The evening times., 1899-01-24
GENERAL WASHINGTON
NEWS AND GOSSIP.

Mr.. Edmunds and His Fee.-Former
Senator George r. Edmunds' fee for re-
viewing the papers in the case of Captain
Carter is understood to have been $1,000.
This would ordinarily come out of the
Secret Service fund which is at the dis
posaI OF every President. 1t is said, how
ever. that Mr.. Edmunds has not been paid
up to date and he. is getting somewhat
impatient at the delay, but of course It
does not account for Mr.. Edmunds ac-
tiyity among the ranks of the anti-ex-
pansionists. The disbursement of the
Executive Secret Service fund is wholly
within the discretion of the President and
he may regard Mr.. Edmunds' charge az
too high. TO good many people it will.
seem like rubbing sin on Unc.e Sam to
compel him to pay 5000 or any sum of
money to discover "technicality" by
which a man who has Sbden convicted by
a unanimous verdict of a court martial,
may escape the penalty of his crime. If
any one pays Mr. Edmunds, it Is argued,
1t ought to be Captain Carter or some OF
his influential friends, certainly not the
Government The Carter lease has already,
it is estimated, cost yncie Sam over $780,.
00e. In some instances Uncle Sam would
seem to be long suffering individual.
Carter and River and HarbOr APP
propriatiOns.-The river and harbor bill
will come up for consideration in the
House next week. tt will provide for an
appropriation of more than 0,000, 900 to
be expended during the next fiscal year up
on the rivers and harbors of the United
States. Somehow the river and harbor ap-
preparation bill has always been under a
ban; it has been the favorite vehicle for
almost every Congressional job and steal
This year it is a particular object of sus-
picion, and justly SO, in view of the reye-
lations brought out at the court-martial
| Of Captain Carter. Captain Carter had
| charge OF the disbursement of Government
| money for harbor improvements in and
| round Savannah, Ga, for about eight
years. At his trial his counsel pleaded the
| statute of limitation for the first six years
| of his work at Savannah, and this was al
! lowed.
! 1t was shown, however, that Carter got
away with about $1600, 600 wrongfully
| during the two years to which the statute
OF limitation does not apply, or at the
rate of $500, 900 year. There is no reason
/ TO believe that Carter was any more modest
in his stealings at the beginning, so it is
| fair to presume that the amount of his
shortage" was somewhere in the neigh
borhood of $4,000. 900. The question of
Captain Carters guilt is hardly open 10
doubt. The court martial that tried him
| was composed of thirteen officers OF the
highest standing in the service. Their
verdict of guilty" was unanimous, which
was in itself quite unusual. The sentence
was dismissal from the army, fine OF
$1,000. and Imprisonment at hard labor for
a period of ten years. This sentence has
never been carried out, as everybody
knows Powerful influences have shielded
Carter from punishment up to the presen
time He is still drawing his pay as cap
tain il the army. But what interests GER
tain members of the House at the presen
juncture is not SO much what may b'
Captain Carter's fate ultimately, but th'
system under which such gigantic steal
ing could go on for years without being
detected. They would like TO have som,
information upon this subject, believing
! that il would be both timely and appropr
ate. A resolution. it is said, will be OF
fered in the House, calling upon the Pres
ident to furnish all the papers in tn
Carter case for the information OF tn
House.
Speaking on this subject leading Rep
resentative said today: Il think that il Il
only fair and proper that before Congress
is asked to make another appropriation o
millions of dollars for river and harbo
Improvements we should be informe,
under what system the money appropriate
eu IN tne past was spent In
testimony and papers in the Car
ter case ought to throw som
light on the case. AS the matter stand
: the entire engineer force of the War De
: partment is under cloud. Who know
! but there. may be other Carriers al Ger
tainly hope not but for the good name o
the Administration the system unde
which Captain Carter could thrive ough
to be overhauled. When we get all >th
facts relating to the Carter case in ou
possession we, will be in a position TO ac
, intelligently and to throw some restric
tions round the future expenditure of pub
lie money for river and harbor improve
ments. Unless this information is forth
coming do not believe that there will
any river and harbor bill passed at thi
session