The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1905-02-01
GOVERNOR BECKHAM
MAKES final REPLY TO SENATOR BLACKBURN

at uemagOglc uecepJlOn nave ever
known is the effort of the Senator
TO lead the people to believe that
he first by letter called my atten-
tion to the large war claim collect
ed by Capt. Calhoun, and amount
ing to $l,324,000. The boIdness
OF his assertion about this is so
amazing that l am surprised at it..
Senator Blackburn never gave me
any information about this large
claim, and the letter above copied
is the only one he or his firm ever
sent me about it, and that was
written after Capt. Calhoun had
been employed. He says (see his
statement) that he wrote me about
.ss var claim that IL IL was
probably the first 1 ever heard Of
it; that he recommended that his
friend, John b, Thompson, be en-
powered to collect it, and that Mr..
Thompson told him he would take
the contract for $4,000, In the
spring of 1900, shortly after / be-
cane Governor, / did receive let
/ Ger from Senator DisckDurn about
a certain claim of the State, amount
ing to about $50, 900, and asking
that Mr.. Thompson be employed to
collect it. l referred the letter to
the Attorney General. That claim
has never yet been collected, and is
upon an entirely different basis
from those collected by Capt. Cal
houn. But to show the facts about
it, here is the statement of the Hon
Glenn j. Whittemore, who at that
time was the Assistant Attorney
General under Judge Breckenridge /:
Frankfort, KY, Jan. 20, 1905
Gov. ]. c.. w. Beckham, Frankfort,
Ky.-Dear Sir: Replying to your
request of the 18th inst, asking
me to furnish you a statement of
of the circumstances leading up to
I the employment of Morrison Brock
inridge, of Danville, and myself as
attorneys to collect a certain war
claim against the United States
Government growing out of the
late Civil War, will say that let
ter received by you from Senator j.
c. S. Blackburn some time in the
spring of 1900 requesting you to
employ Mr.. Thompson to collect
said claim was referred to the At
torney General. Upon the request
and recommendation of the Attorn-
ey General, Judge Breckenridge,
you gave US the employment under
the following contract:
Frankfort. KY, June 10, 1900
Glen j. Whittemore, of Mayfeld
KY, and Morrison Breckenridge, OF
DanvIile, KY. are hereby employed
to represent and act as agents, at
torneys at law and attorneys in fact
for the State of Kentucky, and to
prosecute and collect for said State
a certain claim against the United
States Government growing out OF
the late Civil War. and now on file
in the Treasury Department and
set forth in Senate document No
rs, first session of the Fifty-fourth
Congress, and it is agreed for all
services rendered relative thereto
they shall be paid as fees for such
services 10 per cent. of any amount
received and collected; provided
however, If nothing is collected
nothing shall be paid, for expenses
or otherwise.
81. c. w. BECKHAM, Governor. y
This claim was for money ex-
pended in the equipment of soldiers
during the Civil War who were
never called into actual service and
is connected in no way with the
claim collected by Capt. G. c. Cal.
houn. At the time this employ
ment was made Morrison Breckin
ridge and myself were assistants in
the Attorney Generals office, and
the only compensation received by
us for our services were derived
from the collection (under contract
of claims due the Commonwealth.
The Civil War Claims, amounting
to something less than $40, 900, has
not been collected, because spec-