St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-01-20

| The resolution was referred to the military
affairs committee, and will probably be re-
ported back to the house favorably within a
/ few days. Gen. Slocum has prepared list
Of forty cases occurring Within the past ten
years in which the executive has, upon direc-
! ton of congress, reinstated officers In the
/, army, In four of which cases the reinstate-
ment was made by President Arthur, This
list Gen. Slocum will present to the house
when occasion offers.
! PRESENTED FRAUDULENT CLAIMS.
The jury in the case of Billman, of Chicago,
and Edward Kirkwood, and Daniel Carrigan
of this city, indicted for presenting fraudu-
lent claims through the bureau of medicine
and surgery in the navy department, brought
in verdict of guilty against all parties. The
| jury had been locked up since Saturday after
noon. In the case of F. B. San born, Kirk
wood and Carrigan, indicted for similar Of
fence, given to another jury, a verdict of
guilty was returned within fifteen minutes
after the delivery of the charge. Motions for
new trials were filed at once.
PENSION JANGLE.
For number OF days the house com mittee
on the payment of pensions, county and
| back pay has been investigating the cause of
delay in the pension bureau in allowing pen
sion claims. The meetings of the committee
heretofore have been held with closed doors,
but the com mittee has now made the inyes-
tigation public. In the course OF the inves-
tigation of the working of that portion of the
pension appropriation bill passed2ast session,
which provided for the payment of s25 fee
to claim agents upon making contract with
q pensioner and fling it with the bureau, has
been considered. The legislation in ques-
ton was agreed upon in q congressional
conference committee, and adopted by both
houses upon the report of the committee as
originally agreed upon in the house.
The S25 fee was limited to
claims fled subsequent to the passage
of the act. This was disagreed toby the senate
In a conference subordinate was adopted,
which made the provisions appy also to
cases which had been fled prior to the pas
sage of this act, and after the enactment Of
the law of 1873, allowing so fee. George
E. Lemon, Washin gton claim agent, testi-
fed that, with his attorney, he went 10 the
| interior. department and argued in favor of
the substitute adopted by the conference
commission; that substitute was prepared
by Secretary Teller, and that hetLemon) saw
the individual members of the conference
commission, and urged them TO adopt the
proposed substitute. n. ". Fitzgerald, also
Of Washington. who was last year disbarred
from practising before the pension bureau,
testified that the day prior 10 the adoption of
the substitute BY the conference CON mission
be was reinstated as an attor-
ney before the pension bureau, and,
by ADVICE of Secretary Teller, sold
- Ii
about $40, 900 Of pending claims to Lemon
for $4,000; that by the purchase and by the
adoption of the substitute Lemon was en-
abled to make several hundred thousand dol
lars profit; that he endeavored to buy the
business back from Lemon, Offering bonus,
when he discovered the action of the confer
ence committee; that Lemon refused and
said it had cost him more than IS, 900 to get
the substitute through. To-day Joslyn, as
sistant secretary Of the interior, was exam
ined by the committee. He explained a
numbe. of official orders that had been is
sued by himself to guide the commissioner
Of pensions in the allowance of claims in
question. He testified that Fitzgerald was
relnstztrd By the interior dspartmentin order
that he might transfer his business
10 Lemon. The testimony Of Jeslyn WILL be
con iinued tomorrow. In reply 10 inquiry
by reporter of the Associated Press, Joslyn
said the bill APPROX ID by the department was
not passed By congress, but another bill, of
which the department knew nothing, passed.
Fitzgerald was rein stated so that he might
sell out. He had papers In large number
OF pension cases which he refused to surren-
der, and the cases were so tied up that moth
ing could be done in regard to them by the
bureau. Joslin said he was personally re-
spousible for bis reinstatement. The new
law in regard 10 attorneys fees was working
Advantageous Under the old law hundreds
of thousands of fraudulent or invalid claims
were gotten up by attorneys whose fee of $40
was not contingent upon the result. The ad-
publication Of this mass OF claims Interested
with and delayed the settlement OF those
which were III, ritorious. All this difficulty
had disappear,d under the new law. The
pension Office had made a mistake in con-
nection with The Fitzgerald-Lemo matter in
holding that claimants who had paid Fitz-
gerald $40 should pay Lemon S25. They
should only puy Lemon sl5.
AGAINST FILIBCsTERISG.
The treasury department has issued special
Instructions to the collectors of customs and
its other agents In The vicinity Of the gulf
coast TO be on the alert to prevent any viola
ton of international obligations in fitting
out tilibustering expeditions against Cuba.
The revenue steamers Do and Forward are
now cruising in the gulf on the lookout for
suspicious vessels. The United States
steamer Galena Is at New Orleans and the
United States steamer Tennessee is on her
way to Key Wtst. The Ysntic, Senst4ra and
Alliance are cruising pear the West Indies.
MINOR MATTERS.
The president has decided on the appoint
ment of Emory Speer as United States dis
trict Judge for the southern district of
Georgia.
The house committee on public buildings
has decided TO report Representative Stocks
lzfer's bill providing for the establishment Of
board, consisting OF the secretary OF the
treasury, postml ster geperal,an attorney gen.
eral, supervising architect and architect, az
pointed by the president, who shall select
sites aud superntend the erection OF public
buildings.
Delegate Mar zanaraes. Of New Mexico,
appeared to-day before the house
mmiitee on appropriations 10 ask for
$500 for the building of an Indian
school at Santa Fe. The appropriation will
probably be made
The bill introduced to-day by Representa-
tive Cox. provides for the retirement Of army
captains and lieutenauts upon 80 per cent. OF
full pay when they have reached the age Of
ffty
The bill Introduced By Mr.. BlOunt, TO en-
force the COLI etion OF taxes on distilled
spirits, directs the secretary Of the treasury,
! Immediately on the expiration Of the three
years allowed for the payment Of such taxes,
to proceed to collect the same, notwifhstand-
ing any action which may be begun after
said time for its expectation.
The grand lodge Of T and A ", Of the
District Of Colum bia, has accepted an invita-
ton 70 perform The Masonic services at the