The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1902-05-23

tentiOn, will be in Washington agail
in the next few days. and he will b
glad To talk to you about the matter
With Mr.. Gaines statement corrob
GRATED by the letter he showed m
from Barbee & Smith. the truste,
agents of the Methodist Episcopa
Church South. which said that Mr.
Stahlman was here. and. in connection
with large number of other matters
was giving their matter some atten
ton. | had no doubt of the truth o.
the statement of Mr.. Gaines and Mr.
Stahlman. 1t turned out that Mr.
Stahlman had at that time contrac
from the Book Agents to get So pei
cent of this claim. amounting to ovel
800, 600 If be was worth that much
when giving their matter only "somt
attention, what would his services
have been worth if he had given il
special attention. Therefore | worked
and voted for the passage of that bill,
believing it was honest, and that nc
fee was TO be paid to any living mortal
in behalf of this charitable work.
On the 31st of May, 1898, there APP
peared an item in the Washington Post
that Mr.. Stahlman was to be paid a
fee of 35 per cent of the claim. / did
not believe word OF 1t Butt wrote
the following letter to Messrs. Barbee
& Smith:
Washington, D. G., May 81, 1898.
Messrs Barbee & Smith.
Agents, Nashville, Tenn.
Dear Sirs: Ipclosed find clipping
from the Washington Post, which
speaks for itself. Please give me a
full statement as to the amounts paid
Stahlman or anyone else | want such
The investigation by Congress is
almost certain to follow. II these
rumors are true as to paying Stahl-
man or any number of persons 30 per
cent of tn is claim, every cent of the
1888, 600 ought to be paid back TO the
United States.
No honorable use could have been
made of so large sum in securing
the passage of the bill. This was no
case of an ordinary claim of an indi-
vidual before the Court of Claims in
which large conditional fees are paid,
but it was a sacred trust fund to be
devoted to charitable purposes. Both
Major Stahlman and Colonel Baker
claimed that no commissions or per-
centage of this claim were to be paid
to anyone, and upon that authority
assured many members that the rumor
that had obtained to that effect was
not true. 1t would have been impossi-
BILE to have secured the passage of the
bill had not such assurances been given.
Members were deceived and caused to
vote for the bill in this way. and they
feel that the wrong should be righted |
and the Treasury placed in statu quo.
There is cloud of scandal now hang
ing like black pail over the Dome |
Of the Capitol. hope you will do all |
you can to remove it.
Yours truly,
T. W. SIMS.
/ got no answer for about ten days
about fourteen days. in fact-when
The following letter was received from
Messrs. Barbee q Smith: %
Nashville, Tenn, June 10, 1898.
Hon. T. w. Sims,
Member of Congress, Washington,
}. G.
Sir: Your letter of May 81 came to
land by due course of mail. 1t was
'ouched in such extraordinary language
md contained SO many unwarrantable
nsinuations and demands that we
AVE been debating in our minds
whether or not you were entitled to
my reply whatever; and now that we
re promised an investigation by a
committee of all the
acts relating to the payment of our
lain, we have concluded to refrain
rom saying anything until this in ,
estigation shall have been had.
When the investigation is completed,
7e shall give you such answer as
he facts and circumstances of the {
ase demand. We shall probably do so
t later period whether the investi- s
alton is had or not.
Respectfully,
BARBEE & SMITH, Book Agents.
This is the reply got to the request |
or letter giving the information i
sked for that should go into the G
.ecord. The subsequent letter, that a
MS to follow, has never reached me. |
submit, Mr.. Speaker, to this House, I
lat my letter, written upon the very O
rst intimation had that such fee C
)ntract had been entered into re- Ii
lired in good faith the return of every v
ollar of the appropriation, does not T.
lstify the gentleman in saying that o
| showed my consistency only when a
voted for the Methodist church to rob &
le Treasury Of the United States" d
say to the membership of this House D
lat if l have ever given any other 5
tie on a Methodist church bill, l do d
IT remember it. believe that the d
aim was just and honest, and that it 81
light to have been paid; but rather
an see the church approve such
ethods, l thought it ought to be paid n
Ick.
l want to say, Mr.. Speaker that l
ink the membership of that great
urch are as pure, as good, as honest,
pious as any body of people upon
9 face of this green earth. be-
we that the WIDOWS and orphans
that church to-day would out of
cir mites contribute sufficient fund II
deliver every dollar back to the
easury rather than indirectly profit
the methods which were pursued
order to obtain the passage Of the
II. hope we will never hear OF 90,
is matter again but if the gentleman
,m Wisconsin, who has maze this
II.