The Washington herald., 1911-06-14

payment to Frederick Hale. son OF
| former Senator Hale, of Maine, of S. .00C
from the Canadian boundary settlement
fund on no other authority than Mr..
Knox's 20. K?' on a slip of paper
pinned to an unsigned voucher.
This voucher bears only the signature
of Mr.. Hale, showing that he received
the money, the two places where the
official signatures are customarily placed
being vacant The slip bearing Mr..
Knox's 20. K" contains Mr.. Hale's ex-
pense account and compensation ag-
Gregating $6,1S2.So. There is a discount
OF s1,1S2 80, and Mr.. Hale received the
balance. =
The committee also wants to know
what this discount means. Senator Hale
was chairman of the powerful Appro-
priations Committee of the Senate when
the estiantes of DR.. Tittman for the
Canadian boundary fund were increased
5000 without his knowledge.
Mr.. Morrison, in the course Of his
examination, produced the voucher which
purported to be for the payment Of
5000 to Frederick Hale for services in
connection with the Passamaquoddy Bay
controversy. This was the only trans
action in connection with the boundary
fund in which Mr.. Morrison had acted
ments having been made through the
office of DR.. Tittman, superintendent of
the Coast and Geodetic Survey, who, as
boundary commissioner, estimated for
and has charge of the disbursements
from the fund. Mr.. Morrison said he
had made the payment under direction
of Secretary of State Knox in June, 1909
Tittman Kept In Dark.
DIR. Tittman, who was called to the
stand, testified that he knew nothing of
the work supposed to have been done by
Mr.. Hale; that he had never met Mr..
Hale or seen any of the maps and charts
enumerated in the latter's expense ac-
count, and that the first intimation he
had of the employment of Mr.. Hale was
when he discovered that the boundary
fund contained $500 more than the es-
Inmates he had sent to the Secretary of
State called for. Later, he said, he
found out that the extra 5000 had been
paid out by Mr.. Knox's direction to Mr..
Hale. In the expense account attached
to the unsigned voucher, several trips to
Washington were charged for. DR.. Tit
man said he had not seen Mr.. Hale on
any Of these trips.
The voucher upon which 5000 was
paid to Mr.. Hale was examined by the
committee. II was not signed. Mr.. Nor
rison, when the committee expressed sur
prise at this, called attention to the at
tached expense account of Mr.. Hale
which was approved by Mr. Knox
The committee still expressed surprise,
however, that the voucher was not
signed; that the mark of approval was
pinned to It, and that apparently all the
legal forms and accounting precautions
had been ignored.
Department Issues Statement.
A statement issued last night by the
State Department said in regard to the
Day voucher:
To-day, before Mr.. Morrison's exam
nation, Secretary Knox sent word to
Chairman Hamlin that the voucher had
been found; that he had practically COM |
pleted his investigation. and Hthat he
wished in day or two to communicate |
the results to the committee"
In regard to the payment to Hale, the |
department says that 1t was simple and |
usual and along the lines of the appro- |
priation covering the definition Of the |
Canadian boundary. in connection with
which Mr.. Hale had been employed upon
4 phase with which DR.. Tittman had
nothing to do
The statement adds: with regard to
published criticisms Of the methods of
keeping accounts, steps for their improve
nent have long since been taken, and |
low regulations have already been issued |
undermining the methods that |
nave long been recognized to be unbusi- |
lesslike." /