New-York tribune., 1886-01-30
THE TELEPHONE SCANDAL.
WILL AN INVESTIGATION BE ORDERED ?
soNr SENATE PAPERS RELATING TO THE MATTER
MIssING-HAasH TREATMENT OF kouEhS'
fpy rELEoRAPI TRIBUNE

o,,oher last THE TRIBUNE published complete eN |
uosure of the trans etions OF Attorney
United States Senator Harris and other hlgh o'0o" "
the Government who had received without the pay e"
~ , nancy consideration therefor large amounts ol
stack-half q million dollars or more eacn-in 'No a ~
Electric Telephone Company The iac's reia''1S - ~
organization OF this company, the attempts III No
20 legislation to the value OF its s'ooA
-, ., ,hseo,.nt effort TO accomplish the same result
h means of n legal proceeding instituted by oruer Vi
The hoad OF the Department OF Jnsuce' toSe'nei 'u
,hs action Of tue President relating
tber.,o were set forth from uino "
time I'm THg TRIBUNE The publications lmheuia'eS
awakened widespread public interest," but they ulu ho'
rrest the attention Democratic newspapers lot Some
wecks-not, indeed. unt after the Ne"-iorA e'eo''on
and after Mr. Cleveland, after Cabinet discuSso Vi
the subject had moved to take olcal holee Vi 'o
neculiar and irregular action OF the Department OF
Justice Recently prominent Democratic newspapers
have been take subject up and to puosn
as fresh news matter which appeared In IlE llbONN
several months ago Several OF these newspapers no
haen compelled also respond edoraily 10 ihe ioo"e
of public Indignation aroused by the previous p"p'a
ton o: the details Of one OF the worst onici"i uu
that ever marked the history OF any Admnlsira"'n'
All these are hopeful signs. and so Is the iac' 'n"'
Democrats oven Washington dare at last 10 ques''o
the propriety aud even to critlclse the ino''o'
high officials of the Administration and OF Demoefa'o
serato,s who have taken advantage or Official position
and exerted political influence to promote P'''
speculaton in which they Interested TO inc eAo"'
of half million dollars each. although not one VI ~
ever invested so much as $500 in money therein M
One Of the most prominent Democrats In puphc ING
has declared that twenty Democratic senators anu
Couoressnen were in the scheme. Others nave lolu
how they were approached and importuned TO embark
in it. Tue result is that among memoers Vi oi'h0i
branch OF Congress there is much quiet tah Ill io W
an of the whole matter Some prominent
of the opinion that IL Is lhe uuy vi
the Uouse 70 investigate aud ascertain whether any Oh
its members any officer OF the Government has 'aA
advantage Of his Official position 10 engage III
,,riva,e .neculation or exerted his official power
or influence to promote the success OF speeul'"'0
enterprise in which pecuniariy Interested AohH
sone of the leadn Senators the feeling that an hNeS
CATION is necessary is even stronger owing Proo"oS
the fact that prominent SeDaor-hr harIlS' Va A0
nessee-is director and one Of the most acuNe JI"o
ers of Mr. Garlands telephone company Senator arfS
and ex-CougreSsman Young. 1t may be reinehoereu'
are the TWO men who rendered to Mr GOOue suc-
effective assistance hot day last September tha he
was enabled at end OF few hours TO grant to az
pcaton for legal proceedings in the name o the ou'
States for the benefit OF the company In which his sup
rior officer holds stock of the par value OF SoVoOoo
rers ia ann another reason why the Senate may feel
IT necessary there shah be an Official ihNesusa'o
One OF tho publications IN IhE lkBCNE "Oou' 'no
case drew from Mr.. Van Benthuysen mclhOer oi 'no
Pan.Electric combination, the assertion that le ana
hers had prepared anG secured the passage oy uo s
House Of bill the object oil "hen was
"a authorize the Attorney General to bring
suit TO set aside the Bell patent ana tho Iulther
assertion said bill disappeared acr reacHeu ING
Senate and supposed to have been sto'ch Db soin
body IN the interest the Bell Company The Diii ala
d,sannear but certain papers relating 10 1t have ds
onneared What would be said IT, when the papers arc
found there should be discovered among them iet'e
hearing the written Endorsement OF senatof' no" A'
pey.Genera Garland. in favor OF the van behlhuS cn
bill 1t is certain that Mr.. Garland ala interest nuso
in that bin when pending before the Senate Com
it,eo on Patents The papers mentioned constitute a
part OF the legislative record OF the senate ana "'
body is certainly interested In finding out Wha ie mas
befaen them. and whether they have peen os'
or absracted from the les and wifuy de-
stroyed -
Colonel Young to-day asserted that he op-
posed the Van Benthuysen bill in the House,
INIT the Official record shows that passed.
