Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-09
GOVERNMENTAL INVESTIGATIONS
Bv Frederic j. Haskin

is the mother of trusts, than for all the
other millions of words of testimony
it printed. The report of the commits
sion was at one time the most widely
quoted authority on industrial condi-
tions in the country, but its vast
volumes seldom are referred to now.
An important investigation was that
of the New York custom house in 1877.
Chester A. Arthur was then collector.
He was identified with Roscoe Conls-
ling, and President Hayes wanted to
remove him. Conkling fought it tooth
and nail, but Arthur was forced out,
Hayes then sent to the senate for con-
firmation as collector the name of a
man who has since become a great
factor in American poltics-Theodore
Roosevelt. Although no charges were
filed against him, he failed of confirma-
tion. The failure was not because of
the lack of fitness of the appointee,
but because Of the pique of Roscoe
Conkling. 1t is perhaps the only time
in the history of the country that one
future president of the United States
was removed from a Collectorship and
another failed of confirmation as his
successor. This oVerhauling of the
customs office was almost as thorough
as the one Collector Loeb has been
making.
There were perhaps more investiga-
tions of scandals in the '70s than in
any other decade of American history.
The disputes of the rival governments
in some of the states, as in Louisiana.
led to prolonged inquiries. The trou-
bles in Virginia and Mississippi were
made the subject of congressional in
vestigations. The greatest of all the
scandals of this period was the Credit
Mobilier, in which many well-known
statesmen were involved James G.
Blaine and the famous Mulltgan let
ters figured In this affair. Mulligan
had been clerk to gentleman with
whom Blaine had correspondence. He
secured Blaine's letters, brought them
to Washington and exhibited them.
Blaine made an appointment with him
to examine the letters. Thinking the
Maine statesman was acting in good
faith, Mulligan showed them to him.
Blaine promptly put them in his
pocket and announced that no power
under heaven could force him to give
them up. He afterward did offer to
make them public, but Mulligan al
ways declared that Blaine kept, back
the really incriminating ones. A pro-
longed examination of the Credit
Mobilier affair was made in congress,
but only two of its members were
recommended for expulsion.
Other famous investigations of this
period were those dealing with the
whisky frauds, the quartermasters s
claims the ship subsidy scandal, the
Tilden cipher messages, the Star
Route cases, the public land frauds
and the railroad Hobbies. 1t was in one
of these cases that Senator Hoar, tnen
almost a new member, declared that
every step Of the building of the
Union Pacific railroad from its incep-
ton to Its completion, had been
STEPPED in fraud.
The house of representatives proud.
" styles itself the grand inquest or
the nation, and very early in its life
began to assert it's right to make In
uuiries of whomsoeVer 1t pleased. The
first instance was when charges We're
brought against Gen. st. Clair in 1872
while washington was yet president
The house at first asserted Its right TO
investigate an army officer, but after
ward decided that as matter OF
courtesy to the president 1t Would
waive its right and let him make the
investigation.
In 1926 John C. Calhoun was under
the charge of having prohted by a
| corrupt deal with contractor wnlle
| he was secretary of war. lie askea
the house to make an inquiry into the
matter and he was exonerated. Heilry
| CLAW also fell under the ban or the
scandal monger at one time and asked
congress to investigate him. lie, TOO,
was cleared of the insinuations against
his character. .u+,
In 1887 the house wanted to investi.
gate Andrew Jackson, but 1t was not
long in finding out that it had caught
| a Tartar in Old Hickory. The hero OF
New orleans thought that the execu-s
five had an authority equal TO thaC OIL
congress, and he did not propose TO
have the legislative end OF the estao5 al :,
iishment investigate the executive emu l
| unlss it was for purposes of impeach-- :
ment. He replied as politely as ms
resolute would f%eI aonId permt go 'nt to
;nde. with their probes" The story
Of Of the the inquiries that have been made
by the government might 1d be Sesn son5ne1s dnle9s
80 80 irvestisations that were as full OF
inportance and significance in their
time as the Ballinger-Pinch prone Is
| today.
Touorrow-The New Orleans Carnlyal.