338 FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 



the cleak of tliis committee asking what it was that the committee de- 

 sired him to testify about again, and that the clerk of the committee 

 informed him or Indicated to him in a personal dispatch what it was 

 that he was desired to respond to, and the committee then adjourned 

 from Tuesday till Thursday at 10 o'clock to give him an opportunity to 

 appear here. He not being here on Thursday the committee adjourned 

 over until to-day at 11 o'clock, and this telegram to the Sergeant-at- 

 Arms is all the information of which tlie Chair is in possession. It is 

 for the committee to determine whether the investigation be kept opeu 

 and a number of witnesses retained here until Mr. Gavitt can arrive. 

 NoAV, Mr. Felton, have you any suggestions to make ? 

 Mr. Felton. No ; 1 do not know that I have any suggestions to 

 make. I am of opinion that he has received all the courtesy and has 

 been given every opportunity to come here that is necessary, and that 

 it is simply a question, not of justice or of right or wrong, but simply 

 a question of policy whether this committee shall under the circum- 

 stances await this gentlemen's convenience for the purpose of giving 

 him a chance to answer certain statements which have been given, and 

 in which he is personally and his personal character are interested. 

 That is all. 



The Chairman. I will also state that I know of no other reason why 

 the investigation should be longer kept opeu. The communication has 

 been sent to the Secretary of the Treasury requesting him to transmit 

 to the committee copies of all orders issued by the Treasury Depart- 

 ment to officers in command of revenue, marine, and naval vessels, all 

 United States vessels, which have been sent to the Bering Sea during 

 the years 1886, 1887, and 1888, for the purpose of protecting the seal 

 rookeries and public interests in that connection in Bering Sea. That 

 communication can come in and be incorporated in the evidence, and it 

 is not likely that it will require further action of the committee. It 

 was sent at the instance of Governor Dingley, and he has intimated to 

 the chairman that he will be content with that reply ; but if that reply, 

 at any rate, is not satisfactory, a resolution through the House of Rep- 

 resentatives would accomplish the purposes more fully than the action 

 of the committee afterwards. Therefore it is a simple question of hold- 

 ing the investigation open further simply to enable Mr. Gavitt to say 

 whether or not he held the conversations which these witnesses testi- 

 fied to, and to explain if he had those conversations or deny that he 

 had such conversacions. 



Mr. Felton. I think, in view of the fact of the lateness, or rather 

 in view of the little time remaining of the session for this committee to 

 digest the evidence that has been before it, and to make a rei)ort in 

 time to give the House time for action upon it, would hardly justify us 

 for any delays that were not necessary, because if the delays extend 

 too much, then this committee will have had all its labors in vain, and 

 it will be productive of no good. 



The Chairman. Suppose, then, we close the investigation this morn- 

 ing with the privilege to Mr. Gavitt to place upon record bis reply to 

 the particular matter as to whether he had conversations with Dr. 

 Lutz on the vessel which he testified to, and whether he had the con- 

 versation with Mr. Kirk upon the island which he testified to "? 



Mr. Felton. If he confines himself to the facts as to whether he had 

 these conversations, and whether the statements made by these wit- 

 nesses are true or not, there will be no objection to it; but if, in the 

 mean time, he should get new matter, as it were, and make other state- 

 ments going to show that what he ^had s^id was true, why, it seems to 



