The Washington herald., 1912-01-14
LEATHER THEFTs'
ONLY SPITE WORK
Evidence of Bitter Feeling
in G. P. o. Shown in Con-
fiicting Testimony.
. MALICE, SAYS SM00T
Congressional PrObers to Call Pub
lie Printer Donnelly to Ex-
plain Irregularities"
MALICE, SAYS SMooT

Denials, unsubstantiated charges. and
evidence OF bitter factional feeling were
the principal results obtained yesterday
afternoon by the Joint Congressional
Committee on Printing, when It resumed
fits hearings on the alleged thefts of
leather from the bindery division of the
Government Printing once. So varied
were the tales of the ten witnesses who
were called upon to testify yesterday that
the committee found itself facing the
necessity Of calling on Public Printer
Donneny, who has previously charged
that the allegations are spite work"
Senator Smoot, Of Utah, chairman OF
the committee; Senator Page, Of Yer
mont; Representative Finley, OF Yer
mont, and Representative Barnhart, Of
South Carolina, were the members Of the
committee who were present at the
hearing. Senator Smoot, who did the
questioning, paused several times dur
ing the testimony and gaZed around, be-
wildered as some witness, who had
charged all kinds Of Irregularities against
an oficlal, frankly admitted that all Of
his information was from hearsay-and
that the official in question had denoted
him for incompetency or some other
reason several months before.
b1NNernCNa Among bInplosC
There seems to be-" said Senator
Smoot at the close Of the hearing, "a de-
cidedly bitter feeling among some OF the
employees. am rot prepared now TO say
what the hearing will develop. But it
can be said that up to this time it has
developed little more than an evidence Of
spite and malice"
This opinion was concurred with by
ri.
members stated unanimously that they
will sift the alleged leather thefts to the
bottom.
But in the face OF the investigation thus
far. they are fairly satisfied that the re-
ports Of the wholesale thefts" have been
exaggerated, and that conditions at the
Government Printing ONCE are not what
Congress has been led to believe. The
remainder Of the witnesses will be called
during the latter part Of the week, proba-
bly, by Thursday or Friday.
1t will not be until a week from to-
morrow that all testimony will be in and
the committee will be ready TO make its
recommendations.
The ten witnesses called yesterday were
Brendan F. Gygan, Charles H. Pintzell.
Briscoe GOodheart, J. P. Van OVermeer.
Archibald Edmundston, Felix Belair,
Thomas B. Penicks, and Harvey Elliott.
These witnesses, with a few exceptions,
made complaints OF irregularities by men
who have been under charges since the
investigation began. They alleged that
the removal Of leather was done with
the tacit consent OF officials higher up"
and that no direct attempt was made
until recently to break up the practice,
although it has been going on for years.
Pinned down as to names and dates,
the witnesses were practically useless IN
most cases. They acknowledged that
41aGfr ~H.Ie~ WNF-
from chance gossip in the corridors. and
they had never followed it to learn its
authenticity.
All members Of the committee stated
positively that stronger and more accu-
rate testimony must develop IL the
charges Of leather thefts are to be taken
seriously.