Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-07
THE GIFT TO GEN. WOOD
DISCUSSED IN TESTIMONY GIVEN
BY GEN. BLISS.
Was Admitted Free Of Duty on Mes
sage From the Governors
Palace at Havana.

The Jai Alai gift to Gen. Wood is thor
oughly discussed in ten pages of testimony
given before the Senate committee on mill
tary affairs by Brig. Gen. Tasker H. Bliss,
L. S. A, when he was recalled by the COM
mittee at the request of Senator Hanna.
Gen. Bliss was asked by Senator Hanna
whether the silver service given to Gen.
Wood in 1902, at the time of Its passage
through the custom house, was the property
of an officer of the United States army
Gen. Bliss answered that he so understood
It: that he had received information on the
second day before leaving Havana that
package would arrive there from New
York on the next day for Gen. Wood. and
that 1t would have to be returned on the
steamer on which the baggage OF the OF
ficers and men was being placed. re-
quest had been made that the package
should be FASTENED in its passage through
the custom house.
Senator Hanna inquired from whom the
information came, and was told by Gen.
Bliss that it came by telephone from the
clerks office at the palace of the governor
general. Gen. Bliss said he did not know
whether the package was addressed to Gen.
Wood but was told that it was for him:
that when he learned that package would
be received for the military governor he
had given orders TO facilitate its passage
through the custom house. He said all
laws of the customs service
Senator Foraker asked if Gen. Wood had
anything to do with the order. The wit
ness replied: Not in the least"
II thought you said that the order came
to you from the palace" remarked Senator
Hanna.
Gen. Bliss repeated that he had received
the ge from clerk in his office, who
had received it over the telephone from the
palace. Senator Hanna inquired: And
with whom would that order originator
Received Many Messages.
Cen Bliss resented the term order" and
said it was merely a message such as he
received many times day from persons
desiring to facilitate the passage of aru-
Giles through the custom house. Senator
Hanna inquired if he was to understand
that telephone message purporting to
come from the palace would be obeyed. The
answer was In the negative. The senator
then asked for an explanation, and Gen.
Bliss said:
If any one sent a message that a pack
age would be received there for the military
governor, l had number of trusted en-
ployes, and | would say, If a package ar
rives do not delay, but dispatch that. That
is what l did, and what you would have
done. and what any one would have to do
unless you had stopped the entire business
of the custom house"
Senator Scott asked what course Gen.
Bliss would have taken If he had learned
that the silver service was not the property
of Gen Wood but the property of
firm In the United States which was send
ing ii down there to be submitted as to
whether ii was to be accepted or bought.
Gen. Bliss answered that ii would not have
been admitted free of duty.
Sent to Havana on Condition.
Attention called by Senator Scott to
the testimony of Walliss Chairman, in
which he said the present was sent to Ha-
vdna by a New York jewelry firm on con-
dition that If approved 1t would be bought,
and that after it was admitted it was sold,
the sale being made in Cuba.
Gen. Bliss replied that he had no knowl-
edge of that transaction.
In explanation of his act in admitting the
silver service free of duty Gen Bliss said:
Il have no hesitation in saying that If
had been informed that there was present
coming for the military governor, under the
have made myself obnoxious to the Cuban
people by raising any little points about
the handling of that package In the custom
house"
Further testimony brought out the fact
that as this gift was brought into Cuba
merely for the purpose that ii should be be-
slowed upon Gen. Wood, and was to be al
most Immediately removed to the United
States, the payment of duty could have
been avoided by the filing of bond insur-
ing such payment If the goods were not re-
moved.