The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-04-19
CARSON GETS THERE.
Erected With Cheers and the
Charges Tabled.
CRACK OF THE MAYORS WHIP.
Beck's Name Withdrawn and Gallaher
Confirmed by the Board-New
Street Grade Ordinance.

The long and bitter fight between the
KID committee" of the Democrats on the
one hand, and the mayor, the Telegrd ph
and j. NJ. Carson on the other was settled
last night by the confirmation of Mayor
honaid's appointment of J. NJ. Carson as
comptroller.
ms factional struggle among the Demo-
Gratis had grown in fierceness for a week,
and yesterday nearly every active worker
IN the party was engaged on one side or
the other. The 'kid" campaign commit
tee-as the members of that august body of
five affectionately call twas toiling from
morning till dewy eve drumming up the
enemies of Mr.. Carson and getting them
to tell the mayor and everybody else what
an extremely bad man the appointee for
comptroller was. From every direction
influence was being brought to bear on the
aldermen to get them to reject the appoint
ment.
In the other camp the friends of Mr..
Carson were striving with equal zeal for
their cause, and were urging everybody to
believe that if there was anything the mat
ter with Mr.. Carson it was that he was too
good. too honest and too noble to live in
this sin-cursed world.
So all day the noise of battle rolled until
at A O'Clock the kid committee arose, girded
up its loins, and as one man made a last
demand upon the mayor that Mr. Carson's
name be withdrawn. The mayor emphat-
ically refused, as he had done a
dozen times before, and the committee
went out in wrath and grief, determined
to make stand in its last ditch at the
city council meeting. But the mayor
cracked the whip, and three of the five
aldermen who roared like lions last
Thursday in calling upon the
mayor for a new nomination for comp
troller, followed their leader as meekly as
little lambs. The kid committee found it..
self without support in rear or flank, and
the beautiful new silk hats were trampled
in the mud and dust far without the
breastworks.
The largest gathering ever assembled in
the city hall was on hand last night to
watch the faithful scratch each others
eyes out; but the affair was comparatively
tame.
After some routine proceedings, City
Clerk Stoneman read the following COM
munication. which was signed by Frank
Peltret, editor of the Spectator, and was
accompanied by a number of exhibits:
Understanding that the matter of confrma-
tion of j. NJ Carson as city comptroller is soon
to DO acted upon by your body, it becomes my
duty as a citizen and friend to this administra.
ton to present to you facts which have come to
my knowledge and which demand your careful
attention and consideration.
On Saturday, April 10, was in Tacoma, and
while there met Marshall X. Smell, the we'll
known attorney. During our conversation he
expressed surprise a: the nomination of J. NJ.
Carson for comptroller, and said he did not con-
slider him man to be trusted in any position of
responsibility. therefore pressed him for
reason, and he stated that when Carson was spe-
cial agent of the land office he had done several
acts, to his best knowledge and belief, which
were not honorable, and that he had the record
in his office of one case in which Carson appear
ed in anything but an enviable light. When l
expressed a desire to see the record, Mr.. Smell
took me to his office and I examined 1t with
this result:
The action was brought by Mr.. Carson al
special agent of the government to cancel the
homestead entry of Emmett Hunt. The case
came up for trial in July, 1888. Mr.. Smell was
attorney for Hunt, and among the witnesses
was an aged woman named Mary White, who
gave damaging testimony against the special
agent, stating that he tCarson) had in her pres
ence told q certain party that If he would get
Hunt off the land he would fix 1t for him. The
story is best told in the clipping from the Posi-
INrELLTGENcER, which l here attach.
On the complaint of Mr.. Smell, Carson was
brought up before Justice Jones and fined for
his abusive language. The matter did not stop
here, however. Mr.. Carson wrote to the general
land office a letter representing Mr. Smell as q
"cowboy lawyer" who had behaved in most
outrageous manner, and q result the register,
John Y. Ostrander received a letter from the
commissioner at Washington City, which he
enclosed Immediately to Mr. Smell, with few
words from himself. Following are verbatim
copies of the letters, and also of the affidavit
made on request of Mr.. Ostrander. 1.-The letters
accompany the complaint
Mr.. Ostrander then sent letter to the general
land Office in which he stated that "Carson was
unworthy o. belief" The copy of that letter is
now on file at the United states land office in
this city. have asked to see it, but was refused
on the grounds that ii vas office business.
1t appears according to this that the evidence
against Carson was not disprovsd or discr edited
in any way. Its Importance can be realized
when it is stated that the business OF a special
agent of the land office is to detect frauds upon
the government and to contest all matters in
which there are any Irregularities.
The court docket attached would seem to be
in confirmation OF Mrs. Whites testimony, for
Mr.. Carson appears there as attorney for the
very man, Hawke, in the contest brought by
him against Hunt, with whom he is said to
have had the conversation.
may add that the case all the way through
has BEEN decided in favor OF Hunt
1t appears according 10 this record, that Mr.
Carson was charged with approaching man,
getting him to contest Just claim, and agree
ing to fix him all right; that when the testi-
mOny to this fact was adduced he became very
abusive, and publicly used language unworthy
of gentleman; that he was arrested and fined
for the latter offense; that he later made a
charge wholly unwarraDted and false against
the attorney who exposed him. which was re-
ferred back TO the receiver of the land Office,
John Y. 0strander, who Immediately trans
mitted a copy OF the letter 10 the attorney with
statement that It would make il proper for
him 10 report all the truth in the matter" etc.
MI Carson may be an uniustly accused and