Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-05-15
FROM WASHINGTON.
THE HILL INVESTIGATION.
An Interesting Letter from Secretary
FOlger 10 Ex.Represen' alive
Muuch.

WASHINGTON. Nav IA.
Secretary Folger has written the foil ow ing
letter to T. II. Mu.ch:
WASHINGTON, May IL.
Hon. T II. Murch, Riggs House. Washing
ton. d. c.:
SIR:-I have received your letter Of the
Ilih inst, in which You ask me To issue
subre IA duces terum. for the production OF
cerrain papers lately named in the rrqni>iiiop
by Won and which have not been Produced
In answer thereto, say that know of No
process in my power that may be called
subp9na duces terum. Ii there was such
Process, there is no need of the u.e Of it. for
| have power more than equal To thai
excised by the virtue of the subp91a duces
t-rum. for can go in person if choose and
lay my hand upon any paper in the depart
menf. or can order IL Brought To me by the
custodian of it upon pain of official decapits-
ton If he refuses IL obey; so that If there l.
any paper that YOU need in your investiga-
tions which is not produced upon your re-
quest submitted, the request needs TO he re-
Peare'i to me to have the paper forthcoming
if it is in the department | have inquired
To what papers have not been produced
which were named in your requisition. l an
informed that your re9uisition was in five
different paragraphs. and that each designa-
led particular papers of information desired
Upon the morning following the day upon
which the requsitiOn was made, response
was gwen to it. That response was tuli
answer to your call, except in the following
particulars
You a.ked for ian order of the secretary
of the treasury resembling certain contracts
Promulgated in April or May, 1917" To
this the answer was made that no record of
evidence appeared of II formal rescin ling OF
those contracts. | am informed that this Is
not only fact. but the belief exists that no
written orders to that effect were ever given.
You also asked for .'Ihe proceedings before
and by certain commissioners. consisting of
an assistant secretary and two other officers
Of the department" The answer made was
that no minutes of proceedings be fore that
commission appears to have been mide-at
least none were on the bill in the Office of the
supervising architect, and further search " as
promised to be made for them. That search.
as l understand. had been unavaiiing, as no
records or proceedings of that commission
were found upon the files Of the office. Upon
inquiry, it appears that stenO2rapher was
present at some of the sessions of the CON-
mission, and that some notes were taken
that they were not regarded at the time OF
such importance as to call for being written
out. and they were set aside by the stenOg-
rapner Tor use Wnen tney were caIleu Ior
that since that time the stenographer has
twice been changed, and no trace has vet
been unI of tile notes. The other item
called for was the report of the commission.
No formal written report of the commission
is on the files of the department, and two OF
the persons who sat upon it say that M writ
ten report was ever submitted. 1t thus ap-
pears that the response TO your call was com
plete, except in these three items; that two
of them, it may be safe to say, never existed.
and as TO the third it is probable that full
notes of the proceedings were not taken, and
such as were taken were not carefully pre-
served, and are not to be found.
You will therefore see that your requisi-
ton has beenas fully complied with as at pres
ent appears to be possible If you know Of any
thing that shows the statements heretofore
made to be incorrect. will thank you to in
form me at your earliest convenience, and
will endeavor to correct the return made to
YOU. 1t is hardly necessary for me to assure
you that no effort will he spared on the part
of the head of this department to assist YOU
in the investigation which has been set on
foot but which moves so tardily.
Very Respectfully,
(Sigued) CHAs. J. FOLGER,
Secretary.