Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-07-31

pdSseu upon. when any contract III
volving money is to be drawn the So
licitor draws it. When an opinion con-
corning matters of tariff or revenue is
desired the solicitor prepares and sub
mits 1t.
Statistics of Cases.
The number of cases commenced by
the solicitor during the year 1901 was
3,247. OF these 2,1S3 were decided in
favor Of the United 81 ates; 10 ad-
versely, 262 settled ond 1S9 still pend
ing. The whole number decided or
otherwise disposed of during the year
was 1899. during the year 2,7SS con-
tracts, bonds, etc. were examined and
passed by the solicitor and thus far it
appears that no court has decided one
of them faulty.
Twelve suits on postmasters' bonds
were brought in Iowa during the year,
involving judgments of $646, all decid-
ed in favor of the United States. Total
collections on this account in Iowa, ST.
1926.
Nine miscellaneous suits were
brought, aggregating S22,442. Eight
We're decided in favor of the United
States, the judgments amounting to
$1,946, but only $S4.60 was collected.
The total business arising from
suits in charge of the solicitor, in
which Iowa was interested. was as fol-
| lows. Number of suits, %, of which
90 were decided in favor of the Unit
ed States. Total judgments in favor
of the United States, 1882; amount
actually collected, S1,227.25. No cases
were dismissed or settled and only one
case is pending. Total collections from
all sources in the United States under
this bureau, S21s,OO3.99, being about
one-third of the judgments.
Washington, D. c., July 30.-It may
be interesting to Iowa people to know
that the alleged interview with Sec
rotary Shaw, in which the latter was
represented as having declared against
a longer term of governmental service
than five years, was a clear case of
what is known in slang parlance as a
pipe dream"
In the first place the secretary had
no interview with the reporter who
wrote the story. He had expressed no
such sentiments to anybody. From
beginning TO end the tale was fab.
rication; a product of imagination en-.
tirely. There was not even the rib
of skeleton about which to build
the form of the story. The reporter
did not even make an effort to guess
what Secretary Shaw might propose
to do or what his views were. He
merely attempted sensation and sue
ceeded admirably.
|
The fact of the matter is that Sec,
| rotary Shaw had been absent from
: Washington nearly week when thi.
! alleged interview appeared. The first
: intimation he had that he had been
interviewed upon this subject or that
he entertained such views was when
he read in Boston paper that he had
!, declared that at the expiration of foul
of five years of service CLERK or head
F of a division had outlived his useful
ness as a public servant.
Now, l happen to know the inside
of that episode and as it directly con
/ Germs an Iowa man and a high of
! fetal of the governmental cabinet of
!. ficer-it will not be without interes
: and may not be without profit
t The story appeared in the Washing
t ton Times. TIL Tins is not mem
3 Der of the Associated Press but de
4 ponds upon the New York Sun new.
service. The Sun employs a numbe1
of reporters in its Washington bureau
and one of them docs" the treasury
: The day preceding the appearance O
the interview was exceedingly hot ant
: and newsless. The Sun man had beer
;, unable to connect with anything goot
= and in the absence of real news go
!, out his pipe.
S Story Appears Next Morning.
= The story of Secretary Shaw's pur
! pose was dashed off and turned in t,
= the Sun. The Washington Times go
= copies of all local Washington stories
!. and of course this interview went t,
! the Times along with other matter
!. Coming from a reputable quarter ant
a having the ear-marks of a bona-fid
+ interview, and being sensational, tn
: Times did not take the trouble to yer
a ify the statements or even inquire cor
: corning the views credited to Secretar
Shaw. And so the next morning tn
story appeared under a double scare
: head.
! Washington Stirred Up.
3 Very naturally the story stirred u
) Washington as it has not been stirre
/ in many day, and the day was to
l considerable extent given up to dis
J. cussion of the story and to probabi
6 tiles.
$ From time to time officials drifte
Q into the secretary's office, and the MAJ
!. ter was mentioned to Mr.. Armstrong
s private secretary to Secretary Shaw
: Mr.. Armstrong emphatically denied tn
! authenticity of the interview and al
! surred all callers that the secretar
!. entertained views Numerically opp,
site those expressed in the newspape
O interview.
. During the entire day and for SUI
2 ceeding days the telephone bell ran
a every few minutes and inquiry woul
q be made as to the newspaper stor
;, and "how much is there in it,"
e Regular Times Man Appears.
During the afternoon the regula
= Times man who looks after treasur
i news happened in and when interr
y gated as to the story and asked to civ
" 1 7