National Republican (Washington City

The great weight of the testimony of all the witnesses went to show that the trade rating of Bulkley, Raiguel & Co., of Philadelphia, was far below that of the Winona Paper Company, of Holyoke, Mass., whose bids were cast aside in favor of the Philadelphia firm. None of the witnesses could see any good reason for such action, especially when the fact was taken into consideration that the Winona company were bona fide manufacturers, while Bulkley, Raiguel & Co. were only jobbers.

The facts developed were that Bulkley, Raiguel & Co. had bid on 51 lots of paper. Their bids were lowest in five instances; were even with the Winona Company on four others, yet they got contracts on 47 lots.

There was no little indignation among the witnesses at the unfeeling manner in which Chairman Richardson conducted the cross-examination of Mr. Balfour, and Mr. Gallinger was compelled to defend Mr. Balfour from the insinuations of the zealous but gentle manly partisan from Tennessee.

It was satisfactorily established that Bulkley, Raiguel & Co. had been the apparent beneficiaries in a transaction where Benedict had bought of them manila paper, paying therefor from 8 to 10 cents per pound, although the printing office had a contract with the same firm for the supply of manila paper at 6 3-10 cents per pound. Several of the witnesses offered to furnish the best manila for 5 cents per pound.

After the committee had been in session for nearly three hours Maryland's favorite son, Representative Gibson, entered and took possession of the room and everything therein. He at once proceeded to cross-examine Mr. Balfour on a business transaction he had with Public Printer Rounds, which involved the purchase by the witness of two shares of stock in the Omaha Republican. Here the Marylander succeeded, in his peculiarly narrow way, in making himself as obnoxiously obtuse as possible, at the same time not forgetting to throw numerous slurs at the character of the dead man and at that of the witness. Finally, Mr. Balfour could stand the mosquito like attack no longer, and he wheeled around, facing the product of the Eastern Shore and exclaimed: "I'm not lying. You treat me as though I was a liar. I am willing to answer your question, but I cannot do so until I have my books here. They are coming."

Mr. Gallinger said the witness should not be offensively interrogated by any member of the committee. Mr. Balfour was a man of standing in Philadelphia and was entitled to respect, and he should have it. He desired Mr. Gibson to possess his soul in patience.

Then Mr. Gibson put on his wisest look and asked the witness a question about checks and banks that neither he nor any one else could make head or tail of, interjecting a very funny and modern remark about a sand bank. The witness, acting on Mr. Gallinger's advice, declined to reply until certain documents had come which he had sent for.

In criticism of a remark made by Mr. Gallinger, the Maryland statesman said it was quite apparent that Mr. Gallinger was not a lawyer, to which the gentleman from New Hampshire responded by saying that he might not be a lawyer, but he knew as much law as Mr. Gibson did, and it is more than probable that Mr. Gallinger can produce any number of Mr. Gibson's acquaintances who will, if they are honest, back up Mr. Gallinger's assertion.
YESTERDAY'S INVESTIGATION.

At yesterday's session the only members of the committee present were Messrs. Richardson and Gallinger. Very interesting testimony was that which came from Mr. Nixon, of the firm of Nixon Bros., of Philadelphia. He swore that Mr. Bulkley, of the firm of Bulkley, Raiguel & Co., the present contractors, told him before the bids were in that Wilber, the superintendent of the printing office paper warehouse, and G. I. Benedict, chief clerk of the printing office, had said to him that the contracts for writing paper would not be given to the lowest bidder this year. He knew of no reason why Bulkley, Raiguel & Co. should have been given the contracts when they were not the lowest bidders. "He had been invited to go on that little 'Jamboree' on May 5, which was gotten up for the benefit of Messrs. Wilber, Benedict, and Woodbridge, but he did not care to risk his reputation by convivialities at Gloucester attendance at variety shows, or visits to the 'roadhouse' of Rube Sands; he desired to be respectable."

Mr. Alex. Balfour also testified, and he was successful in satisfying the Democratic side of the committee that he was not a felon.

Four old soldiers, Messrs. Sinn, Garrett, Rowell, and Barringer, testified to their having been discharged without cause by Benedict.