St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-12-10
MEMBERS WANC MONEY. q
Complications Growing Out of
SilcOtt'S EmbezZlement.

Complications Growing Out OF
SiIcOtt's Embezzlement.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 9.-The office of
the sergeant-at-arms of the house was
besleged to-day by notaries with notes
given by members which had been al
lowed to go to protest. AS the fee in each
protest case is about Sl,50, the notaries
did thriving business. Mr.. LeedOm,
the eX-sergeant-at-arms, has detectives
at Montreal and Quebec looking out for
Cashier Silcott. Mr.. LeedOm does not
believe the story from Montreal that
SilcotJ and his mistress are at proni-
nent hotel there. He thinks that if the
story is true his detective at Montreal
would have reported the fact. The in
vestigating committee was ready for
work shortly after 10 o'clock this
morning, with Mr.. Adams, of Hill
nois. in the chair. Several congress-
men were before the committee TO
suggest plans for the distribution of the
money for salaries of members still re-
naming in The sergeant-at-arms' office.
Mr.. Mills, of Texas, outlined a plan
which he thought would be satisfactory
BECAUSE OF ITS Fairness.
He held that, as the loss had occurred
in November, it should be borne by all
those members who had receipted for
their November pay. The remaining
money, he thought, should be dlstrlb-
uted among all the members who had
not receipted for the months from
March to November and whose money
Sicott had made off with. Mr.. Catch
ingS. of Mississippi, made long speech,
in which he held that the sergeant-at-
arms was the authorized diSburSing Off
Ger of the house. and, consequently. the
individual members should not be made
to bear the losses caused by the action
of SileOtt, who drew the money from the
treasury as the authorized agent of the
sergeant-at-arms. Mr.. Catchings said
that if the government would
pay to members their salary for
November. which. he held, has
never been lawfully paid. the
whole trouble would be ended. because
the theft was entirely out of the money
for their salaries for that month. A
ME Sber of the committee admitted that
MIR. Catchings' views had impressed the
committee. MesSrs. Pickler. of South
Dakota; Henderson, of Illinois; Riley,
of Pennsylvania, and several other
members told the committee about
matters connected with the defalcatlon
Several submitted plans for the settle
ment of the question as to who shall
bear the loss
CAUS ED BY sILCOTT'S THEFT.
A majority thought that the sergeant
alarms was the authorized dlsbnrSng
agent of the house and that the individ-
ual members should not bear the loss.
Max Long, of the coast survey, testihes
that he met Silcott on Saturday night.
Nov. so, the night of h S flight. and
walked to the Sixth street railway sta
ton with him. Silcott told him that he
was going TO New York on business.
The report to the house will be ready to
be submitted on "Wednesday. 1t has
not been decided whether the committee
will favor any particular reeOmmeIIda-
tiOns on the question as to the authority
given the sergeapt-at-armS to diSburse
money for the house. Most of the men,
bers of the committee favor simply sub
mitting the salient points in the argu-
ments that have been made on this
question. and leaving the house to de-
eide where the loss shall fall. This aft
ernOon Mr.. LeedOm wrote to the district
attorney for the District of Columbia.
placing the Sileott case in his hands,
and requesting him to have an indiet-
ment brought against the absent cashier.
Mr.. Leedom's legal adviser thinks that
the individual members of congress
should not lose their salaries on
ACCOUNT OF THE EMBEZZLEMENT.
He believes that the sergeant-at-arms
is properly authorized disbursing of
ficer, but maintains that MIR. LeedUm'S
bondsmen cannot he held accountable for
the loss, because their bond expired
with the Fiftieth congress, for which it
was given. Mr.. Leedom, he states. is
willing to turn over the $4,000 he pos
sesses, should it be decided that he is
responsible for the loss, without the
formality of a civil suit. The S14.500
which Silcott paid into the National
Metropolitan bank. in order to take uD
the forged notes which would be suffi-
cient evidence to extradite him, will
probably be the cause of suit. 1t is
claimed that this money belongs to the
government, and suit will have to be
entered tO recover it,