Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-05-22
CHURCH CLAIM
BREAKS OUT
IN HOUSE
SENSATIONAL SCENES ENACT
ED WHEN FAMOUS METHOD
IST WAR CLAIMS ARE DIS
CUSSED IN CONGRESS.

CUSSEU IN GUN6hESS.
WASHINGTON, May 2O.-The war claim
matter which lie 30 agitatlng the general
conference Of the Methodist church, south,
now in session at Dallas, broke out in
the house Of representatives last week in
a sensational manner. The bill under dis
cussion was the Washington Gas company
! bill, which Representative Sims, OF Ten
nessee, antagonized. Representative Jen-
kins, of Wisconsin, followed and severely
| criticised Mr.. Sims position, and in the
course OF his remarks used this language:
He (Sims) is only consistent when he is
voting for the M. o. church to rob the
treasury Of the United States"
Upon the conclusion OF Mr.. Jenkins re-
marks Mr. Sims got the floor on a ques-
ton OF privilege and resented bitterly the
| insinuation that he had participated In
| any conspiracy to rob the treasury for
the benefit Of the Methodist church. He
gave a history OF the claim and the repre-
sentauons which were made to him which
/ led him to support the bill. He asserted
that had he known the true status of the
transaction at the time the bill was pend
/ ing he would never have supported II; that
he in common with every member who had
voted for the bill had been misled about it.
Representative John Wesley Gaines, of
the Nashville district, the author of the
Il OAAEAiAdA bAAAf AAACh 6ON the uOOA
unanimous consent and made the follow
ing statement, which was listened to with
deep interest by the house:
IT exceedingly regret that the gentle
| man from Wisconsin (Mr. Jenkins) should
have said of my colleague CMr. Sims) that
/ he is only consistent when he is voting
| for the Methodist church to rob the treas
ury of the United States In explaining
his relation to the passage Of the bill, pro-
/ Vidfnp for the Davnapnt ~ fhia claim nv
colleague states that he based his support
/ of the measure upon information received
from me and from the letter which he has
| just read, written me by Messrs Barbee
| & Smith.
NOW desire to say that the claim is
merltorious, as I will show later on and
which / demonstrated when the matter
was pending in the house. introduced
the bill for its payment which became the
law.
THE information which had in refer
| ence to the payment Of this large fee to
| Major Stahlman was received from
Messrs. Barbee & Smith in person while
the letter they wrote me led me to believe
very naturally that Major Stahlman was
in Washington on other business, which
was the case. / then thought, and still
think, that he would incidentally, or a. a
friend Of the church, aid in the passage
Of this bill.
.''Messrs. Barbee & Smith stated to me
that Stahlman was to receive no compen-
sation for his services and Major Stahl-
man said to me himself and to many 9TH
ers of this house that he was not to receive
one cent for his services
Relying upon this information, II was
natural for me and proper to repel the
charge that this huge fee was to be paid
Major Stahlman. had known Dr. Bafbee
a number of years; he was my neighbor;
| he had been the pastor of the church I at
| tended, officiated at my marriage and at
the burial Of several Of my people while
Mr.. Smith was my Sunday school superin-
tendent.
Il relied implicitly upon what they in
/ person said to me and what they wrote me
In this letter and submit, Mr. Speaker, If
cannot rely upon men of this class, men
whom l knew to be honorable and up
right, upon whom could l rely or should
l rely? When I received this letter from
Messrs. Barbee & Smith, determined to
lay aside. as did, my personal feeling
/ toward Major Stahlman, entertaining as
did no friendly feeling for him He is
distinguished Republican living in my dis
| trct, who had bitterly opposed my election
to congress, as did the newspaper which
he owns, an administration sheet, 1 may
add.
But laid all this aside and did all I
| could honorably for the passage of this
| bill. saw Major Stahlman almost daily.
and we boarded at the same hotel. But at
no time did he tell me that he was to be
paid any fee. / knew he was In Washing
| ton often and thought was then on some
/ railroad business pending in Washington
/ and / naturally believed that his offices
| In the matter were purely as a friend of
/ the church. knew his family were mem
/ bers of the Methodist church at Nash
/ vile and that he AFFILIATED with that
i church and hpnrn he ha
working for the payment of this claim
/ These facts alone. laying aside the letter
of Messrs. Barbee & Smith. naturally led
me to believe that his action in the mat
ter was as friend of the church.
| 81 have given twice a statement of my
| entire history with the passage of this
| bill. did so under oath, once before the
! senate committee and recently in a depo-
| sition. My record I'm the matter, I gladly
| gave the public when called on to do So
/ II is open for every one to read and l. re-
affirm here all that have stated in these
| two statements.
HAD I known that this enormous fee
! was to be paid Major Stahlman or any
one else for lobbying for this claim be-
fore congress I would not have voted for
| the passage Of the bill and I certainly
would not have misled my friends, the
| members of congress. in the manner that
| l did when they asked me If the charge
| that this lee was TO re paid was true and
| I said to them that there was no truth
in the charge. was misled. as you must
| see. and am grieved that m!sled my
friends. members of congress.
/ Now moment as to the merits of the
| claim. The United States army while in
! Nashville used and consumed an immense
amount. about $4,000 worth of property
| of the Methodist Episcopal church south
| the amount paid by congress was S2ss, 900.
| General Clinton D. Fiske said this was
| just claim. Major A. W. Wills. a Repub-
lcan, who was in Nashville at the time
| this property was taken. and who is now,
| and has been several times, the postmas-
| ter at Nashville, espoused this measure
| indeed he was very active in its support
The Hon. John c. Houk, a Republican
| once a member of this house. Endorsed
II. So did Captain J. w. Baker, a leading
| Republican of Nashville, and so have
many other leading Republicans. as well
| as Democrats. The bishops of both
branches Of the Methodist church indors-
ed II. including the colored bishops. could
| give you list as long as my arm of lead
| ing men whose names appear here in
The Record containing the debate of this
bill when pending in the house. The claim
| was absolutely meritorious The history
| of the claim is odious now, because of
/