The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-02-28
MORGAN CORNERS CROMWELL;
 HOT TIMES BEFORE COMMITTEE

needed it. My clients are satisfied. Were the payments for professional services only?" asked MT. Morgan. For professional services, office ex- penses and matters connected with their | business. I remember I employed an | engineer"
 What was his nameT' interrupted
 the Senator.
 "E. A. Corthell'
 Had Looked for Corthcil. | "Corthell. eh? I have been expecting he would break in here somewhere" "
 said Mir. Morgan.
 He is a very excellent engineer" be- gan the witness, but he was stopped by MT. Morgan. who said sharply: We are not asking you for eulogies on this man."
 Continuing his inquiry, Mir Morgan asked the witness what money he had | in his control which belongs to the Re- public of Panama. Mir. Cromwell yes- terday detailed statement concerning his appointment as fiscal commissioner for Panama, and the investment in New York securities of about $6.000, ,o00 which was set aside by the republic as a trust fund.
 MT. Morgan, seeming to question the wisdom of the investment, Senator | Knox asked Mir. Cromwell if it was not true that the United States, feeling a
  public, had advised the investment of this money In securities equal to those authorized for investments of savings banks under the laws of New York. That IS absolutely true.'' said Mir. Cromwell. Tt was you and the people of the United States who advised me to make this Investment" | T did not intend to bring out this | fact said Mir. Knox.
 aArA unrf Vpdar hand dRcaI conn =
 missioner" asked Mir. Morgan. 1 '"The Panama republic does not feel I 1t necessary to put me under bond. I hope you do not" replied Mir. cron- we'll
 T don't" said the Senator q don't l think 1t would do any good if did" Declined CompensatiOn. The witness then said he had de- clined compensation from the republic | of Panama, but that his firm had re- ceived about $26,000 through the tnves- | tIgation of titles to property in which l the republic had invested. These pay ments. he said, were made by the own
 CTS of the property.
 He was asked to describe the reia- tions between this Government and ]. P. | Morgan 6 Co, by which the S40.000.-
 900 paid for the French interests on l the isthmus was deposited in the lat ter's banking house. and in doing so. referred to the former Attorney-General | (Senator Knox1 in sending Mir. Day and Mir. Russell of the Department of Jus
 tice to Paris. MT. Knox interrupted. saying:
 T object to the witness answering that question"
 He looked directly at Mir. Morgan and continued: T take the responsibil- ity for that action. I will answer the question if you Care to put me on the stand"
 .TII put you on the stand If you de- -zsge tt, sNinterrupted MT. Morgan.
 tf'I don't" eaid Mir. Knox. "but as am resp6hsible fer the matter don't care to Nave another witness interrogated concerning it."
 Mir. Morgan explained that his in- tention had been to bring out agstate- i ment from the witness as to the neces- | sity of sending the money to Paris in- ] stead of paying for the property by Government warrant
 MT. Knox said he had no objection to the examination of the witness on that
 subject and the inquiry along these lines continued until recess. DistributiOn of &40,00O,0Oo. 1 At the afternoon session of the com l niittee Mir Cromwell testified concern | ing the distribution of the $40,000, ,000 l paid by the United States to the French 1 company and of the claims of Colombia 1 for payments on stock held by that Government to the value of S,5oO,oOO 1 francs.
 l Mir. Cromwell said that the French l Government under its taxing system
 had impounded that stock. MT. Nor r gan insisted upon full and complete | answers to all questions relating to | these suits, but MT. CromwelPs reply was that he was only the counsel for Nv, kAr 1 States and not in France. Several
 times he could not answer the ques- tions. as he had no knowledge of tho | subject.
 Senator Kittredge came to his res 1 cue by asking Senator Morgan how the
 inquiry was material and whether he | claimed the United States had bought | the stock in the Panama Canal Com | pany. Mir. Morgan ignored his col- | league
 | Under protest, MT. Cromwell explain l ed at length the procedure under which | the directors of the Panama Railroad
 were qualified to serve after the sale | of she property to the United States | He said that an arrangement was ent- cred into with each of the thirteen di- | rectors by which one share each was l made over by the United States upon
 small payments 10 legalize the trans 1 action but that these shares were held l by the Treasurer of the United States | and the Government has the right to | demand their surrender in name as well l as in fact at any time. 1 MT. Morgan asked a score or more | questions conceraing the appointment | of Roger L. Farnham as director of l the road but Mir Cromwell insisted l that the appointment had been made | by the Secretary of War and that he
 had not suggested 1t to the Secretary. During this inquiry Mir. Morgan said:
 "oh. come you must not dodge"
 Cromwell Denies DOdGing.
 Senator, you must change your
 terna to me-" said MT. Cromwell. T
 have not lodged anything"
 You have. You have done little
 elee." said MT. Morgan.
 Mir. Morgan again took up the sub | 1ect of Mir. Cromwell's services to the
 new Panama Canal Company and what
 he had done to earn the $200,000 he
 sail he had received After refusing
 to answer questions put to him in a
 variety of forms. all bearing on the
 same subject, Mir. Cromwell said that
 he did not think the committee has the power to go into the subject.
 Don't judge for the committee.
 do not judge for it," said Senator Nor l gan. eve will test elsewhere whether
 this inquiry Is worth while"
 T am willing to test it any time
 you choose challenged the witness in 1 reply.
 This procedure continued for an
 hour or more. Finally Mir. Morgan l said: Your attitude Is so unusua
 that l feel like getting to the bottom
 of it. Do you think you had the righ | to address the President of the United | States, the Secretary of State and tn, l Chairman of the House Con1mftfaa ar