The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-15
|SenatOr-Elect Phelan Gre ates Sensation in Inquiry Into Fitness of Sullivan as
 Minister
LETTER SHOWS BRYAN'S OPINION
 OF MINISTER HIGH
Wrote to Receiver General lnquiring Into Choice Positions for Deserving Democrats"

New York, January i4-Assrrtions that changes made by the present Washington administration in the per- sonnel Of this governments officials in the Dominican republic were duo to the influence of interests seeking to exploit thnt couptry's finances were made today at the inquiry conducted by Senator-eIect Pheinn of California to determine whether James NJ. suiIi- van, the American minister, Is fit to hold his post
 Secretary of State Bryan was accused | of lending ear in appointing Sullivan to the Samuel M Jarvis coterie of New York |tinanciers who controlled the Baneo Ma cional at Santo Domingo. This insti- tuition was alleged to have been an in- stitution without standing on the island, and which sought to obtain the deposit of customs duties, whose collection is ad- ministered by the United States and other government funds.
 William E. Pulliam, receiver-g general of of the customs at Santo Domingo during
 
 J. R. Mitchell president of the Banco Nacional, had published in a Dominican newspaper that W. T. s. Doyle. head of he departm of Latin American affairs in the state department. had been removed Dn complaint of Mitchell, and that Mitch el subsequently had said to him I told you so. There'u be several other changes and they'll extend to Santo Domingo" In June, 1913, Mitchell came to him apa ha Saf fold him sell, American minister under Taft, was Inot returning.
 He told me- the witness testified. that if were a good guesse, he'd tell ne the name of the next minister It ends with an n he said.
 Bryan's Opinion
 That Secretary Bryan at that time had h high opinion of Sullivan was evidenced by letter placed on the record today by Walker w. Wick, who succeeded Pulliam as receiver general, and who after his removal, instigated the present investi- yation.
 The letter, addressed to Wick under date Ipf August 20, 1913, read:
 Now that you have arrived, and have Acquainted yourself with the situation, can you let me know what positions you tlave at your disposal with which to eward deserving democrats? Whenever NOu ueSif6 d SuSSeSDOn rom me In re- gard to man for any place down there .all on me.
 You have had enough experience in politics to know how valuable workers are when the campaign is on and how dif- icult it is to find suitable rewards for he deserving. l do not known to what fxtent a knowledge of the Spanish lan- suage is necessary for employees. Let me know what is requisite, together with the a if1ff a,,tc l. alt- to be made Sullivan will be down before ong, and you and he together ought to pc able to bring about such reform as may oe necessary there. You will find Sulli- 'an strong, courageous, reliable fellow. rhe more l have seen of him the better satisfed l am that he will fit into the place there and do what is necessary to be done. Very truly yours.
 w. J. BRYAN
 Warned Osborne
 Pullam further testified that he had warned Assistant Secretary of State Os- borne in July, 1913, under no circum- stances to have anything to do with the i3anco Naconal crowd and had ex- plained the character of the institution to lm, and that it was seeking to exploit Dominican finances. He said he had set .orth in detail the banks activities in d etter to Gen. Frank Mcintyre, head of the bureau of insular affairs in the war de- )artment.
 T was surprized and incensed," ne laid, that such a coterie got to Bryan :; fars. was sorry to see the receivership Pf customs made the subject of political Exploitation. l recalled the instrlc- ions Secretary Root gave me when he paid these funds should be administered IS a sacred trust. For eight years the eceivership had been operated withou. rrouble and the difficulties that later trose were unquestionably caused by pullivan's transferring the funds to the 3anco NacionaL That was what they wanted. They had no funds. They wanted to establish credit for them Belves. The bank was joke"
 Pulliam said he had no doubt that
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