Omaha daily bee., 1907-04-04
BINGER HERMANN TESTIFIES
Former Commissioner Of Land ofiOe Tells
Of Life and Work.
ENTERED FEDERAL SERVICE UNDER GRANT
Regrets Loss OF Notes which would
Have shown Contents OF Letters
Destroyed on Leaving
once.

Destroyed on Leaving
once.
WASHINGTON, April 2-BinEer Her
mann, on trial for destroying public rec
rords testified in his own behalf today.
At the suggestion Of his counsel Mr.. Her
mann gave a brief sketch of his career.
He was born in Maryland in 1913, went
to Oregon when he was 49, taught school
and worked on a farm, studied law and
was admitted to the bar In 1886. That
year, he was elected TO the state legis-
lature. In 1871 President Grant appointed
him receiver Of public moneys In the Rose
burg land office. He was elected TO con-
gress in 1884, and served twelve years, until
the election Of Mr.. Mckinley as president.
President Mckinley kindly selected me
or was It unkindly" remarked Mr.. Her
mann, ''as commissioner Of the general
land Office"
After leaving the land office in 1903, Mr..
Hermann said, he had twice been elected
TO congress, his last term expiring March
T. Of this year.
Mr.. Hermann emphasized the fact that
during his public career he took great palms
to travel over his state, and IN these
travels b made many friends. These
friends wpste him many letters and he
had never refused to answer a letter. AS
a consequence, he said that when he went
into the land offioe as commissioner in
1897, he was receiving on an average Of
ten to thirty letters a day, mostly from
his oregon friends
stenOgrapher on stand.
e. P. Hough, who was stenographer in
the land office under Mr.. Hermann cor
roborated Chris Miller as to being present
in Portland restaurant with Mr. Miller
and Rittenhaus when Mr.. Hermann asked
these young men If they had kept their
shorthand note books. He said Mr.. Her
mann's words were:
Il wish you boys had your note books.
then we could show to the world what
was in those letters"
Hough said he did not remember that
Mr.. Hermann made any remarks about
the destroyed letter book at that time.
| AS to this incident, Mr.. Rlttenhaus tes-
titled that only himself and Muller were
present at this interview with Mr. Her
mann, and that Mr.. Hermann asked
infinitely regarding what had been done
with the destroyed letter books and with
the waste paper in his Office.
| Z. II. Cortes, who was a messenger in
/ the land Office during Mr. Hermann's ad-
! mlnistration, testified to finding two or
I three old letter books in a store room Of
| the office. the letter books being those OF
| Senator Carter, who was once a commits
/ soner of the land office.
| Mr.. Hermann then resumed the stand,
| and explained that the first day he took
up his duties as commissioner, he was
brought a letter book marked private
by Mr.. Hough, who had been assigned as
his stenogTapher. 1t was explained to
him, he said, that II was the usual custom
for the commissioner to use a private
letter book for his personal correspondence.
| Mr.. Hermann said that he correspondent
considerably with his family in Oregon
and that he wrote his son, Schiller Her
mann, many letters. He said he had de-
partmental business to transact for his
constituents and Oregon friends in prac-
tically every department and every bu-
reau OF every department OF the govern
ment. He said his mail was always opened
and on his desk when he arrived at the
office and that very frequently he would
find letters relating TO matters in the gen.
eral land Office which required an official
answer among his personal letters. These
letters were always sent to the proper
were written for him to sign.
Wanted to he Senator.
Mr. Hermann admitted in answer to a
question by his attorney that he had had
aspirations to become United States sena.
tor and that he corresponded with many
persons IN Oregon TO keep in constant
touch withN the political situation there
He said his personal correspondence was
increased by the fact that he had writer
pamphlet describing the western bound
airy of the Louisiana purchase and that
he had sent many Of these pamphlets, TO.
gether with Few kindly lines" to his
friends in Oregon and the west REQUESTS
for state maps, information about home
stead entries and letters from persons who
had contracts for surveys, Mr.. Hermann
said, were written to him personally, tc
which he replied personally. II was thil
character of correspondence that wa.
copied in his private letter books Tn,
official correspondence of the land once
Mr.. Hermann explained. originated in tn,
thirteenth division of that office. wher,
the letters were written These letter.
were brought TO him daily for his sigma
ture. They numbered from $50 to $50 ,
day. He said he signed these letters with
out reading. simply looking at the initial
IN the corner, so 10 that they cam,
from the proper individuals In the variou
divisions. During his administration O.
t the land ofice, Mr.. Hermann said, he dix
! not remember having looked into one O.
his personal letter books. The only us
they were put to was to obtain the ad
dress of some correspondent. He said abou
I year before his term expired he notice,
that these private books were increasing
on the shelf very rapidly and that 20,
many unimportant letters were bein,
copied in these books.
Mr. Hermann explained the frequency o
! the visits Of Senator Mitchell by sayin,
} that Oregon seemed to have more Ian,
matters TO attend 10 than almost any othe
state and that Senator Mitchelrs colleague
Senator Mcbride, was physically inoapaoi
tated 70 get around much.