The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-04-29

ing the subject among themselves The gentleman from
North Carolina had taken the floor half dozen times
upon 1t and ~ he had not heard the cost OF the cores
Pondence called in question till since It's character was
beginning to b. known, he could not Withdraw he was
willing to give way for explanation, but must insist up
Mr. VINTON here made an Intellectual motion (under
the privilege of his call for the orders OF the day. that
he House resolve itself into Committee OF The Whole on
The House then refused to sustain the call for the pre-
Mr. fSTEPHENs moved to amend the pending amend
ment by adding thereto the following, to wit
And also copies of House document, 1856 LIST
s,o oas docamsn No. 81 if session soh conrres ,bs
comprising all The correspondence between the Sec
reary War and other officers Of the government upon
public"
| Mr.. STEPHENS said he was in favor of printing all
these documents. Those that he had embraced in his
resolution had been submitted formery but there were
copies of them. He wished to have the whole
embraced in volume The importance of the docu-
mens would fully justify the expense 1t had been
gested that all the correspondence had yet been fur
nshed but he would place them all before the country
fast as they came in He complained that documents
concerning the conduct Of Gen Pillow had been kept back
the thanks Of Congress TO Gen. Pillow. While charges
attaching infamy 70 his name before the President
they withheld from this House the ground that
the information could not be sent consistently with the
| interests of the country nteH
| Mr.. HlLLIARD (Mr. S. giving way suggested that
correspondence ought to be included He hoped
the House would have too great regard for its dignity
print the letter from the Secretary of War which
written four days after the call 49,,
too Tight
| Mr.. billiard. have never the letter. But it
not embraced in the call and he would not counte
nance such an imposition on the House. as to print let
Mr. HOUSTON, of Alabama, said, with tie permits
sion Of the gentleman from Georgia. if my colleague had
have examined the resolutions possibly he would have
that the call OF the House embraces and intend
ed expressly to embrace this of the Secretary OF
War The particularly referring to the Secretary
answer were inserted the instance of myself and the
gentleman from Maryland [Mr. McLANEl
Mr. billiard. would ask my colleague, was the
posed to be published with the correspondence-was It
written at the time when the gentleman moved his amend
ment to the call
Mr.. HOUSTON | have very pregnant answer TO
that question 1t is the answer OF The echo OF my friend
from New Jersey, [Mr VAN DYKE] Echo says, Don't
know! "a laugh] That's precisely the answer have
to make do not supervise the affairs Of the Depart
Mr. HILLIARD But there are those of US who hap
pen to know the letter was not written al some time
slider it as embraced in that call.
Mr. HOUSTON. Does my colleague say he knows it
was not then written on any other authority than that
Mr.: HILLARY. rely on the gentleman from North
Carolina [Mr. CLIseMAN,] who made the statement
Mr.. CIiNGMAN. have no knowledge of the time
of writing, except that derived from the date.
| Mr.. HOUSTON So my colleague went off too soon
rather too quick upon the trigger; and it turns out that
tleman from North Carolina knows no more about it
than either of and that all together we know nothing
certain about it. &e
Mr. H. further avaed himself of the indulgence of the
gentleman from Georgia to reply Gas he had intended
when he had the floor at rst) to the complaint growing
out of the fact that Gen. Pillow had read extract Of a
letter before the court of inquiry now sitting IN Mexico
This complaint seemed to him to be most groundless and
unsnbstantia for reasons which ne could state in few
Md the @ Psss
in Mexico anywhere else it would become the duty
Of the government here to furnish him with copy Of
such charges and this abstract of charges could
swer the purpose Of the individual against whom they
might be preferred, unless they used in such
ner to admit of their being made public; and if made
administration, it conclusive proof that there could
be desire the part of the administration to conceal
them from the public He knew nothing Of the proceed
M STEPHENS. Was it moi due to this House to
furnish with the enarSss against Gen Pillow
Mexico and Gen. Pillow arrested under them. Gen
Scott had him arrested upon these charges, and they
must necessarily come before this House.
Mr. STEPHENS. lspeak Of the letter Of Mr. Trist
to Mr. Buchanan bringing grave charges against Gen
Pillow We only know Of those charges that they
sent to Gen Pillow. He asked whether il was ncon,
sstent with the public interest that this House should
know the charges brought against Cen Pillow
Mr. HOUSTON submitted whether it would have
been consistent with the principle OF law and justice at
ter General Pillow mad been arrested Oh charges preferred
by Gen. Scott for the present Secretary of State, any
body else to have published the statements of witness
who to give his testimony in the trial Mr. Trist
Therefore, he said it would not have been consistent
with law justice to have thrown out the statements of
this witness in advance of the trial. which might have
pejudiced the public mind against the individual charged
| 1t the universal practice OF courts to the
traordnary power with which they invested to pre-
vent publication by the newspapers, otherwise, of
even statement of the testimony trials involving the
reputation life, or liberty of a citizen.
| Mr.. STEPHENS. The gentleman may make as many
excuses for Mr.. Polk he peases but how it in
consistent with the public interest to send those charges
| TO the House when vote Of thanks TO Gen Pillow
pending He was for publishing this letter Of Mr. Mar
cy, though it afterthought, and attempt to
bolster up the administration. Though it letter of
thirty Or forty pages, he was in favor of printing it
Mr.. McLANE interposed to explain that the reply of
The resolution being read at the Clerks table, he (Mr
McLANE) called the attention OF the gentleman from Ala
bama the second CALL and proposed that it should be
modified to embrace the reply from the Secretary OF
War ss -.N e
Mr. billiard. Let me ask if, at the time, there
was any replyl
Mr. McLANE called for the reading Of the resolution,
and asked whether good faith it did not call Tor that
letter dated the 2i though the resolution was passed on
the nth. The reply might have been answered ana
might have been in progress on the 18TH AS 70 ha' ne
~ Mr. IT, sTEPHENs Didthe gentleman know that there
Mr. McLANE presumed that there would be reply
to Gen. SCOTS dispatches, which were known to DC
here and If il would crafty the gentleman, he would