Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-04-22
ArroRNBr-aBxsnAt OAKLAND


Before the C0mmkttco-kao 8eat-
firms isis October statement.
WASHINGTON, April 19.-The announce
ment that Attorney-G General Garland was
to appear before the Telephone investiga-
ting committee, caused a larger attend
ance than usual this morning, and this
fact together with the warm spring day,
made the atmosphere of the cryptlike
room, where the committee meets, very
oppressive.
II was nearly three-quarters Of IN hour
after noon, the regular hour for meeting,
when the attorney general appeared look
ing pale and rather feeble. With cour-
teous salute TO the committee he imme-
diately took the STAND, and on the invita-
ton of the chairman began TO make q
statement of his connection with the Pan
Electric Company. He wished, he said,
to lay before the committee and reaffirm
the matter contained in his statement TO
the President on October 9Th last. In
addition he wished to explain two or
three points of that statement.
In February 1883 General Atkins had
said to witness that he believed the
Rogers inventions were of great ability if
properly handled and that money could
be made out of them. Being poor man
like himself, General Atkins had desired
witness to enter into this.
~ told him." said the witness, "that !
had never undertaken to made any money
except by law and poker. had always
lost ut poker and generally won at law. /
was willing to go into this If he thought
it offered any inducement." Com
tinuing, the witness said that SEN
ator Harris made substantially the same
statement about the inventions, and two
or three days afterwards the witness had
been introduced to DR.. Rogers and his
son at their home. He briefly told of their
organization of the Pan-Electric Com
pany as detailed by Senator Harris
and other witnesses, and then
turned his attention to the APP
plications made to him to bring suit
against the Bell company. II was an in
ference and not fact, he said, that the
Pan-Electric Company had made the ap.
| plication. The inference was founded
ON two reasons first that Colonel Young
came with the other gentlemen
lin the latter part of July
and witness knew him tc
be secretary and treasurer of the Pan
Electric, and second because witness had
on May 25th received letter from Dr.
Rogers requesting suit to be brought as {
stockholder of that company. Coupling
these facts together, witness took it fol
granted that the Pan Electric made tn,
application. 1t was simply nh Inference
and NO name had been mentioned
Witness had treated DIR. Rogers letter q
personal, and he knew Rogers had nj
authority to make the application-tha
such an application must come from til
president OF the company. Therefore th
letter had remained unanswered and
personal paper had not been filed.
In July Vanbenthuysen had presente
his application for suit, basing it on th
law which he stated had been passed {
the last session of Congress. The wi
, ness had heard of the law before tina
and had had some search made br
could not find the act. The o.
, plication, however, was so we
i written and apparently set out the pas
= age of the bill so positively, that witne
felt that there must be some mistake al
\ that the bill had become law. The o,
plication had been referred by witness
the interior department, where it shou
have gone in the first instance, and wi
i, ness had heard no more of it until it hi
= been returned last January with the 9th
papers.
! After receiving vanbenthuysen's lettt
witness had set to work to examine i'll
the matter, for though he Ind no intin
ton to that effect, he was satisfied 9th
, applications would be made. Looki
g over the authorities he had conclud
u that he could not order suit, a
i, when the gentlemen came eva
= benthuysen, Young and the other
:. =. he had determined that he would 1
If touch it at all under any circumstance
10 When witness was still in the SEM
= Senator Platt had come to him one d
:, with the bill to authorize the governmt
~ suits and had asked his opinion of
3 Witness had looked it over and said
~ regarded it as unnecessary-that
ID would do no good. That was
IL he ever said or heard of
IN bill until it had been brought
or his attention through the appli
es ton. In the early part of the
NJ Mr.. Humphreys Of the Globe II
phone Company had called upon h
at the department about the appli
to ton. 81 thought he was going
ri Jump over on me-" said the v
ness. Humphreys had insisted t
he (witnessl order suit and
said it was very curious Il
q, because he (witness) was in another &C
9b pany that his (HumphreysD rights sho
m. be disregarded. He got mad beca
he II would not do anything about it" s
les witness, "Ond we parted, not with NUT
ort respect and admiration at ALL"
nv