Morning journal and courier., 1886-04-20
THE PAN-ELECTRIC INQUIRY.

1 LONDON, April 19.-England has request
 ed the powers to join in severing diplomatic I relations with Greece if she does not disarm THE PAN-ELECTRIC INQUIRY. Attorney General Garland Tells of His Connection With the Company He Renfes That He Wished to Boom tbe Stock Through His Official Position.
 WASHINGTON, April 19.--A new impetus l was given to the Pan-Eleetric telephone in vestigation to-day by the appearance of At torney General Garland in the witness chair. The committee room was well filled with spectators and keen interest was manifest ed throughout his examination. MT. Gar land, after being sworn, reaffirmed and asked to have put in evidence his statement made to the President and the Cabinet last October concerning his connection with the Pan Electric company. Going back to the organization of the Pan Electric company, he declared it was simply an undertaking by five or six impecunious man who wanted to better their condition in legitimate busi- ness enterprise He never intended to use his official position, being then United States Senator, in the interest of the compa- ny. The original stockholders had paid in their assessments and went ahead in proper manner to expand the thing and bring out the Rogers invention. They had never tried to 'sboom" the business. He for one took hold of it as a legitimate business venture and regretted that it hadn't banned out bet ter.
 Mr. Garland did not want to be drawn in- to discussion about the validity of the Bell patent. The committee agreed that this would be improper and he was not ques- toned in that direction. Van Bethuysen and others came to him in July, 1885, repre- senting some telephone interests, to ask him as Attorney General to bring suit in the name of the government. He simply told them that he could not have anything to do with it as he was stockholder in the Pan Electric company, rival of the Bell com pany. That was the last talk he had with any body about it until after his return from Arkansas and the thing had gone out of his mind until he received dispatch informing him that he was being compli mented for having directed suit to be brought against the Bell company. He sup posed Van Benthuysen and his friends would go to Solicitor General Goode at once when he refused to touch their papers. He never told anyone that in his absence an applica- tion could be made to the solicitor general. He never mentioned the fact to MT. Goode that an application for 8 suit was on file, in fact never mentioned telephone matters to Mr. Goode until after his return from his Arkansas trip. He denied positively that he timed his visit that he might be away from Washington when the solicitor general was considering the application. He made engagements to go six weeks before leaving. He went to Arkansas, had been his practice for a number of years, in September when deer were ripe, and as he went for recrea- ! L. 1.o4 ters and papers he directed that none be sent to him at Hominy Hill where he spent the month. Hominy Hill was fifteen miles from Little Rock and seventeen miles from any where else and he never heard word men, tioning his name in connection with order ing the government suit until the 27th of September when he returned to Little Rock. In reply to question MT. Garland said that at the time his name was mentioned and subsequently nothing was said to him by anyone about the office of Attorney General being advantageous to the Pan Electric. 'I never dreamed of such au idea, said he, 'tand I have never tried and never thought of trying to use the office it's powers to bene- fit the Pan-Electrie company" He could see no impropriety in taking the interest he had taken in the company; other govern ment and congressional officers were inter ested in all kinds of private enterprises.
 Upon cross-examination by MT. Ranney
  attorney for the Pan-Electric company to the extent of examining and in some instances making papers and documents. He often met gentlemen connected with the Pan-Elec- tric company in his committee room of the Senate, but there was never a meeting of the company held in his room. The witness carefully avoided any statement or answer which could be construed into an opinion as to the validity of the Bell patents. He said he did not want to pass on any legal points involved in any suit, past or future, as he did not think it proper for him to do so and MT. Ranney concurred Mir. Garland reiterated with some emphasis that he had refused to converse upon matters relating to suits against the Bell since he had assumed the duties of his present office. Referring to the application for suit by MT. Van Benthuysen against the Bell company MT. Garland said he did not refer the matter to Solicitor General Goode, nor did he refer any of the parties who made verbal application or inquiry for govern ment suit.
 "When you found yourself disabled in this matter was it not your duty to refer ap- ney ''No, do not think so," replied Mir. Garland. ''It was not my duty, I think, to instruct the parties how to proceed" Speak ing of the displeasure the applicants evinced when refused information Mir. Garland said: 'I was between two fres-in the position 1 if did and be damned if I didn't" MT Garland explained that he refused to act upon Van Benthuysen's letter because he. asked for suit under a. law which he claimed was recently enacted by Congress, but which had not in fact been enacted. He examined the law and found he had no authority for bringing suit and therefore referred it to the Interior department. Applications for suits by the government ought to be made direct ly to the department from which the ques- tion arises, MT. Garland thought, although the practice has been different. MT. RaAney created ripple of laughter in the committee room by reference to the vacation taken by witness on July 27th last. He asked Mir. Garland how long it was before he left on his vacation that he had concluded to go away. 'tSix weeks before took my vacation, was the reply. "It was well known before you left-known during that six weeks-that s'Was it published by the newspapersa' s'I believe so.' ''Talked of in the Cabineta' ''Not at Cabinet meeting, but I spoke of it individually to members of the Cabinet" "Well," continued MT. Ranney cautiously, "pardon me for alluding to Cabinet secrets, but had it not been given out about that time that the Cabinet officers were so hard worked they would take no vacations" MT. Garland permitted a smile before he replied, ''Yes, yes, but we found we were so hard worked it WAS necessary to take vacations" and then there litter and half sup pressed laughter, after which MT. Garland added: ''I hied me away to that classic spot Hominy Hall, in Arkansas" MT. Ranney wanted to know of the Attorney General the last question he propounded if he (Mr. .Garland) would have felt badly during the period he was refusing to act on the applications if he had learned that suit had been brought by another officer of the government '1 wouldn't have felt good or bad, ," replied MT. Garland. 'I was indifferent" Mir. Ranney apologetically remarked that he did not in tend to say anything offensive or insulting
 tOh!" said the attorney general, "I do not for it; I am not here to get insulted or to take offense.''
 MT. Garland settled one point which had been discussed by the press recently when he said that he got his stock in the Pan Electric year ago this April at the hands of General Johnston and he had it yet, he had not dis posed of it as has been reported. The com
 tnittee adjourned at the conclusion of MT. Garland's testimony until 12 o'clock Wednes- day when some of the New York editors who made the first publication Of the Pan Electric telephone matters are expected to testify.