Dr. WHITE. I know that what work he did while connected with my department was done well and thoroughly. Mr. LAMBERT. Just what was the work connected with your department? Dr. WHITE. Bringing over samples to me and coming and getting the trichinæ numbers and reporting them back to the houses. Mr. LAMBERT. I will ask you to state whether or not Secretary Morton or any one in charge of the Bureau of Animal Industry at South Omaha requested information regarding Zeller and others there? Dr. WHITE. They did. Mr. LAMBERT. I will ask you to state whether or not you have the request in your possession? Dr. WHITE. I have. Mr. LAMBERT. State whether or not you responded to the request. Dr. WHITE. I did; to both of them. Mr. LAMBERT. How long was it after the letters of inquiry until you responded? Dr. WHITE. They were answered, I suppose, the same day I got the letters from them. I think I did, at least. Mr. LAMBERT. Do you remember what date it was? Dr. WHITE. Sometime in 1894; I think in November, if I remember rightly. The CHAIRMAN. What had you written to the Secretary before he responded? Dr. WHITE. He wrote me about these men. He probably had heard something. I told him that I knew nothing about anyone except Mr. Zeller and Mr. Harper. I spoke very highly of Mr. Zeller; said he was for free coinage, but outside of that he was a very fine officer; that he did his work well. Then he asked again for further information in regard to them, where he said: "To make it effective, it ought to be in perfect accord with the rules, regulations, principles, and policies of its superior officers." He also said: "We can probably secure men who are in perfect agreement and who will do their work just as well as they do." He asked about these two men-Harper and Zeller. The whole letter is as follows: UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, Dr. W. S. WHITE, Microscopic Division, Bureau of Animal Industry, South Omaha, Nebr. DEAR DOCTOR: I have your letter of the 27th instant, and desire you to inform me more fully as to Harper and Zeller? We can probably secure men who are in perfect agreement and who will do their work just as well as they do. It is important that the character of the serv ice be unimpeachable in every respect. To make it effective it ought to be in perfect accord with the rules, regulations, principles, and policies of its superior officers. Yours, respectfully, J. STERLING MORTON. Mr. LAMBERT. Did you respond to that letter? Dr. WHITE. I did. Mr. LAMBERT. Do you recall at this time, in a general way, what you stated to the Secretary? Dr. WHITE. I still spoke very highly of Mr. Zeller as an officer. It was reported that he was one of the most faithful men on the force. Mr. LAMBERT. Did you ever hear Dr. Ayer speak of Mr. Zeller? Dr. WHITE. I did, no longer ago than last July. I can not give the exact date. Mr. LAMBERT. What did he say at that time? Dr. WHITE. He said he considered Mr. Zeller one of the most faithful men on the force. Mr. LAMBERT. Did you hear him make any statements with reference either to Mr. Holmes or Mr. Seay, or any of the others? Dr. WHITE. No, sir. Mr. LAMBERT. Did you ever furnish any information in respect to any of the discharged persons? Dr. WHITE. No, sir; I did not. Mr. LAMBERT. That is all you have to say! Dr. WHITE. That is all. TESTIMONY OF HENRY BEAL. HENRY BEAL, being duly sworn, testified as follows: Mr. LAMBERT. You reside in South Omaha? Mr. BEAL. Yes, sir. Mr. LAMBERT. Are you one of the parties who were discharged by Secretary Morton some time in November, 1896? Mr. BEAL. December, 1896. Mr. LAMBERT. I will ask you to state whether or not you made an affidavit for Mr. Edward Shelden some time after the discharges? Mr. BEAL. Yes, sir. Mr. LAMBERT. I will ask you if the affidavit which you made is the affidavit appearing on page 12 of Senate Document 155, Fifty-fourth Congress, second session. Look at the affidavit and state whether or not it is your affidavit. Mr. BEAL (after examining the affidavit). Yes, sir; it is. Mr. LAMBERT. Where was the affidavit made? Mr. BEAL. It was made in Dr. Ayer's office, at the Government headquarters. Mr. LAMBERT. Who, besides yourself and the notary public, Mr. Moriarity, were present? Mr. BEAL. Mr. Moriarity was not present; Dr. Ayer and Mr. Shelden were. Mr. LAMBERT. Will you state in detail to the committee just how you came to make the affidavit; what was said to you by Mr. Ayer and Mr. Shelden? Mr. BEAL. I heard that Mr. Shelden was there, and I went up there. I