The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1894-11-02
OVENS BAD BREAK.
AZ Testified to by His Superior officer
Of the Treasury.
Il Called Forth q Congressional In
vestigation.

Assistant Secretary Nessiston Charge
owen with Neglect OF Duty. Shameful
lneompsssncs and with Trying to se
cuse the Payment Of Fraudulest vsuch
srs-Owss Nulliass the Alien Contrsc
Labor Law.
Few men who have ever come ont ia
political ONCE have as uncnviable ;
labor record as William d. Owen. thu
candidate for secretary OF state on thu
Republican ticket. While superintend
emit Of immigration under Harrison, m
ofiice which he created for his own 60
peciM benefit while a member Of con
gress, he time and time again violated
the law against the importation OF con
tract labor. BY completely setting aside
this law which was passed by the Dem
ocratic congress Of 1878 he allowed the
country to be flooded with cheap labor.
This was done in the interest of the tin
plate gang, headed by Niedringhaus Of
st. Louis, who had promised to give re-
munerative employment to American
workmen. American workmen were
too high priced to suit them and they
demanded the pauper labor Of Europe.
Owen was constantly in trouble with
his superiors because Of his insolence
and refusal to obey orders. An investi-
CATION Of his Office was finally begun, in
the course Of which all OF the charges
that had been preferred against him
were substantiated The following let
ter Of Hon. A. b. Nettleton, assistant
secretary of the treasury under Harri-
son, shows that Owens methods Of con-
Quoting his Office were most objection
able:
Treasury Department,
Office Of the Secretary.
WASHINGTON, March -. ls92
Tothe Honorable Secretary ofthe Treasury:
SIR-It has become my official duty to
invite your attention to the following facts
which am able to substantiate in every
particular and to ask that such action be
taken by the secretary Of the treasury and
bv the president as those facts may seem
TO warrant:
I. Mr.. w. ID. Owen is unfit and incom-
petent to perform the duties Of the Office
which he holds.
2. He Is thoroughly untrustworthy in
the performance Of his official duties.
5. He has been guilty Of circulating ma
licious ISLANDERS against his superior off,
GERS.
4 His ideas Of Official regularity and in
tegrity are slipshod. reckless and source
OF great risk to the public funds partially
In his control.
D. hand you certain papers marked FIX
hibit A, which show that on Feb -, 1899,
John b. Weber, United States commits
sioner OF immigration at the port Of New
York, transmitted TO the secretary Of the
treasury certain bids received in answer to
advertisements for the furnishing OF in
struments, books, hospital clothing and
druggists glassware for the use Of the med
ical department of the immigration serv-
Ice at New York, said letter showing that
all the bids received were thus transmitted
Said letter recommended that In each case |
the lowest bid be accepted and the articles |
purchased. such lowest bids being clearly |
set forth and recited with the names Of the |
several bidders and the amount OF each bid |
Such lowest bids recommended to be &C
cepted aggregated e62s05 On Feb. "a.
~. w. ID. Owen rs superintendent of i'm |
migration caused to he prepared and |
checked with his initials, and sent to nv
address for signature . letter addressed
70 Commissioner Weber authorizing him
TO accept all the bids that he had received.
reciting said bids in full by names and /
amounts, which amounts aggregated &6lQ
IA, or more than $50 per cent in excess OF the
aggregate asked for by the commissioner
At New York said letter Was signed by me
on the strength Of Superintendent Owens
cheek. was transmitted to Commiss Toner
Weber and its character only discovered
by me upon my arrival in New York day
or two later. Attached TO exhibit A is my
letter to superintendent Owen based upon
this transaction dated March |. 1891, and
declining thereafter to sign letters from his
Office authorizing the expenditure OF pub
lie moneys unless accompanied by the orig
inal papers upon which they were based
also hand you papers marked exhibited
b. which show that on or about the first
day Of Jan 1892. w. ID. Owen joined Frank
l.. Larned and other persons in persistent
attempt to put through the department
and collect the money upon false and
voucher for sii7 80 for the alleged
services Of q person not In the employ Of
the government. and who to Mr.. Owens
previous knowledge had not rendered the
service for which such voucher was pre-
sented. Superintendent Owens Official ap-
prevail and certificate that said services
were rendered are attached TO said fictic-
ious soucuch, CcItiueu CDpy W0ereOI
forms part Of exhibit A. When said fc-
ticious voucher came to my desk IL was
stopped and payment prevented On the
10th Of January, the day after IL came to
my attention. called upon Mr.. Owen In
writing for an explanation.
On Jan. 20 Mr. Owen responded in writ
Ing. furnishing such explanation which
admits the entire Transaction and gives no
lntimation that he did not then regard the
voucher N still in force. The original
voucher itself IL In the possession of the
with Mr.. Owens approval IN
which fact should he considered
In connection with his subsequent state
ment that At certain stage he had aban-
doned the attempt to get the voucher al
lowed and paid. IL IL left for the proper
authority or tribunal TO decide whether
the transaction In question constitutes q
criminal offense under Section $40, Re
vised Statutes. In any Case the moral
standards and fitness for the responsible
station Of . bureau oficer who Ii capable
OF engaging in such an attempt, and then
submitting such an explanation, are left to
the Judgment Of the secretary
Ever since w II Ovyeu asaums<1 bts ~