New-York tribune., 1912-02-08
Solicitor MCCabe, Speaking for
Secretary Wilson, Denies
Them All.
EXPLAINS THE DISMISSALS
Attempt to Besmirch Depart
ment Will Fail, He Says
Committee Resolves to
Make Investigation.
rFrom The Tribune Bureau. /

] to-day formulated plans for an inquiry 'h'o
| the charges of Representative Frank CLARK
of Florida, that Secretary Wilson has aldcd
| in the exploitation Of the drained lands OF
| Florida by suppressing reports lniinlcdl u
| the interests OF the land promoters.
| Chairman Moss announced this afternoon
! that this committee would finally consider
! the charges tomorrow, and would make an
! inquiry. 4 statement issued by the Depart
/ ment of Agriculture indicates that the DEM
| ocratc Investigators have acquired another
| gold brick, and that they are Selling with
! avidity on the complaint Of two dismissed
! employees Of the department,
! .ACcording TO Representative Clark I. u
! Elliott, chief engineer of the drainage d-
! vision, and 4. d. Morehousc, his ssistaht'
were dismissed recently by the department
| because of their refusal to lend themselves
| to scheme TO exploit tho Everglades. In
statement issued by tho department to-
| night with Secretary Wilson's approval
! Solicitor McCabe says
| In A prejudiced. onc-sided statement
| given out by Representative Frank Clark
! OF Florida, on the Everglades controNerSS'
! II is sought to show thst the reason the
| Secretary Of Agriculture suppressed q clr-
! CulaT of Information WlICh had been pre-
! pared by the Office of drainage investga-
| tlons and declined TO plit a complete re-
| port of the drainage work which the de-
| partmcnt had done m the Everglades was
! because the Secretary did not regard the
| circular and reports a 8 sufficiently laNor-
| able TO please the land promoters who were
| operating i'm the clades. In Mr.. Clark
! statement IL is further sought to show that
| the recent dismissal of MeSSrs. Elliott and
| Morehouse, drainage engineers. was lot
| failure TO show sufficient taYors TO IN" iahd
| promoters.
Boih Of these statements are untrue and
| Mr. ClaTk's effort 10 besmirCh the SeCre-
! t2ry of Agriculture will fail. The Secretary
| refused 10 print the report of the work done
! i'm the Elades because not only We're his on
| sineers Mr.. Wright and Mr. Elliott, in ais
! Of the work done by Ine department IN
! the 'gades but Mr. Elliott, without further
| Investigation, radically changed his. posi-
/ tion. and the experts It IL bureau OF PAM
| industry familiar with Florida conditions
| disagreed with both Mr.. Wright ana Mr..
J Elliott
McCabe Explains DismissaIs.
Elliott and Morehouse were dismissed by
| the Secretary of Agriculture because they
! had certified and presented false accounts,
! knowing them to be false on which the
government had paid out money Not only
did they know the accounts were false, but
they procured the persons to make the
false accounts. telling these persons that
they would receive money tor their trouble.
They admit they did this: they concealed
their unlawful acts from their chief, Dr.
4. e. True, and when Dr.. True discovered
the facts he recommended their dismissal.
| The Secretary dismissed them. and as there
was q violation Of law involved, sent all
I OF the facts and papers in his possession
| TO the Attorney General for CertifCaton,
20 the District Attorney for prosecution
and for such other action as the Attorney
General might deem proper.
The department courts the fullest inves-
tgdtion of this matter, and has irrefutable
documentary evidence ready 10 present 10
I in ~ rat n q at
notice which clearly shows that the action
/ OF the Secretary has been proper and con-
! siStcni Throughout. II the time has come
when government employees may procure
men TO prepare false accounts TO secure
| money from the government. without fear
/ Of dismissal or prosecution for their acts
that fact is unknown in ;he Department Of
| Agriculture.
Inquiry Needed, Says Moss.
/ The committee has determined that
! there are circumstances in connection with
f. this case that need thorough investiga-
! ton" said Chairman Moss to-day, "and
we already have decided to subpoena as
! one of the first witnesses J. O. Wright, the
I chief drainage engineer Of the state Of
! Florida. formerly an engineer IN fthe
/ drainage division of the Department OF
/ Agriculture, who made charges against his
! former associate engineers in the depart
I mcnt which resulted in their dismissal
I last Saturday ny order Of Secretary viii
! SON"
The charge against tho dismissed men
/ is that they misapplied an appropriation.
! Congress appropriates a lump sum for the
/ drainage and irrigation divisions Of the
| Department of Agriculture. The heads of
these divisions divide it equally In 1879
tho drainage division lent to the irrigation
! division some Of it's uncXpondcd apprOpra-
| tion, and Elliott discovered soon aftcrwayd
that he was about 1900 short for completion
| Of work under way In North Carolina and
other states Rather than have the work
stop, citizens I'm those states Interested in
the completion OF the projects advanced
tho money, and later were carried on tho
payroll a. employees under the appropria-
tion for next year. With the money thus
obtained tho men who advanced the funds
were reimbursed.
There is possibility that the invcstiga-
ton may develop a row among the mem
bers OF the Florida delegation i'm Congress.
Senators Bryan and Fletcher were in car
nest conference with Chairman Moss this
morning, and Representative Clark has
furnished documents limiting at the interest
of Senator Fletcher in the alleged sup
pressed report Senator'S Fletcher and
Bryan declined to comment on the activity
oil Mr.. Clark.
When NJ. Moss was asked IL the two
Senators would aid in the Investigation he
replied
The Senators have stated that they
would be present at the investigation"
Then Mr. Moss smiled. but would say
nothing more regarding the possible aid 10
be rendered by the Florida Senators.
Elliott and Morehouse the dismissed
drainage bureau employee, this afternoon
engaged Henry e. Davi- former United
states Attorney for tho District OF CoIum.
| bia, 10 act as their counsel. Mr.. Davis was
counsel FOR Dr. Harvey W. Wiley i'm the
recent Wiley McCabe controversy, and his
/ retention will result In considerable scrap
ping when the investigation gets under
way.
Revised by Florida Senator.
I IL was learned to-day that Senate docu.
ment ordered printed last summer relating
to the Everglades did not contain tho re-
port made Icy Wright, as revised by Elliott.
but contained second revision made by
| Wright after he had left the employ of
! the government 10 become Chief Engineer
of the state OF Florida. In a letter 10
Secretary Wilson on November 25 1911
Wright said that in tho revision OF the re-
port he had been aided by Senator Fletcher
The Senate document did not contain the
circular TO the public which II is charged
was suppressed by Secretary Wilson
in his letter 10 Secretary Wilson Wright