New-York tribune., 1886-04-20
GARLAND TELLS HIS STORY.
HIS poK .R LOSSES AND LAWFUL GAINS.
FIVE IMpECUNIoUs sTArHsMEN--MR GooDE SOLELY
RESPONSIBLE.
rpr TELEGRAPH To THE rRTnUSE,l

WAsUINGTON, April 19.-lt was nearly L
o. clock when Attorney General Garland tottered into
the room OF the Electric investigating committee
and seated himself In the witness chair Mon VINO h'n
M, seen Mr. Garland recently shocked ny the
change for the worse In his physical condition MS
face showed traces Of pain aud sickness his hah' "ero
cold and clanmy. and his voice at times was weak "nu
unsteady He frequently refreshed himself from
glass OF water when he left the witness chr he
seemed nearly ex ansted. Mr.. Garland told his story
in a candid way that created favorable impressloh'
and he answered readily questions when won"
have thrown Casey Young into spasms Oh mug
nation. There is great difference pct"co"
the two men. Mr. Garland's statements under o'tn'
th,t he had tired make money ont OF poker ana inc
law with Indifferent In the former pursuit tha'
he and his partrers were "npecuu Ous men who en-
barked in the Pan-Electrc scheme in oder TO better
their condition. and that the enterprise had not panhe'
ont" % we'll he could wish. perhaps were less dlSh
Gel than one might have expected from the Attorney
General of the United States but they were made with
an air Of frankness which was almost captivating.
II appears that while General Atkins was still "A mem
Der OF Congress he induced Mr.. Garland TO embark IN
the speculation Tho witness insisted that the STOCK
was not gift" but he admitted that he ptid nothing
it, testified to the genuneness or the pupshe
copies opinion in favor Of the Pan-Eectrc
patents. Mr. Garland's account OF the efforts to
have the Government suit brought was more clear
and satisfactory than his explanation OF the reason why
he entertained the Van Bcntbuysen application or July
H. to the extent referring It TO the Interior Depart
ment for a report and advice
some OF Mr. Garlands testimony contradcted that OF
Mr Goode on a material point-the object OF such refer
ence Mr. Garland denied OF course, that he hal any
hann in the bringing the suit but he said that when
no declined consider the application Of Van
. Benthuysen. CAN'T and company he supposed" they
would 90 to Mr. Goode for remedy. He said that he
did not intimate TO them that that would be the proper
course He declined to express any opinion whatever
respecting validity OF the Bell patent. except that
when the letter to Meyer on the subject OF The
Pan.E lectrc patents he had idea that the "brosd
claim" Of the Bel could not be upheld.
ON the whole Mr. Garland's testimony did nothing to
the impression produced by the evidence OF other
Witnesses that Government suit ordered by Mr.
Goode "a the result OF the Pan Electrc-Natona I'm
proved agreement made Immediately after the appca-
INN IN him TO which agreement Messrs Young, Harris
CAN'T and Van Benthuy-en certainly were privy
Mr. Garland said that he wished to lay before the Com
uittee and reafrm the contained in his state
ment to the President October 3. In addition he
wi,hed TO explain points Of that statement
m February 1883 General Atkins said that he believed
the Rogers Of great utility II properly
/ handled that money cOnld DO made out OF them'
lie suggested that Mr.. Garland enter into them "
told him." said the witness. that htd never under
taken to make any money except by law and poker
had always lost at poker aud generally won at law.
WAS willing to 20 into II lie thought 1t offered
indncemenL" Senator Harris ma le substantially the
same statement the Inventions and two or three
days afterward introduced 10 Dr Rogers
and his son their home. 1t an Inference. and not
fact he said that the PanElectrio Company made the
app catiOn To bring SUIT against the Bell Company The
Inference was founded on two reasons; that Coonc'
Young came with the other gentlemen in the latter
of July witness knew him TO be the secretary
and treasurer OF the Pan-Electrc and because tho Wit
ness. on May %, received letter from
Dr. Rogers requesting suit TO DO brought
these ct- together took 1t for granted that the
P,n.E.ectric made the applcation-t simply an In
ference and name was mentioned He treated Dr
Rogers's letter personal He knew that Rogers had
no authority TO the application and therefore, the
let or remained unans In July Van Benthuysen
presented his application for suit basing 1t on the law
which been passed at the last session OF
Congress- Mr. Garland had heard OF the law before that
and had search made. but could no. hnu the
act The application. however was 80 well written ana
apparent y out passage OF tins bill 80 positively
that ha felt that be some mistake and that
had become law The application was referred
Interior Department. where 1t should nave gone
first instance and the witness heard no more OF II
until IL returned last January with the other papers
After receiving Van Bnthuysens letter he set to work
10 examine into matter. Looking over the auth0rl-
ties ne had concluded he could not order suit,
and when Van Benthuysen. Young and the Others came
he determined would not touch 1t at all under
any circumstances.
while s,ill In the Senate, Senator Platt came to him
one day with the bill to authorize Government suits
and asked his opinion OF It. The witness looked II over
and said that he regarded 1t unnecessary 1t
would good. Tha was all he ever said or heard
OF the bill until 1t brought TO his ateLtlon through
the application In the early part OF the fall MIR.
Humphreys, OF the Globe Telephone Company, called
upon him at the Department about the application
thought he was gong jump over on me-. said he
witness Humphreys insisted that the witness should
order suit aud said that IT was curious that because
Mr Garland was IN another company thdt MI huiHph'
Ieyss rights should be disregarded He got mad be-
cause would do anything about it, said the wit
he s. and we parted not with mutual respect and ad-
miration at all"
Mr. Garland denied that he had ever given an opinion
about the validity OF the Bell patent The opinion he
had given and the only opinion WAS to the effect that
the Pan-Electric inventions were not inringements
that they were upon telephones that were
differently patentable-a wellrecognlzei principle
While a stockholder he had been derect In attending
meetings the tnat the place OF meeting was
nconyenently situated that the meetings wero held
al night he rarely went out Of his house Although
he was attorney for the company Mr. Young ana senV
tor Harris usually drew the legal papers ana when
they were referred him he made sucn alterations as
seemed to necessary These papers were submitted
to him the Senate Judiciary room BUTT was mis-
take to say that any boarmeetinxs were held In hat
room. lie satisfied tnat he had never attended,
meeting Of the company since the last Presidential cleo
ton.
Mr. Garland sald that he arranged to leave Washing
Ton on August 27 and spend the entire month OF Sep
tenber at his in Arkansas. lie chose that time
c,nse he mad September be the best month to
he out Washington and because ne could shoot deer
=, Arkansas iu that month under the game law. Tho
,ear did not become ripe until September" said he
Mr. Goode returned about the middle OF August but
Mr. Garland said nothing to him about the application
he had received he did not know exactly what
to say He supposed thc gentleman who hai made the
applcaton would 1nd their remedy II they supposed
they had When he came back TO LlItle ROCK ho
received dispatch The Ne,e orleans Times Demo-
caf sayiug that his admIrng newspaper friends were
ccmplmrnting him on ordering suit asainst the Bell
Company lie replied that he had not ordered any such
su He returned 10 Washington about October l, aud
han h cnllnd at the White House the President told