Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-02-08
GOVERNMENTAL INVESTIGATIONS
BY Frederic j. Haskin.

departments. Many readers will recall the
time when the house asked for infor-
nation about the relations of men,
bers Of congress with the postofice de-
partment. There was never a more in
dignant set OF men than the members of
the house, when nearly all of them were
embraced in this report. 1t was then
that William Alden Smith made his
sensational speech nominating Uncle Joe
Cannon for president. The house that
now quarrels with Mr.. Cannon applauded
itself hoarse that day.
Few inquiries have attracted such
wide interest as the Schley court of In
quiry. in which it was attempted to set
tie the controversy growing out of the
battle with the Spanish fleet at Santiago.
IT is not too much to say that Admiral
Schley was the popular hero, whatever
may have been the technicalities Of the
case. Senator Rayner, of Maryland was
his principal counsel. The embalmed beef
inquiry after the close Of the Spanish
war, was one of the most important
army Investigations the service has seen.
In passing, one might metnion the work
of the Industrial commission. which is
remembered more for the saying of Hen
that the protective tariff is the mother
of trusts, than for all the other mil
lions of words of testimony it printed.
The report of the commission was at
one time the. most widely quoted au-
thority on industrial conditions in the
country, but its vast volumes seldom are
referred to now.
An important investigation was that of
the New York custom house in 1871. Ches-
ter A. Arthur was then collector. He
was identified with Roscoe Conkling, 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 confirmation as col
lector, the name of a man who has since
become a great factor in American poll
tics-Theodore Roosevelt. Although no
charges were filed against him, he failed
of confirmation. The failure was not
because of the lack OF fitness Of the APP
pointee. but because of the pique of Ros-
coe Conkling. 1t is perhaps the only
time in the history of the country that
one future president Of the United states
was removed from collectorshlp ana an
other failed of confirmation as his sue
cessor This overhauling of the Gus
toms office was almost as thorough as the
one Collector Loeb has been making.
There were perhaps more Investigations
of scandle in the seventies than in any
other decade of American history. me
disputes of the rival governments In
some of the states, as on Louisiana,
led to prolonged inquiries. The troubles
I'm Virginia and Mississippi were made
the subject of congressional investigl-
lions. The greatest of all the scandals
of this period was the Credit Moolher'
I'm which many well known statesmen
were involved. James G. Blaine and the
famous Mulligan letters figured 'in this
affair. Mulligan had BEEN a clerk TO
gentleman with whom Blaine had cor
respondence He secured Blaine's let
tiers. brought them to Washington and
exhibited them. Blaine made an ap-
pointment with him to examine the let
ters 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