The Portland daily press., 1883-05-15
THE HILL INvESTIG ALTON.
Secretary Folger's Reply to Mar. Murch's
Request for Certain Papers,

Secretary Folger's Reply TO Mar. Murch's
Request for Certain Papers.
WASHINGTON, May 14.-SecTetary Folger has
written the following letter 10 Hon. t. II.
Murch:
WASHINGTON, ID. c.. May IA.
Han. q u, Astreh, Riggs House, Washingt. n,
s.rs-&I Aeve received your letter Of the llth
inst. In which yeu ask me to issue q subpoena
duees teeum for the production of certain pa.
pers lately named IN requisition by you and
which have not been produced. In answer
thereto l say know of no process in my power
that tnay be called q subpoena duces iecum
Ii there was such process there is 10 need OF
the use Of it. For have the power more than
equal 70 that exercised by virtue OF subpoena
dnces tecum fer | can go in person If / choose
and lay my hand upon any paper in the de-
partmeat or can order it brought to me by
the custodian Of II upon pain OF official decap-
itatlon If he refuses TO obey, that IL there is
any paper which you need in your investiga-
ton which IS not produced upon your request
snbmittgdthe request needs only TO be repeated
to ms to have the paper forthcoming II it is in
the department. / have inquired as 10 what
papers have not been produced which were
named ia your requsition. | am informed
thst your Fequisition was in ten different par
agraphs and that each designated particular
papers or information desired. Upon the morn
ing koi the following day upon which the
requisition was made response was given to it,
That response was n full answer 10 your call
except in the following particulars: You asked
for ''an order OF the Secretary OF the Treasury
resembling certain contracts promulgated in
A pril or May, 1871" To this answer was made
that no record evidence appeared of formal
order resembling those contracts. | am in
formed that this is not only the fact
bat the belief exists that no
written orders TO that effect were ever given.
You also asked for s'the proceedings before and
hv FGr n III an
tant secret4ry aud two other officers Of the de-
partment." The answer made was that no
minutes OF proceedings before that commission
appear to have been made, at least none were
on file in the office of the supervising architect
and further search was promised to be made
for them. That search, as understand it, has
been unavailing as no records or proceedings Of
that commission we're found upon the files Of
the Office Upon inquiry It appears that a
stenographer was present at some Of the ses-
sions Of the commission and that some notes
were taken, that they were not regarded az the
time OF such Importance as 20 call for their be-
Ing written out aud that they were set aside
by the stenographer for use when they were
called for; that since that time the stenograph-
er has twice been changed and no trace has yet
been found OF the notes.
Another item called for was the report of
the commission. No formal written report
OF the commission Is on the files of the de-
partment and two of the persons who sat upon
IL say that no written report was ever submit
ted. IL thus appears that the response TO your
call was com plete except in three items, that
two OF them it may be safe to say never existed
and as TO the third, II is probable that full
notes of the proceedings we're taken and such
as were taken not carefully preserved aud not
10 be found You will therefore see that your
reqnisition has been as fully complied with as
st present appears to bepossble.
II you know OF anything that show
the statements heretofore made TO be incorrect
/ will thank you TO inform me at your earliest
convenience aud will endeayor to correct the
return made TO you. IL is hardly necessary
for pe to assure you that no effort will be
spared on the part OF the head Of this depart
ment to assist you in the investigation which
has been set on foot, but which moves so tar
Oily. Very Respectfully.
CHARLES j. FoLGER, Secretary.