The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1886-04-23
1ARLAND's STORY.

The AttOr1ey-GeneraI Tells the Fan ii &C.
trio Investigators of His Connection with
the Company-He Declares the Stock in
His Possession Was Not Given Him, and
His Actions Are without faint.
WASHINGTON, April 20 Attorney-Gen-
eral Garland appeared before the Pam
Electric Investigating Committee yester-
day. Regarding his connection with
the Electric Telephone Company,
he said that in February, 1883,
General Atkins la said to witness tina
he believed the Rogers inventions were OF
great utility il properly handled, and that
money could be made out OF them Being
a poor man like himself, General Atkins
had desired witness to enter into this. II
told him, said the witness, that / had
never undertaken TO make any money ex-
cept by law and poker. | had always lost
at poker, and generally won atlaw. was
willing to go into this if ne thought it OF
Tered any inducements.
He promised Mr.. Atkins that he would
consider the matter. Subsequently, he met
Senator Harris, Casey Young, Mr. Atkins
and DR.. Rogers at the latters house,
where they talked about the general idea
of the organization OF the Pan Electric
Company, and he concluded to go into it,
Turning to the application made to him
TO bring SUIT against the Bell Company,
the Acknowledgement said it was an infer
ence, 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 the other men in the
latter part OF July, and witness knew
him to be secretary and treasurer Of the
Pan-Electric; and, second, because witness
had on May 25 received a letter from DR..
Rogers requesting suit to be brought as a
stakeholder of that company. Coupling
these facts together, witness took it for
granted that the Pan Electric made the
application.
In July Van Benthuysen presented his
application for suit basing it on the law,
which he stated had been passed at the last
session OF Congress. The application was
referred by witness to the Interior Depart
ment, where it should have gone in the
first instance, and witness heard no more
OF it until it was returned last January
with the other papers.
Looking over the authorities he had con-
cluded that he could not order suit, and
when Van Benthuysen, Young and the
others came he had determined that he
would not touch itatall underany circum-
stances.
Witness had never understood from the
cases he had read that anything more than
the question Of infringement had been de-
clded IN each case He never understood
that the issue was Bell broad claim to the
art OF telephony.
Mr.. Ranney asked why the witness had
not referred Van Benthuysen and the 9TH
ers TO the Solicitor General. Witness an=
swered that he did not want to be CON
cerned in the matter at all. After he had
examined 1t he had concluded that it
would be better for him not to suggest
where the applicants should 70. 1t
was due to all sides, witness said that
he should say that after he had
declined to take any action in the matter
OF ordering suit a number of prominent
lawyers wrote to him insisting that, not
withstanding his connection with the Pan
Electric, it was his duty to bring the suit.
Some OF the most prominent men in the
country had written to that effect.
MIR. Ranney inquired ii it had occurred to
witness as a reason for not telling Mr..
Goode of the receipt of the application that
if he had told him OF his action in refusing
to consider the application that Mr.. Goode
might feel bound to reject it, while, if he
said nothing, Mr.. Goode would act upon
the original application and might grant
the request. Witness responded firmly in
the negative.
In reference to the Memphis suit he said
the application came in the latter part Of
August, 1856, just before he left for his
september vacation in Arkansas. He said
nothing to Solicitor-General Goode about
it, because he had no more contro! over
that gentleman than he had over a men,
Der OF Congress. He had never talked with
the Solicitor-General about the pend
ing Columbus suit. He never saw the pa
per filed in the Interior Department, which
led to the hearing before Secretary Lamar;
had never talked with Secretary Lamar,
nor the gentleman who sat with him in
that hearing. about the matter, and had
abstained from talking with the President
about these matters.
Mr.. Garland, going back to the organi-
cation of the Pan Electric Company, de-
ciared it was simply an undertaking by
five or six impecunious men who
wanted to better their condition in a
legitimate business enterprise He
never intended to use his official
position, being then a United States
Senator, In the interest OF the company.
The original stockholders had paid their
assessments and went ahead in u proper
manner to expand the thing and bring out
the Rogers invention. They had never
tried to boom" the business. He, for
one, took hold OF it as legitimate bust
ness venture and regretted that it hadn t
panned out better.
AT the time his name was first mentioned,
and subsequently, nothing was said to him
about the Office of Attorney General being
advantageous to the Pan-Electric Com.
pany. Il never dreamed of such IN idea, y
said he land have never tried and never
thought OF trying to use the office or it's
powers to benefit the Pan-Electric Com
pany." he could see no improprietv in
taking the interest he had taken in the
company other Government and Congress
slonal officers were interested in all kinds of
private enterprises.
The chairman inquired if witness regarded
the stock as y gift. He replied in the mega
1--WE. Five or six persons came together for
the organization of company, and they
made assessments the first move being to
give note for S 900 which was followed
by assessments of $50 or 500 each.
On cross-examination conducted by Nj.
Ranney witness said that his requirement
OF the Pan-Electric stock was not precisely
a purchase; yet, taking the assessment in
TO consideration, it might be called pur-
chase. He was $500 out by the assess
ments.
Witness could not call TO mind any
thought or word OF his since he had be-
come Attorney-General that was calcu-
lated, in the replotest degree, to increase
the value OF Pan Electric stock. He had
not been at q meeting and had no con-
ference with the men connected with the
COMPANY ut al.
The largest authenticated snake
ever seen was an anaconda, which had
swallowed horse. His length was
forty feet, and after his feat of lunch
taking he was indisposed, and was
captured by naturalist who was hunt
ing specimens in the Amazon valley
Chicago Times.
Low-cefled rooms are being advo-
Gated in England, not only on account
of the more coy appearance of the
room, but because it is believed that
better ventilation is afforded through
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