St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-11-12
talks of giving up his cottage near the cap.
itol and taking a house.
The TeIephone INVESTIGATION.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1.-THE hearing of
the telephone cases was resumed before the
secretary of the interior to-day. Mr.. Cant,
for the citizens of Memphis. read long
list of the atlidavits and authorities that he
intended to put in evidence as tending to
show that Bell was not the original inventor
of the telephone. Among the papers was
communication from Acting Attorney Cen
eral Good, expressing the opinion that
ReisS was the inventor of the telephone,
and that Bells patent had been irregularly
issued, justifying, in his opinion, the begin
ming of a suit by the United States
to set it aside. A number of
affidavits made by inventors and experts
were read at length. including one
by Edison, wherein he states that his car
bon telephone is now used altogether by the
Bell Telephone company that he had not
heard of Bells experiments when he (Edl-
SOM invented his telephone, but had read
an account of Reiss' inventions.
The Second Comptroller Decides.
Specialto to the Globe.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 1.-THE decision
of Second Comptroller Maynard in case Of
Lieut.. Rodman of the First Artillery
has not attracted attention in any paper ex-
cept sagacieus evening print which gave
purported summary of the decision accord
ing to which the venturesome second comp
troller revised recent decision of the su-
preme court Of the United States. Mr..
Maynard has not done that, but he has de-
cided three points that are OF considerable
Importance to army officers. Lieut..
Rodman graduated at West Point June 13.
1882. In July he was appointed
a second lieutenant and occupied the
appointment and took the required oath of
Office July 21. In the adjustment of his
accounts he claimed pay as a second lieu
tenant from the date when he graduated
from the academy. The comptroller holds
that he must be content with the pay of
cadet till July 21, his pay as an officer be-
ginning only when he accepted his COM
mission and took the oath of Office The
army regulations have long given graduates
of West Point leave of absence for three
months with full pay before they are obliged
to report to their regiments. The second
comptroller holds that so far as this is made
to apply to graduates, after they have be-
come commissioned officers, it is in viola
ton of an act Of congress and is therefore
void. The law allows an officer
who is absent with leave, but
not on account of wounds or illness.
full pay for thirty days and half pay for the
rest of the time. Consequently if cadet
is commissioned one month after graduation
he will be on cadets pay for one month,
full second lieutenant's pay for one month
and half of lieutenant's pay for the last of
the three months.
Lieut. Rodman's battery was ordered to
be equipped as light battery Nov 1, 1882.
For that reason Lieut.. Rodman claimed and
received pay of mounted officer from that
date. The second comptroller holds that
coincidence showed that orders were not
fully complied with till June %, 1888, and
that there is no evidence to show that Rod
man was obliged to be mounted until the
equipment of the battery as a light battery
was completed; hence Rodman owes the
government the extra pay of mounted
officer from Nov. to June 2S.