New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-05-31
AT THE NATIONAL CAPITAL,
THE PRESIDENT AND THE CIVIL SERVICE
COMMISSION.

WHAT MAJOR BURKE, THE DEFAULrNG TREAS
URER, IS DOING IN HoNDURAs-A DEcIs-
ION BY JUDGE MoTT-woNDER'
Full CIPHER DISPATCHES.
1900, -ur prcrI.R CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE'
Washington May 80" The Washington POST per
haps goes too far in ntlmatng-posslbV shonlu say
asserting-that the President holds evidence oi .'i
inal malfeasanoe against Mr. Lyman, the neaa Vi "'e
cv,, service Commission at washington. To say that
the President holds such evidence ana reirA'hs n'
acting ON It is 10 say that he deliberately connVes
a. an infract;on of the law. That is charge WHICH
cannot he Justly brought against President Harrison
and for which there is sort OF warrant III c e"eo
In point a.,
The history OF the episode IL very simple 10"
months before the expiration OF Mr. Clevelanus 'eTIi
II became known that clerk In the once oi 'nc
Commission had copied and given to an OUTSIDE per
con ,hc LIST OF questions prepared by the examiners
for submission TO the applicants The clerk was
man named Campbell, a brothern-law Of Commls-
sioner LYMAN. As soon as the matter came to the
attention OF the Commission, Mr. Lyman Instructor
Commits sioncr Oberly member of the Board to mako
thorough investigation and report the result 10 onc
fu Commission, which then consisted OF Messrs' Ly'
man. oberly and Bdgerton, the two latter being DEM
ocrats Mr. Oberly made as searching an inquiry
as he could, and arrived at the conclusion that camp
hell while he had committed a serious indscretion,
was not guilty Of actual misdemeanor His opinion
was that the questions copied and given out were not
those OF the current examination, but were old ones
which had already been used and which threw no
light on examinations yet to come. MI ODerS
therefore though he censurcd Campbell, recon-
mcnded his retention. Campbell was Accordingly IT,
tanned Indeed. some months later, when Mr.. Lyman
was alone on the Board Obcrly and Edgerton having
dropped out and their successors not having been ap
pointed he took occasion TO promote Campbell from
a 81 900 TO 81 200 clerkshlp, there being vacancy
at the time. IL, A., pood
After General Harrison's Inauguration the Boaru
was filed by the appointment of Messrs RooseVeit
and Thompson and a very little later the CampDen
scandal was revived In the newspapers ana the TWO
new Commissioners were mnde acquainted WIN us
merits and its points. Indeed, the controversy so
RACED and fretted and Numbered that committee OF
the House of Representatives was appointed to In
yestigate the case afresh This committee sat long
and earnestly heard volumes Of evidence and argument
and at last in many PACED report, declared that
Commissioner Lyman was censurable for "laxity OF
notwithstanding, presumably, that ne erred III
having retained Campbell-but making no recon-
mendaton of any kind Campbell, having already left
tbe office Of the Board could not be discharged, and
Messrs Roosevelt and Thompson having had sort Of
connection with the case, were fully and handsomely
exoneraed.
Stripped Of all superhutcs, this is the complete
record | am not prepared - that it was wise or
in good taste on Mr. Lyman's part to retain Campbell
after IL was shown that he had copied and given out
papers belonging to the Board. Although the IN
vestigation made by Commissioner oberly failed to
satisfy that gentleman that the list contained questions
to be propounded the current examination. It equally
failed TO satisfy him to the contrary lie was In Doubt
the benefit thereof being civ to Campbell cannot
think that Mr.. Lyman was right In retaining Campbel
under the circumstances Still less do defend him IN
subsequently promoting man who should have been
dismissed especially In view OF the fact that he was
alone on the Board at the time and the man promoted
was his brother-in-aw The whole transaction was
unwise unfortunate and IN the worst Of taste. But
The Post" has no sufficient warrant for saving that
criminal case has been made against Commissioner
LYMAN The Congressional Committee, although It's
language was excessively severe did not so find, nor
did il recommend Mr.. Lymans removal On what
ground, therefore, it be charged that Mr. Lyman
is proven malefactor and that the President is Will
fully ignoring duty and arresting justice by refusing TO
act on the evidence in his h1ndsl The truth is that
he has no such evidence, and the people who now
know General Harrison much better than they did two
years ago. are not likely TO believe such things OF him.
even on the most reckless and persistent assertion
Some one passed through Washington few days
ago. Just from Honduras where lie had either seen OF
Of Louisiana Burke it appears, had obtained large
and presumably very valuable grants from :e Govern
ment of Honduras some years before the discovery OF
his trouble in Louisiana. He was at the time IN Lon
don endeavorng negotiate for the capital necessary
TO develop these alleged bOnanzas. 1t Is generally
understood by those who knew much OF Bure's affairs
that he had been quite successful in his mission ~
England having raised large and secured tho
promise Of much OF course, the Louisiana dis
closures stopped all this, though IL is row believed
that he must have already transferred large amounts
for the work he has since done in Honduras uhdohot
edly represents far greater expenditure Of money than
he, personally, could have met He had heavily III
volved his wifcs fortune long before In various I'M
profitable ventures and could not therefore, have
drawn upon that even had II been available otherwise
At any rate / hear That, after his escape from Eng
land he went TO Honduras and began work on ggan-
tic scale developing his possessions. Among other
things he turned aside the river Mangual at point
where experts had declared that II had deposited great
quantities OF gold laying bare It's bed for several niles
This achievement employed many hundreds Of men fc
months and at the beggary wages paid 10 rough
labor in Honduras, must have cost vast sum OF
money The whole enterprise however. was fruitless
No gold worth the trouble of collecting was discovered,
and Burke found himself at the close of season Of
stupendous effort and exeron, not only without the
smallest material reward but, in fact bercft Of his
last illusion as regarded that feature Of his scheme.
traordinary nervous temperament, capable OF Hercu
lean energy under the stimulus OF geat purpose,
but subject TO collapse and pro5traton Of correspond
ing intensity under failure.
I am told by people who know him intimately that
his ambition was to make money enough in Honduras
10 squarc his accounts In Louisiana and in that wHy 10
arrange a compromise by which he could ceturn.
The same persons declare that Burle's ambitions
u,are never of the sordld kind, and that all
the money he has made away with was spent
for Standardization of for political effect. Indeed II
Is ccntectured that the S1ooooo known to have beer
cent from Louisiana Indiana in 1884 secured by
Burke (probably through the medium Of those very
bonds out OF which he deirauded the state Certainly
know as an indIsputabe fact, that he came on t.
Washington In 1853 Immediately after Clevcandi
Inauguration confidently expecting very handsome
recognition Of his services during the campaign. Ill
claimed that he had distinct understanding with Dan
ie Manning and up to the last moment had supposed