wanted to find out why I was let out. I told Mr. Shelden that I had heard through Conoyer that I was let out because I owed some money; because I was in debt. I told him I was in poor circumstances; that I had some sickness in the family; that my wife had been confined, and so on. Mr. Shelden said he would try to do all he could to have me reinstated, because he thought there was nothing against me. He said, however, that the workings of the Government were very slow, and that I had better go and try to do something else; that the new Administration would soon take hold and then he could not do anything. He asked me who my family physician was, and I told him Dr. White. He wanted to know if I would make an affidavit to that effect, and I told him I would just as soon. He made out the affidavit-that is, he asked me questions as to the case of confinement and other cases; and I made a statement. After he had the affidavit made out I read it over, and in the affidavit he put down that Dr. White would call at my house at any hour during the day or night. I told him I could not very well sign that, because it happened some time before that a son of mine stepped on a piece of glass and I was afraid he would get lockjaw, and I went up and saw Dr. White to see if he could call at the house. He told me he could not very well; that he was on duty or busy, but if I would bring the boy up during the noon hour he would attend to him. So he struck that out and made another affidavit and I signed it. Mr. LAMBERT. The first affidavit which he prepared was to the effect that Dr. White would respond to any call, whether during the day or night? Mr. BEAL. Yes, sir. Mr. LAMBERT. Did he write that out before he asked you whether or not it was true? Mr. BEAL. He never put that question to me. Mr. LAMBERT. He wrote it in the body of the affidavit without asking you whether or not it was true? Mr. BEAL. Yes, sir. Mr. LAMBERT. And asked you to sign it, and when you read it over you objected to that part of the affidavit? Mr. BEAL. He did not ask me to sign it. I looked it over. He had it written out in typewriting afterwards. I looked it over. Before signing anything of the kind I generally look it over; and I refused to sign it. Mr. LAMBERT. Was it extended in typewritten form? Mr. BEAL. Not that one; it was changed, and then put in typewritten form. Dr. Ayer went downstairs to a notary public and had me swear to it. Mr. LAMBERT. Were there any statements made to you by either of the parties at the time as to the purpose of the affidavit? Mr. BEAL. No; Dr. Ayer told me going downstairs that there was absolutely nothing against me, and if I would call around at any time after the thing had blown over he would show me his books and show me that he had given me a good standing; that it was not his fault that I had been let out. Mr. LAMBERT. He did not say whose fault it was? Mr. BEAL. He said he did not know. Mr. LAMBERT. Do you know who reported you, if anyone did? Mr. BEAL. No, sir. Mr. LAMBERT. What was your position there? Mr. BEAL. I was appointed first as tagger and then promoted to stock inspector. When I was let out, I was in charge of an abattoir. Mr. LAMBERT. What abattoir? Mr. BEAL. Twenty-nine. Mr. LAMBERT. How long had you been in the employ of the Government? Mr. BEAL. I was appointed in May or June, 1893. Mr. LAMBERT. Did you ever hear any political conversation in Ayer's office or in the microscopical department? Mr. BEAL. No, sir; I never stopped there long. Mr. LAMBERT. Did you have any conversation with either Dr. Ayer, James B. Sheean, W. D. McHugh, or Euclid Martin during the 1896 campaign with reference to politics? Mr. BEAL. Euclid Martin wrote me a note to call at his office, and he asked me if I was much of a silver man- -a free-silver man. He expected me to do something for their ticket-that is the way he told me—although if I was very much of a silver man he would not ask it. I told him I was not a free-silver man, but that I admired Mr. Bryan's speeches against the corporations. Then he said to me I should remember that they-that is, the committee-had six months more control, and that they would remember what I would do during the campaign. Mr. LAMBERT. What did he mean when he asked you to do work for his ticket? Which ticket was that? Mr. BEAL. He said for me to work on the quiet for his ticket. I could not really say what he did mean. I guess I made a bargain with him. I said I would. I did. I suppose he meant the Palmer and Buckner ticket. He