The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-16

True Anwardness of the Pan-Eiectric Inn
posture Fully Exposed.

posture Fully Exposed.
Washington Special to New York SUM-
The professional jobbers and ringsters at
Washington have not succeeded and will not
succeed In dlyertlng public attention from the
Pan-electric scandal by any side issue which
they may invent, or by any calumnious charges
they may utter If all their foul accusations ara
true as they VIGOROUSLY false, the position
of Mr.. Garland, Mr.. Goode, Mr. Lamar and their
official associates would not in the least degree
be altered.
All the dust thrown in the eyes of the public
has not in any way obscured the dsgracefui
facts of this unfortunate case, which brings re-
proach On the administration and imperils the
future success of the Democratic party, unless is
be quickly relieved of the burden.
what are these facts3 A combination was
formed to float spurious scheme on the market
and to deceive innocent purchasers with worth
less stock To do this most effectively Senators
and Representatives and others in public life were
given great blocks OF shares and made the princi-
pal officers of the company.
Their names, their standing and their influence
were the considerations returned for these gifts.
General Joe Johnston as president, Senator Har-
ris as vice president, Casey Young as secretary
and Senator Garland as attorney all members OF
Congress at the time. naturally attracted comb
dence, especially in the South, where they were
wei! known. Others equally distinguished were
enlisted with them.
Under this supposed protection rights were
sold and dividends were declared from the mon
ey thus procured anc were distributed among
these parties. who never invested dime in the
speculation, nor anything else but their personal
reputation. To this extent fraud was perpe
trated, the responsibility for which Is clearly
fixed.
Some of these parties entered the Caoinet and
other high offices by the Presidents appointment
The Pan electric concern had collapsed and
some extraordinary means had to be employed
to revive it and to give q fictitious value to
worthless scrip. All the suits brought against
the Bell company had signally failed in different
States and before the most eminent judges of the
courts of the United States.
While that patent stood good the speculative
companies that made war upon it had no show OF
success and most of them had practically gone
to the wall from succession of defeats. Any
serious assault the validity of the Bell patent
gave them hope of new life and q remote chance
of gain.
In this dilemma the Pan electric concern called
upon Mr. Garland to attack the Bell fortress by
making the United States a prosecuting party
for its interest. Mr. Garland went away, and the
application came before Mr.. Goode acting Attor-
ney general, who at once. and after conference
with the Pan electric officers, ordered asuit be
brought
That act startled the public and exploded the
scandal, because Mr.. Goode had no warrant for
it without consulting the Patent Office through
the Secretary of the Interior. Mr. Garland
returned to Washington and wrote lame ex-
PLANTATION to the President which the latter
published without the consent of the writer. At
the same time he dismissed the suit and
substantially rebuked Mr.. Goode for directing
it to be brought.
Subsequently the papers were referred to Mr.
Lamar, doubtless with the expectation that they
would take the regular course and be sent to
the Commissioners of Patents for report The
Secretary of the Interior kept the papers, as
sumed control of the whole matter, without a
color of authority, created court of his own
81 brdinates, and decided that the application
OF the anelectric concern should be sustained.
Considering the official and the personal rea
tons OF Mr. Lamar to Mr. Garland and Mr..
Goode, and his knowledge of the scandal this
decision provoked severe comment and still
further complicated the administration with and
In bare-faced job. However upright his pur.
pose may have been, the naked act places him in
an unfortunate predicament. and invites suS-
picion from the enemies of the administration.
There is no escape from these facts They
inJure all connected with them. and have. placed.
some of the principals beyond the hope Of recov-
ering lost position before the country
1t is now pretended and set up as defense Of
the Pan electric jobbers that the suit to try the
validity of the Bell patent is proceeding IN the
interest of the public to crush great monopoly.
If this allegation was true, it would not help Mr..
Garland and his co-partnerS in the fraud with
which they stand connected The two things are
as far apart as the poles. They cannot be TANNED
together to make up plausible case to protect
venal conspiracy.
Dut LIE attempted ueIenSe IS NOT only raise In
itself, but it is fatal to those who use it, and is
most hurtful to the administration. In the first
place. this suit was instigated entirely by the
Pan electric jobbers and their copfederates In
Office. This fact will be proven before any in
vestigation Congress may order.
But if the suit was commenced for the public
benefit why was it put off until this late day,
and then started at the instance of an opposing
company that expected to make money by the
ventures The condition of the Bell patent at the
accession of Mr.. Cleveland to the presidency was
precisely what it is now. If objections exist
to-day lustifying action, they existed on the 4th
of last March and every hour since then.
Consequently, if the case be put on public con-
siderations, as is professed suddenly then the
administration has been cupably derelict for a
year in dischareing duty due to the people
And it has only been melted to perform that
duty at this time because the Pan electric spec
ulators believed it would help them to find a.
market for their discarded shares
Senator Miller Likely to Die.
Special to Chicago News