New-York tribune., 1886-02-11
THE PAN-ELECTRIC scandal.
A PRECEDENT IN THE CRAWFORD CASE.

VIEWS OF DEMOCRATS IL TAYL0Ks TIME
RoGeRs's OPINION OF BEACH.
WAsHSdToN. Feb. 10 (Specan.-Ihe Pan Electric
people still profess be anxious for Congressional
investigation and it is the almost universal opinion
among Congressman of both parties that such an IN
vestigaton must come. There ia unfavorab'e com
mcnt upon Attorney General Garland and Senator
Harris neither of them has seen f to demand
an lnouirv Their failure to do so is contrasted un
avorably with the prompt request for an investigation
by Mr. Crawford, who President Taylor's Secte-
tary of War. The Democratic newspapers OF that day
attacked Mr. Crawford bee Iuse he received large
sum of money as contingent fee for the prosecution
of claim which was allowed and paid by the Treasury
Department while Mr. Crawford at the head OF thr
War Department. Mr.. CraStord was Whig, and hi'
request Tor an nvc tigaton was addressed to a wing
House of Representatives of which hi Whis friend and
ncghbor Howell Cobb, Of Georgia, WAS Speaker.
The investigation winch thorough resulted III Two
reports neither Of which n yndlcation OF Secrc-
tary Crawford. The Wing report found that TIE clam
il. elf was not a Just one and should not have been
pa but neither defended nor ccnsurcd Mr. Craw-
fords action In the report signed by the Democratic
members was embodied a resolution declaring that
Congress shoulI pass a law prohibiting any member
of the Cabinet from deciding any clam or demand
no aipst the Government in whIc any other member OF
the Cabinct shall be interested In spc'ch on the
subject Mr. Fcaher-ton. OF Mississippi. Democratic
member of the committee, said 9 shall al-" insist
upon the adoption OF another resolution winch recon-
mends II passage Of law prohibiting one member oil
the Presidents Cahilet from si' ting in Judgment on
and d,sdInr A case in which another me mbcr of the
same Cabinet is interested. The dcvcloDments made
bv tne investigation of this case suggest the impcra-
tive necessity Of such law. 1t will close the door
against temptation and fraud from cue quarter at
Vya
cratic Representatives.
Only a lew Wliss ATTEMPTED TO defend Mr. Crawford
or {, apologize tor his aud several Of them
criticised him severely: but the House passed JOINT
resolution AT the in-tigatron HI friends Ia author
ize AT against him 10 The money he had re-
ccived By Democratic senators this was regarded iS
a Ir't ras rcirctcJ soon aficrwafd the Cabinet
WAS reconstructed account of Prcsident Ia!'or7
death and the matter was dropped after Mr. 'thw
fords retirement 10 private life. The report "l lhe
proceedings in that case might furnish instructive
reading to Attorney General Garland and senator
Harris at this time.
Dr Rogers il greatly amused at Rcprcsentaiiye
Bcachs gr at revelation OF the attempt to bacAu all
LIrn " by sending him cory OF poems ana Inc o,ing
10000 in Pan-Electrc stock to pay MN Tor reading
Beach wa, badly hurt because ! told the who story
IN connection with s. = Cox and Hewitt without men
tioIng Beach. The fact Is thpne ht al the time
| gave Beach the stock that he wa tric gentleman
q, knew Cox and Hewitt 10 he bnt lrarninp more
about hlm of la'c did not mention his name when
told TO 90 The World, Tor III NdtlhB Nt"ch
where il will do tie most good have found that the
name of n shabby fellow ought never 10 he mrhuontd'
il dcprc.se- it at it II were known IN New
York that Beach owned $4,000 it would break tho
market People would say: We can understand
nhy Cox and Hewitt might hOnofaby aid your cnter-
pr-e without anv reference whatever To legislation.
but how could Beach help except by bis votef Harms
could rise in the Senate for he -ad he wouldl and re
fuse vote when your enterprise came M; "arlanh
could refuse to bring suit. Iunu g. set iorth
in the celebrated letter which started This whole Temp
est but Beachl What could he do but ran around 10
two or three pOudcnts in vain, and bc compelled
at last 10 seek the columns OF thr wrthng and dying
Times to get this litto ht OF nolo:cy with Coh ana
Hewitt and excaim: How We apples swim p"