Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-07-15


in response to the letter Of Secretary Chan
dler, published in Associated Press papers
this morning:
INDIANAPOLIS, July II.
To Hon. W. +. Chandler:
Sir-I find in the newspapers this morn
ing letter to me from yourself written
Yesterday and circulated through the Asso-
ciated Press. You claim did you an in,
Justice in the address to the people of this
city made the evening before. In that adj
dress urged ave need to have the books
in the Government offices opened for ex'
animation. and as an illustration !
cited the case of the fraudulent vouchers
in one of the bureaus Of your department
and that upon your testimony De
fore the subcommittee of the Senate 1t ap
peared that the frauds amounted to 500, 600
and is not every word of that true?
You were brought before the committee
and testified as | stated. You admitted un'
der oath that the sum of money lost amount
ed to $4,000. But your defense is that
the embezzlement did not wholly occur un-
der your administration, but part OF 1t was
under your predecessors. 1t seems to have
covered the period from June q, lSSO,dOwn
to January 2j, 1884. Does that he lip your
case? You were at the head of the depart
ment one year and nine months Of that
IL nrnnsHnGSnr
one year and ten months.
He was in office at the payment of the
the first false voucher. June u, lS6O, and
up to April II, 1882, when YOU came In.
And YOU continued thence until the last
false voucher was paid, January ., 1884.
The period was almost equally divided be-
tween vouself and your predecessor. How
much of the $4,000 was paid out under
Yourself and how much under your pre-
decesSor your letter does not show But
sir upon the question that Twas discussing,
does il make any difference
who was IN when the false voucher
was paid urged that in cases like this when
frauds are concealed IN vaults or in books
of the department, the only remedy of the
people is bv a change Of control, so that the
books and vouchers shall come under the
examination of new and disinterested men.
DO you thiuk an answered when you say
was mistaken in slppOSiSg that in this
case frauds were all under your
administration, whep in fact part Of
them extended back inFo that Of YOUR prede-
cessors?
Whv. sir, that makes your case worse.
For while the Bureau Of Medicine and Sur
rery deialcatioa is large, a. more serious
fact is that it coald and did extend Shrough
two administrations of the department. in a
perioi of nearly fo-r years without detection.
But it becomes more serious, 50 far as you
are Individually concerned, VIXEN the fact is
considered that you bad notice and vet took
no sufficient action.
The Information from which spoke WIS
from Washington. CD the 10Th Of last
month bv the Associated Press ,he same
that brings me your letter. The Associated
Press obtsined it's information sither in
your department or from the inves ,igation
committee. If you were incorrectly report
cd that was sAe time for complaint and cor
rection. Ioa testified that The total Of sus-
DlClOuS NOHtnCES uISCONtlFN 81 lar hdS
about S63, ,O0U and that the money fraudu-
lently obtained was in some instances
divided between watchman in
department, Ca-igan. Chies Clerk, and
KirkSOod in charge of the accounts. Now
what notice had you? According to the
aforesaid Press report of your testimony
YOU received letter last year charging
Carrigan. one ofttTt parties, with drunken
ness, ard after that man came 10 you and
told YOU that Kirkweod and Carrisan were
engaged in fraud. Did not that put you
upon notice and investigation? You teStl-
ned that some inquiry was
made ard that the conclusion was
that while ihere WIRE sane some suspicious
circumstance they did not warrant the con-
clusion of guilt After notice, verbal and
in writing, vOu left the men in Office You
didn't bring the frauds to light nor the guilty
parties to punishment. 1t was Government
Detective Wood who discovered the frauds
and the Associated Press report saws
Wood declared he would nave no further
dealings with your department, but would
press investigatiom before Congress WHAT'S
your next excuse Worse If possible than
all ref0re. ca say !SFEe nuinDcT OF
CongresSmen, Including soae gentlemen of
great influence and positiom recommended
that the head Of the bureau, DR.. Wales,
should be re-aPpointed. Members of Con
gress knew no;hing OF the frauds. They
had no opportunity to knew. 1t was
within your reach and duty. They
were probably his personal friends,
You were his Official superior Bot in fact
did you reappoint him. l understand not
Perhaps me detective discovered the frauds
too soon. hut DR.. Wales was not one Of the
three guilty partes. he neither forged
vouchers nor embrzzied IaUney. His re
sponsibility in the case is past the same as
YOUR own lie vas an official superior
of the three r9gues, as you were
of himseG as well as them Meth
er Re nor yourself exposed the frauds
or punished the parties. have rot thought
of or considered tbs aS case Of politics.
Addressing NV neiehbors | said that this
and ike cases admcAjsh us sD. demand civil
service reform in. the remoEsl Of ali from
Office who will not seek TO promote il within
the sphere Of their official dirty and author
itv. Respectfully,