Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-26
MR.. LAMONT'S LETTER
Senator Faulkner's Comment on the Action
Of the Secretary Of War.
He Thinks an Unfair Advantage Was
Taken of the FOrd's Theater
Disaster COmmi ssiOn.

There is trouble ahead for the benef-
Charles under the amendment to the gen.
eral deficiency bill which appropriates to
pay the Ford Theater disaster claims. On
the one hand are the claimants who be-
Heve themselves to have been given an
insufficient allowance, and on the other
is the War Department. which seeks to
secure changes in the list of awards by
making representations to the ex-chair-
man of the House appropriations commit
tee. The Senate passed the deficiency bill
yesterday with the Ford Theater claims
substantially untouched, but it was not
known that at that very time Secretary
Lamont's letter to Representative Sayers
was in the latters hands making the Of
fetal complaint that the joint commission
had given tCo much money to certain men
whose names We're mentioned and whose
cases We're set forth in detail. Had this
fact been known yesterday afternoon the
deficiency bill might still DE before the
Senate with the Ford Theater claims
amendment hanging fire.
Comment on MIR. LnmOnt's Action.
The members of the commission today
feel that the Secretary of War has not
dealt fairly with them in thus going over
their heads and making what some CT
them call an ex parte statement in such
manner that it cannot be met by the COM
mission. Senator Faulkner, who reported
the claims to the Senate, said today to
Star reporter: 1T strikes me that ii is
rather unusual, to say the least. that such
an action should have been taken by the
Secretary. He was surely acquainted with
the fact that every particle of evidence
contained in his letter to Mr. Sayers was
before the commission when it considered
these cases. Every fact that his letter sets
forth was before the commission from the
start. There was a statement in the very
words the Secretary now uses in detailing
the cases of these certain people on file
with the commission, and when the cases
were taken up for adjudication, as each
name was called I referred to this docu-
ment, and read to the commission these
statements, which were then weighed as
being part of the evidence before us, and
were given due value for and against The
claimants. So 1 do not see why the Secre-
tary should now go to the House with this
complaint, which reflects upon the COM
mission and presents certain matters as
though they constituted new evidence in
such manner that they cannot be met or
explained.
An Unfair Advantage.
at seems to me that unfair advantage
has been taken of the commission. Last
evening in the Senate there was an effort
made to reopen the cases, and to make
amendments by increasing the allowances
made to certain of the survivors, 1 op-
posed that the ground that the COM
mission had done its work carefully, and
as L thought, we'll We had thoroughly
sifted every case and had reached our con-
cluslonS as to the amounts only after taking
everything into consideration. Were we to
allow ore case to be amended, twenty
Senators would have Immediately demand
ed recognition to increase the awards to
certain individuals, and there is no telling
where the matter would have ended |
take the view that when the Joint commits
sion was created 1t was the intention of
Congress to rely upon it's findings, and
therefore l opposed any effort to amend
It's report in particular instances, just as l
would oppose any effort on the part of the
Secretary of War to cut down the allow
ances.
No Amendment Allowed,
The suggestion was made last evening
during the debate, which was started by
the effort of Mr.. Pugh to increase the all
lowance made to Polk K. Pennington from
$500 to s., 800, that if this effort should sue
ceed it would result in an indefinite pro-
lor CATION CT the consideration of this mat
ter. Mr.. Harris, chairman of the Joint
commission, said that If one case should
others on the list that every one of the
claimants should be given an additional
day In court, and he intimated that there
was no telling when Congress might ad-
DEBATE of considerable sharpness. MIR.
Pughs motion to reopen the Pennington
case was defeated. % to 20.
The deficiency bill having passed both
houses, will now go to conference, but de-
bate on this amendment may occur at the
other end of the Capitol whenever the
conference report is presented. 1t is not
unlikely that the action Of the Secretary
of War may become the subject of discus
sion in beth houses before the session is
ended.