The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1886-04-22
GARLAND.
THE ATTORNEY-GENERALA A
WITNESS BEFORE EXAM
INING COMMITTEE.
HE SAYS HE ALWAYS WON AT
LAW AND LOST AT
POKER.

WASHINGTON, April 19-The announcement that
Attorney General Garland was to appear before !
the telephone investigation committee caused
larger attendance than usual this morning. The !
atrorney-general appeared looking pale and rather
feeble. With courteous salute to the committee, |
he Immediately took the stand Ok invitation of the
chairman he began to make statement of his con
neCtiOn with the Pan-electric company. "lle
wished, De said, "to lay before the committee and
re-allrm matter contained in his statement to the
president on OCtobtr Sth last. In addition, he
wished to explain two or three points in that state
ment. In February, 1888, Gen. Atkins had said to
witness he believed Rogers inventions were of
great utility if properly handled; that money could
be made out of them Being poor man like him
self, Gen Atkins had desired witness to enter into
this.
81 told him said the witness, "that had never
undertaken to make any money except by law AMI
poker; had always lost at poker and generally won
at law; was willing to go into this thing II he
thought it offered anv Inducements
Continuing, witness said Senator Harris made
substantially the same statement about the inves-
legations, and two or three days atterward he
! (witness) had been introduced to Rogers and his
son at their home He briefly told of the organiza
| ton of the Pan-electrc company, as detailed by
Senator Harris and other witnesses, and then
turned his attention to the appl cations made to
! him to bring suit against the Bell company. 1t
was on inference, and not fact he said, that the
Pan-electric company made the application. The
| inference is founded on two reasons: First, That
| Col. Young came, with other gentlemen, in the
latter part of July, and witness knew him to be
secretary and treasurer of the Pan electric; and
second Because the witness had, on May 18th,
received letter from Rogers requesting suit to be
brought as a stockhod of the company. Coup
ling these facts together witness took it for grant
ed the Pan Electric made application. 1t was
simply an inference. No meme had been men
toned Witness had treated Rogers letter as per-
sonal and knew Rogers had no authority to make
the application, and that such application must
| pnp frnp thn N There
| fore the letter had remained unanswered ana per-
sonal papers had not been filed in July. Mr.; Van
Benthusen had presented the application and hled
| the suit, basing it on the law which he stated had
| been passed at the last session of congress WIT
ness had heard of the law before that and had had
the same search made but could not find the act
The application however, was so well written, ana
apparently set out the passage Of the Dill
so positively, that witness felt there must
be some mistake, and that the bill had
become law. The application had been referred
by witness to the interior department, where it
should have gone in the first instance, and witness
had heard more of it until it had been returned
last JanuaIy with other papers, After receiving
| Won Benthuysens letter, witness has set to work
to examine into the matter. Though he had no in
tention that effect he was satisfied other appli-
cations would be made. Looking over the author
tiles he concluded he could not order the SUIT and
when the gentleman came he had determined he
would not touch it at all under any circumstances.
While witness was still in the senate, Senator
Patt had come to him day with bill to author
ize government suits. He had asked his opinion
of it. Witness had looked it over and said he re-
garded it rs unnecessary, that it would do no good
That was all he ever sad or heard Oh the Dill utl
it had been brought to his attention through the
application in the early part of the fall. Mrllnm-
phries, of the Globe Telephone company, called
upon him at the department about the Application
81 thought he was going to jump over on me,
said witness.
Humphreys had insisted that he (witnessl must
order the suit. He had said that it was very curl
GUS that, because he (witness) was in another com
, pany, that his CHumphreys) rights SHOULD be DIS
RHe got mad because I wouldn't do anything
J about it, said the Witness sand we parted moi
without mutual respect and admiration at all
Witness denied he had ever gwen opinion
about him. The opinion he had given, and the
only opinion, to the effect that the Pan Elec-
trio inventions were no infringements-tha they
were an improvement on telephones that were
patented at different times, on well-recognlZed
principle. Although witness was the attorney toI
the company, yet Young and Senator Harris usu
ally drew up the legal papers, and when they were
referred to him (wtness) made such alterations as
seemed to be necessary. These papers had been
submitted to witness in the senate judiciary room
but it was mistake to say that any board meet
ngs had been held in that room Witness was
satisfied that he had never attended a meeting OF
the company since the last presidential election
Turning his attention to ordering of the Mem
phs suit, witness said he had arranged 10 leave
Washington on August 27 and spend 'the entire
month of September at his home in Arkansas; had
chosen that time because he had found September
to be the best month to be out of Washington, anC
: because Ee could shoot deer in Arkansas IN ina
l month, under the game law, The deer dld no
grow ripe until September MIR. GOode had re
turned about the middle of August, but the witness
had said nothing to him about the application M
had received, because he did not know exactly wha
to saw He supposed the gentlemen who had mad'
, the application would find their remedy, II the!
supposed they had one When witness had COM
hack TO Little Rock he read dispatch from TIN
New Orleans Times Democrat, saying his admir-
ing newspaper friends were complimenting hin
!, upon ordering suit against the Bell company Ill
> replied he had not ordered such suit lie re
. turned to Washington about October ], and whe
he called at the White house the president had toll
! him the papers were speaking OF the case where
y = upon he had made the explanation that mad beel
. published. Witness had never opened his mout
q to Mr. Goode about it, because solicitor Goodt
under the statute was perfectly Tree and lndepene
y ent, and witness had no more control over MN
v the gentlemen in congress. He had never, to TN
: day, spoken to Goode about the first suit, or th
one alledged to be pending. Gooie had spoke
something about counsel and the practice OF IN
government in dealing with counsel lie did ne
) know what was in the bill had never seen the p
perS on which the suit was predicted, and mad neVe
: talked with Secretary Lamar or gentlemen wh
sat with him lie had even declined to talk wit
the president about the suit. One of the gentle
men in Secretary Lamar's department, Mr.. Zaz
". Montgomery, an old college friend, and appointe
II as his solicitation had declined to sit in the cas-
- because of his friendship and old acquaintanC
:, with witness. He had seen some notice now an
"a then 'abOut Garland being the recipient oi Dloc
y = of stock by way of gift OF cours
a there had been no gift about it. AS to the que
y ! tion of property, there was more impropriet
=, in his position than in the case of a gentlema
II holding railroad stock and sitting in congress,
= congressman going over to the supreme court
q, practice for money 1t was legitimate bushes
y and witness had never dreamed of any legislatio
re- being asked His only regret was it had nj
se panned out better If any question had come U
D. In Congress concerning the company he would N
II have voted for it. He had recommended DR.
" Rogers and his son to Messrs Cox and Hewitt, b
y cause he regarded them as competent men in the
u line Witness holds they talked with Archite
T. Clarke about the HarrisRogers application fl
appointment as house electrician, and about pu
ting in the Rogers telephone, but after consult
ton with Senator Edmunds, the president al
Clarke, he had refused to make an appointment.
*