without debate or opposition. and therefore
Colonel Youngs memory must be at iauI" Iolohe'
vo,cg aso remarked with some heat. that he wonld be
glad TO have a thorough investigation OF the Anhfs ol
the Telephone Company ana the RELATIONS VI
Senators COngressnen and other puDlc oceIs 'noIcV'
He thought result OF such an Investigation "oui'
yndeate everybody concerned aud for ever'et AZ res
the wing charges OF the newspapers. He appeared
forget tnat he, Garianu oeha
tor Harris. Railroad Commissioner Johnston Indisi
Commissioner Atkins any other director OF tAe ran
Electric Telephone Company has ever denied specinca
a single one of the statements published In TIE IuUN
in regard to the company ana its directors; tn ~
ments include the celebrated defence OI ST' Naian" v
Dir. j. W. Rogers. - -. ..
nnbsbed as one of the Stockholders Of the company de
aouhces the statement barefaced naked aud bald
entered in any of the books Of the company There II
Sce pss.s did invest IN 1's0 his own name at
in the stock Of MT. Gar@hHs "a, H ~
sntdn some distinction perhaps ought to be made he
tween Senator who actually bought the stock IN quss
SPEAK and took the stock as a gift .,u..
Attorney General Garland aud his partners expires
great surprise aud indignation ON account OF inc sever
criticisms upon their action. Ibey DO NOT seen a
committed and with one voice they declare we 80
our honestly and we have rl9ht TO IT, are we we
stockholdhers. 10 be made to sufer IN silence u,
Bell patent fraudulent, simply because we are pun
oicers II the proposed litigation small result ID zen t
case Is not shared by many ihouseuai I'm. me
in eRher party. and the impres sion IS gLo"lt
Meye his Administration of the steadily Increasing bn
Of Odiqm cast upon u by the ~
Meanwhile the prosecution hAits; Inc ran nib aieo,t
people are hot to have ne 5T ges% .pept H hi. bodn
vacation this WINTER although 1t WAS publicly announce
seTs ssS ,oay aht 1 that he had thought of ding yo
Memphis, but he has not yet done 80 IL is nuI u, ~
United states TO prosecute the Bell company. As ne
also secretary and treasurer OF Mr oariahu
company. he is one OF tue busiest hen ~ ~ ~
now Colonel Young's face wore a look OF care ana II
forehead presented Ps plnEsE eorrespondent saw hin
Colonel Young asked whether II was true lneI u
Shone. exchanged blows well as hard words In q
meeting OF the PanEectrc directors last night anu
Els forehead must be attributed to ,,soo son
o. he oSeting however affirm that personal encou
ter did take place and that Colonel ioung qua a. NOT M
hirectors OF Mr. Gsrlands Telephone Company feel di
posed TO try to freeze out Mr. Rogers the ihvfno.
i've genius their company is founded. and
gnerosity each oi them is hueOonH m biS m ,n
This seems proceeding in Wow Of all the clrcu
stances
covcpEssIoNAL DOISGs IN BRIEF.