Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-25
ATTACKED IN TURN
Prof. Elliott the Object of Strong
Denunciation.
HIS CHARACTER ASSAILED
Various Reports Quoted by Ex-Sena.
tor Faulkner.
THE CASE OF MINISTER PIERCE
Dispute With Messrs. Williams and
Clark Over Propriety Of
His Course.
IE CASE OF MINISTER PIERCE

0lS VOuTSSs
At the resumption before the House ways
and means committee this morning of the
hearing on the Southland fur seal resolu-
ton former Senator Faulkner of West Vir-
ginia, representing the North American
Commercial Company, devoted most of his
time to a denunciation of the character
and motive Of Prof. Henry w. Elliott of
Cleveland, Ohio, who claimed, when before
the committee week or 50 ago. that he
had been the confidential agent of the late
Secretary of State John Hay and who made
charges of perjury, etc, against officials
of the North American Commercial Com
pany.
The hearing was of considerable interest.
The senator became dramatic at times in
his denunciation of Mr.. Elliott, and at one
point Chairman Payne, Representative Dali
zell and the two leading minority members
of the committee, John Sharp Williams Of
Mississippi and Champ Clark of Missouri,
became involved in a discussion of the
morals and ethics involved in the relative
degrees of guilt of former Senator Burton
of Kansas, who is now in prison, and the
former third assistant secretary of state
Mr.. PIERCE, who is now United States min
lister to Norway
Reading from the report of hearing on
the seal question in 1884, Senator j., aulxner
quoted an admission of Prof Elliott that
he at that time was in the employ of the
Alaska Commercial Company as an expert
under salary. and that he was supposed TO
render services as the companys counsel
and adviser
This shows, said Senator Faulkner
that as early as 1884 Elliott was the coun-
sci and advisor of this concern yet he tes-
tined later before the committee that he
was never in the employ of the Alaska
Commercial Company
Extracts From Reports Read.
The senator then read the extract from
the report of Gen. Howard on sealing mat
tiers made in 1876 which contained a num-
Der Of reflections on Mr.. Elliott. The state
ment was made in this report that Elliott
had gone to Alaska first in 1872 as as
ststant to Capt. Bryan. who was in charge
OF the seal islands. Upon HIS return Ell
Holt had published a pamphlet on the hab-
its of the fur seal and had made charges
against Capt. Bryan, who had not been
very pliable so far as the Alaska CONNER
cial Company was concerned. The report
then went on to say that a position had
been created for Elliott and that he had
made report on the fur seal trade which
was full of praise of the Alaska CONNER
cial Company but valueless from any other
point of view.
The senator then read extracts from the
report of VIM. G. Morris. special agent of
the Treasury Department, made in 1873 in
which the writer said that Harper's Maya
zine had been very badly taken in because
1t had published one of Prof. Elliott's arti-
cles, which had had very damaging effect
on Alaska. The Inaccuracies in the article
were due, Mr. Morris thought, to gross and
remarkable ignorance rather than to de-
sign. He spoke of Prof. Elliott as the nat
ural foe of Alaska, and attributed the for
lorn condition of the country then to that
man.
Extracts from the report of the governor
of Alaska in the year 1886 were also read
by the senator. He quoted from the report
to the effect that Elliott had not been in
Alaska for dozen years; that his fox
farm. Of which he has spoken to the COM
mittee, was a myth, and that he was the
paid lobbyist In Washington of the Alaska
Commercial Company, and was always
ready to bob up and give senator's and rep
resentatives all the disinterested informa-
ton they wanted.
The senator then spoke of report made
by Elliott on the management of the seal
islands by the United States, which had
been completed just at the time there was
some difficulty over the seal question be-
tween the United States and Great Britain
He read from the report of Mr. Foster
then Secretary of State, explaining that the
report was so unjust to the United States
so biased, SO valueless, and so Inaccurate
that it had been suppressed.
The report of Mr.. Phelps, another gov
eminent agent, was then quoted by the
invented a theory concerning the effect of
drives upon the virility of fields which
was nothing short of ridiculous.
Concerning Elliotts claim that he had
been a confidential agent of the late John
Hay, Senator Faulkner said he had been
unable to find any records in the State De-
partment tending to show that such was
the case The only record was of the pay
ment of 5000 to Mr.. Elliott for a num-
Der of seal charts. Mr.. Faulkner then told
in detail, Civ dates, etc, of an effort
that had been made by Mr. Elliott to OBJ
tain employment under the State Depart
ment, and of Mr.. Ellotts offer to get an
appropriation through Congress OF of
which he might be p..-d. Mr.. Hay refused
but after Congress had subsequently passed
two appropriations in connection with the
seal matter Mr.. Elliott had gone to the
State Department and declared that he
the money, and that, therefore, he should
be employed.
Minister Peirce's Case.
Referring to the charge made by Prof.
Elliott against Mr.. PIERCE, then third assist
ant secretary of state, Senator Faulkner
said that it was not his duty to defend
Peirce except in so far as the North Ameri-
can Commercial Company was concerned.
But he insisted that what Mr.. PIERCE did
was in the usual course of business of the
State Department. He contended that II
was quite usual for a government officer
detailed to press claim of United States
citizen before an arbtra ton tribunal to re-
ceive pay for his services from the claimant.
Representatives Clark and Williams in
terrupted the speaker at this point with
expressions of amaZement
DO you mean to say cried Mr. Will
liams that that Is the usual custom?'
Mr.. Faulkner replied that that was his
understanding of it, and discussion among
committee members followed. in the course
of which Mr.. Clark remarked that poor
Senator Burton was in Jail for doing moth
ing worse than what PIERCE did
Senator Faulkner then quoted from a let
ter written by Vice President Fairbanks
when chairman of the joint high commits
sion, which stated that Prof. Elliott was
IAN impossible person not qualified by
character or reputation" to do the work in
connection with the field investigation