did not express it. He was busy and he did not go into any details. That is about the conversation I had with him. He said personally he was himself a great admirer of Mr. Bryan, but that he did not believe in his free silver ideas, and I told him I did not, and so far as that was concerned that I would agree to do what he asked me to do. Mr. LAMBERT. What did he mean when he said, "We have six more months, and will remember your work in the matter? Mr. BEAL. He was the man who got me appointed and promoted. Mr. LAMBERT. Did you understand that he meant the Cleveland Administration? Mr. BEAL. Yes, sir. Mr. LAMBERT. It had six months more to live? Mr. BEAL. Yes, sir; as I understood it, that he had six months' more control over there, and that he could either let me out or keep me in. Mr. LAMBERT. Did he tell you what kind of work he expected you to do? Mr. BEAL. Only to work on the quiet for the third ticket. Mr. LAMBERT. You were then stock examiner? Mr. BEAL. I was then in charge of the abattoir. Mr. LAMBERT. You were in charge of the abattoir? Mr. BEAL. Yes, sir; doing inspector's work. Mr. LAMBERT. Prior to that time had he ever asked you to participate in politics? Mr. BEAL. Not Euclid Martin. Mr. LAMBERT. Had anyone ever asked you-I mean, of course, during the term of your service for the Government? Mr. BEAL. I think not. Mr. LAMBERT. Had you ever been excused by anyone to do political work? Mr. BEAL. No, sir. Mr. LAMBERT. Had you ever asked to be excused! Mr. BEAL. No, sir. Mr. LAMBERT. You were situated at what abattoir? Mr. BEAL. When I was let out? Mr. LAMBERT. Yes. Mr. BEAL. No. 29. Mr. LAMBERT. Where is that? Mr. BEAL. The Omaha packing house. Mr. LAMBERT. How long had you been there? Mr. BEAL. About seven months, I think. Mr. LAMBERT. Had you ever had any complaint lodged against you while you were in the discharge of your duties at that abattoir? Mr. BEAL. No, sir. I do not quite understand that question, however. Mr. LAMBERT. Was any complaint of any kind made against ou by the packing house or by anyone else? Mr. BEAL. Yes. The superintendent of the packing house once complained to Mr. Ayer that I was too strict. Mr. LAMBERT. That you were too strict? Mr. BEAL. Yes; but he had the privilege of calling Dr. Ayer on everything I condemned, and Dr. Ayer always sustained me. Mr. LAMBERT. Did you ever have any conversation with Dr. Ayer regarding your work? Mr. BEAL. Only the day when I signed the affidavit about Dr. White. He told me that he had given me a good rating; that he would show me his books to that effect; that he had never had any fault to find with me. Mr. LAMBERT. Was there anyone who inspected your work and passed judgment on it or criticised it? Mr. BEAL. I do not understand the question. Mr. LAMBERT. You were immediately under Dr. Ayer? Mr. BEAL. Yes, sir. Mr. LAMBERT. Did Dr. Ayer ever come over to your abattoir and examine the work being done there? Mr. BEAL. Yes, sir. Mr. LAMBERT. Was he in a position to grade you and classify you! Mr. BEAL. I was immediately under Dr. Ayer, and Dr. Ayer took all the credit for the work I did. Mr. LAMBERT. Was he in a position so that he could tell whether or not you did the work properly, unless someone complained to him! Mr. BEAL. Yes, sir; he would know in a general way. He would come around every day, but he would hardly come up to see me. He would stand there an hour or two on the platform and talk to Mr. Schibsby, the man who has my position now. He did not come up, because he knew I attended to my work. Mr. LAMBERT. He did not inquire into your work? Mr. BEAL. When he came up he would simply walk by. Mr. LAMBERT. Had you ever before been graded or classified that you know of? Mr. BEAL. No, sir; only when this investigation was going on. Mr. LAMBERT. Had you ever assisted or aided in the classification or grading of such people? Mr. BEAL. No, sir. Mr. LAMBERT. Did you ever have any set of gradings? Mr. BEAL. No, sir; I never knew anything about them.. Mr. LAMBERT. The grading which was made after you were dis charged was the first known while you were connected with the Gov ernment? Mr. BEAL. Yes, sir. Mr. LAMBERT. Do you know how it happened to be made, or how it was made up? Mr. BEAL. Personally I do not know anything about it. I know only from hearsay. Mr. LAMBERT. You do not know who made it, or what authority made it? Mr. BEAL. Only from hearsay. Mr. LAMBERT. It had never been done before? Do you know your standing on that record of gradings? Mr. BEAL. In the investigation? |