wardcd by SHEPHERD 10 BLAINE
Now, we sutilit that the outcome of sin
! gle days investigation has conclusivcly cs-
tubllshcd the following deduction, viz that
if the President desired to rcpudiate the
truculent tone of BLAINE's diplomacy and
stamp out the speculative schemes at which
the late Secretary was strongly SUSPECTED of