The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-07-24
sTAUNToN. VA.
A Campaign Of Falsehoods.

A Campaign of Falsehoods.
The first campaign falsehood concocted
and circulated by the Democratic party
was that about Gen. Logan and his possess
sion of $4,000 acres of pre.empted gov
eminent land. Gen. Logan, in the United
States Senate, branded that as dellber-
ately and wilfully false and produced
the documents to proveit so. The next
ingenious misrepresentation came from
Thomas A. Hendricks, Democratic candi-
date for Vice President, which is met by
Secretary Chandler in manner to make
Mr.. Hendricks feel that he has been
caught in an unsavory act. In a
speech delivered at indianapolis on the
18th, in response to serenade, after
his return from Chicago, he said:, ut
is only two weeks ago that one of the
secretaries at Washington was called be-
fore Senate Committee to testify in re-
gard to the condition of his department.
In that department was the Bureau OF
Medicine and Surgery. In that depart
ment it was ascertained ON the oath OF the
secretary that sits at the head of the de-
partment that the defalcation found dur
ing the last year, as far as it had been estl-
mated, was $63, 900, and when asked about
it he said that he had received letter a
year ago informing him Of some Of these
outrages, and that short time since some
body had come, to him and told him that
there were frauds going on in the service,
but that members of Congress had recon-
mended the continuance Of the head of the
bureau with such earnestness that he
thought it must be all right, and now it
turns out that the public is 1858, 900 out,
and how much more no man, expect, can
now tell. A month ago everybody sup
posed that all the employees in the
Bureau of Medicine and Surgery were
honest, and now, at the very first exami
nation, it turns out they are not"
Secretary of the Navy Chandler having
had his attention called to this statement
of MI. Hendricks, addressed that gentle
man an open letter, in which he says: ITO
the contrary of all this, l testified that
the suspected vouchers commenced as far
back as June 81, 1880, although a small
voucher was paid as late as January %,
1884 that while an anonymous letter OF
about a year ago charged drunkenness up
on the chief clerk, Daniel Carrigan, which
the chief of the bureau, DR.. Phillip S.
Wales, reported to me was not true, had
no information leading to the frauds until
December or January last F.; that deter
mined, simultaneously with beginning in
vestigation, to have a new chief OF the
bureau in place of DR.. Wales, whose term
was to expire January 26, and also new
chief clerk that great opposition to the
change was made by members of Congress,
but persisted, and DR.. Wales went out on
that date, and Carrigan was put out Feb
ruary A; and that the investigation of
frauds and the arrests of guilty parties
have since proceeded with due diligence. !"
He then gives the names of the Demo-
cratic members of Congress who persis-
tently recommended the retention of DR..
Wales, who is q Democrat, and among
them are J. R. Mcpherson, United States
Senator from New Jersey, who testifies in
letter to the superior character and quail
iication Of DR.. Wales. A petition for the
reappointment, written by the clerk Car
rigan, was sent to the President. headed
by J. G.. Carlisle, followed by Phil. B.
Thompson, jr., Leopold Morse, R. H. M.
Davidson, D. Wyatt Aiken, William Me-
Adoo, George D. Wise, John G. Nichols,
P. A. Collins, H. B. Lowering, Robert B.
Vance, D. w. Connolly, Charles B. Lore,
George A. Post, Albert S. Willis, Carleton
Hunt, G.. w. Hewitt, William H. F.
Fiedler.a and misrepresentation in Con-
gress, saying of DR.. Wales, she has admin
istered the affairs of that bureau during
the last four years with signal ability and
success"
United States Senators Mcpherson, But
Ter, Brown, Colquitt, Beck, Williams, C.
w. Jones, Ransom and thirty-two other
senators, also using Carrigan as their
writer, petitioned for Dr.. Wales reap
pointment, stating that Ibis administra-
tive capacity has been fully demonstrated
by the successful management of the
bureau of which he now has charge"
1t is in order now for Mr.. Hendricks to
stand up and confess that he was guilty OF
a SANDER upon cabinet officer, and that
too, to force plea of reform" out of {
palpable misrepresentation.