The San Francisco call., 1895-10-13
Claim That the CoIner Was
Asked to Commit a
MalfeaSanCe.
THE sUPERINTENDENTs SIDE.
He Says That the Congressman Is
Mad and That His Accusa-
tions Are "Lies."

1doo ycSICIudy. Although uc tOOh tAio
trip for the purpose of stumping the State
of Delaware in the interest of the single
tax advocates, what gives it the most local
interest was his filing of charges against
John Daggett, Superintendent of the
Mint, with the Secretary of the Treasury
in Washington. Mr.. Mcguire, in an inter
view yesterday, went into detail as to some
OF the charges and brought up some inter-
estlng new ones in connection with the
relations between Mr.. Daggett and Mr..
SPOTS. the coiner of the Mint, claiming
that Mr.. Daggett attempted to induce Mr..
SPOTS to commit malfeasance in office.
DaggetJ was also interviewed yesterday,
and declares that Mr.. Mcguire is mad.
Mr.. Mcguire, in response to questions
about the charges, said:
"In regard to the charges which pre-
sented to the Treasury Department against
Mr.. Daggett I have very little to add to
what was said to the representative of THE
CALL in Washington. Mr.. Daggett very
naturally flies to the assertion that my
attack upon him arises solely out of his
failure to satisfy me with patronage. l
desire to say at the outset that that is un-
true and that I do not expect to either
lose or gain patronage by his removal or
retention. / have simply, as public rep
resentative, brought to the attention of the
attention of the government at Washing
ton charges of official misconduct on the
part of Mr.. Daggett which have been mat
ters OF general notoriety and public scan
dal for long time, and which from the
facts within my knowledge I believe to be
true.
'If the administration, after investiga-
ton, shall be willing to uphold Mr.. Dag
gett it will be a matter of no concern what
ever to me. L will present to the repre-
sentative of the Treasury Department who
will investigate the matter the facts within
my knowledge and the sources of my in
formation. My duty and my connection
with the case will end there.
eff the administration can uphold him
in the face of the showing that will be
made l will be content to let the response
bility rest with the administration.
GAS to the principal charges, namely
that Mr.. Daggett has willfully neglected
his duty as Superintendent of the Mint for
more than half of the time during the last
eighteen months, and has given his time
and attention when absent from the Mint
to his private business; that he has traded
places and contracts in the Mint for votes
in the Legislature for the furtherance of his
private ends and interests, they have ell
been practically admitted by Mr.. Daggett
in forms that it will be extremely difficult
for him to explain away.
"As 10 the charge that he has sold
worthless mining stock in which he was
interested to employees under him in the
Mint, and that the latter purchased the
stock, which had no standing in any stock
market in the world, solely upon the
theory that their places in the Mint would
be safer if they purchased the stock than If
they did not, this is shown sufficiently to
justify the severest condemnation by Mr..
Daggett's own statements.
1.-THE public records show that the Santa
Rosalie Mining Company was organized
by John Daggett and six other men. most
of them officers in the United States Mint
under Daggett, on the 4th of Septem ber,
1894, for the purpose of doing a general
mining business in the republic of Mex
leo. It's capital stock is divided into 1O0,-
600 shares of the par value of 81 each,
which in the parlance of mining sharps
brings them within the reach of ALL
'Mr. Daggett found it necessary to make
a public statement concerning this matter
on the 14th of April last, in which he ad-
mits his participation in the organization
of the company in question and the sale Of
stock to employees in the Mint, but he
calmly assures the public that the pur-
chases made by the employees in the Mint
were purely voluntary, and that they were
not sufficient in amount to be worth dis
cussing. Y ct in the same statement he
admits that after the 18th Of December and
prior to the interview $2400 had been col
lected of employees in the Mint upon such
subscriptions.
"Of course it is easy to say that the SUBJ
scriptions made by the Mint employees TO
the stock of Mr.. Daggett's company were
purely voluntary. I have no doubt but
that upon the suggestion of Mr.. Daggett
or his representatives that he had such
stock for sale there would be- especially on
the part of the employees who regarded
their positions as none too sure, purely
voluntary rush to secure enough of the
stock to make them solid with the chief
promoter OF the company, who incidentally
had the power to remove them from their
places in the public service
Assuming Mr.. Daggett's statement con-
cernlng this matter to be entirely true,
and that nothing more could be proved
against him in the matter, it would be ex-
tremely DANGEROUS to give that cour Sc of
business on the part Of public officer
controlling the employment and discharge
OF 200 employees of the Federal Govern
ment the sanction of the approval of the
PRESIDENT OF the United States.
IF the conduct of Mr.. Daggett, as stated
by himself, can be approved, then it will
be In order for the Director of MINIS or for
the Superintendent of the branch Mint at
Philadelphia to organize corporation for
the purpose of general treasure hunting
and particularly for the recovery of the
lost treasures secreted by Captain Kidd, and
sell the stock to such employees under his
control as may voluntarily purchase.
There is another serious matter con-
cernlng Mr.. Daggett's conduct, which has
not been published, and which see no
present objection to stating, and that is,
that In his foolish effort to create politi-
cal machine, absolutely under his domin-
ION, IN the Mint. he has persistently, from
the time of Mr. SDott's appointment as