The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-04-20
GARLAND TEsTIFIEs.
He Tells of His Connection with 1.-THE
Telephone lAffair,
And How He Lost Money at Poker
and Won at Law.
Messrs. DingIey and MiIIiken Present
Petitions from Maine People.
Mr.. Manning Expects to Return to
Duty Temporarily.

WASHINGTON, April 19.-Attorney General
Garland appeared before the investigating COM
mttee today, to answer in relation to the affairs
of the Pan-Electric Company. The Attorney
General looked pale and rather feeble. With
courteous salute to the committee he Immediately
took the stand, and on invitation of the chairman
began to make statement of his connection with
the Pan Electric Company. He wished, lie SAID,
to lay before the committee and reaffirm the mat
ter contained in his statement on October 8th
last. In addition he wished to explain two or
three points of that statement. In February,
1888, General Atkins had said to the witness that
he believed the Rogers inventions were of great
utility, if properly handled, and that money
could be made out of them Being poor man
like himself General Atkins had desired the
witness to enter into this. 81 told them," said
the witness, ''that had never undertaken to
make any money except by law and poker. had
was willing to go into this if he thought it
offered any Inducements" Continuing, the VIII
ness said that Senator Harris made substantially
the same statement about the inventions, and
two three days afterwards he (the Wltlsessl was
introduced to Rogers and his son az lhciT nome. NOME
AS to the applications made to him to bring suit
against the Bell Company, it was an inference
and not fact that the Pan Electric Company had
made the application. The inference was founded
on two reasons: first, that Colonel Young came
with other gentlemen in the latter part of July,
and the witness knew him to be secretary and
treasurer OF The ran ElbCtrICj anu StCDhuy UC-
cause he (witness) had, on May 25, received
letter from Dr. Rogers requesting suit to be
brought as a stockholder to that company
After Van Benthuysen made his application the
witness said he determined to have nothing to do
When witness was still in the Senate, Senator
Platt had come to him one day with a bill to
authorize government suits, and had asked his
opinion of it. Witness said he regarded it as un..
necessary. That was all he ever said or heard OF
the bill until it had been brought to his attention
through the application in the early part OF the
fall.
Referring to the statement attributed to Senator
Vest that he (Garland) had given an opinion as
to the validity of the Bell patent, the Attorney
General said he never gave an opinion as to the
validity OF the Bell patent. The only, opinion he
gave was as to the infringement. The Attorney
General said he had no consultation with any
person connected with the Interior Department
as to the hearing in the telephone case, and thai
he never talked with Solicitor General Goode on
that subject except as to the amount of the fee
that should be paid to the governments special
counsel
Mr. Oats-Sinee you have been Attorney Gen
eral have you done any act or thing, directly or
indirectly, to enhance the interests of the Pan
Electric Company, either as counsel for them, as
stockholder or an interested party?
Witness-I cannot call to mind any thought act
or word of mine since have become Attorney
General that is calculated in the remotest degree
to increase the value of that stock or enhance It's
value in any way. have not been at the meeting
and have had no conference with the gentlemen
AS the committees had no further question to
put, the examination of the Attorney General was
concluded at this point, and the committee au-
journed till Wednesday.
A New Postmistress-
Mrs. Julia A. WincheHbach has been appointed
postmstress at South Waldoboro Me-, in place OF
Postmaster Jacob Winchenbach, who is deceased.
Secretary Manning.
From what is said at the White House and the
Treasury Department it is now inferred that the
President expects Secretary Manning to return at
least temporarily to his duties. Ii Mr.. Manning
does recover suf1leenty to resume cnarge OF ms
that he is not to fatigue himself with details, as
was his custom before his attack
Debit and Credit Account.
Some time ago Congress called upon the Treas
ury Department for a list of all debts due the
liabilities by the government to individuals. The
lists were sent in today. From them it appears