The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-09-21
we're itIei.,s oa.eertain im,,esaara Virginia in,

peIa' Inc report was very quietly, ifnOt secret
y circulated among them They saw the as
suit on the Virginia intercst--the scheme took
The vote was taken; the great body ofthc Whil
party voted with the gentleman, and all the Vir
/ giui.l Democrats went over to his standarI HC
carried his point, and here are precipitated in
to discussion, before anybody save the favored
few have seen the report or know anything o
/ its contents.
| (Here -MessrS Seldom, MILLsoS BAYIY, and
! NcMULLEN, all Of Virginia, severally interposed
and nd that they had not been influenced in
the votes given by anything said in the repor.
against the Virginia inter- SITS.
! Mr.. BROWN resumed certainly never
meant to say that honorable gentlemen would
knowingly and willlully give an improper vote
merely for the sake of sustaining an unjust local
claim. But we all know that the representative
is not the most impartial Judge of The rights OF
his own constituent. Indeed, sir, the interest
of the constituent is almost inscparable from
the prcjudiccs and predictions of his rcpresen-
tatvc. The gentleman from Ohio well under
stood this, and he right coniectured that if it
came to the knowledge of the Virginia dclega-
ton tn certain important Virginia claims had
been condemned in this report, the allegiance of
that delegation might be relied on.
] am far from assaling the motives Of the
members from Virginia; but c mot help re.
marking that it is little singular that they were
| found separated from their political friends on
this question 1t is doubtless all right and fair
but it never happened so before lfone, or two
or three had gone over, my establishment would
not have been excited. But when they went in
body, | could not help inquiring into the cause
of so important and significant movement.
acqnit the delegation Of all Improper motives
but | still think these Virginia claims had some
thing to do with their votes against postponing
the consideration Of this report until such time
rs wonld afford every member an opportunity to
examine into the facts.
have been surprised, Mr. Speaker. at the
grounds taken by the gentleman from Ohio. (A1r.
WHOM against further consideration of the
grave and Important IN tiers set forth in the re-
port OF the majority of this committee. To my
mind, 1t looks very much like special pleading,
for the purpose of avoiding fair trial on the
merits OF the ease The gentleman WAS II mem
Der Of the committee. He attended its sitlings
regularly. He saw the committee toiling from
day to day, through the long months of sum
mer in coating the facts set forth in the report.
| He took deep interest in the proceedings Of
the committee, and participated actively in all its
hbors. Yes, sir, Inc was here when the COM
mittee was raised. He was here when the in
quiries were directed by the House. He went
on the committee, performed his due proportion
of the work, saw !he report prepared after four
months and more of toll, and then for the first
time he discovers that the House has no juris-
dic.ion of the case--that the House was attempt
ing to solve itself into an appellate court for
| the revision of judicial decisions made by the
erecutire officers of the Government. Did the
| gentleman make this wonderful discovery him
self, or was it the offspring of some other 60
MUS! Possibly the younger MIR. Ewing, when
I copying the report, may have found it out 1t
may be, that some or all Of the Virginia delega-
ton discovered it, or what is just likely, ex-
Secretary Ewing himself may have first started
the new idea. TO whomsoeyer the paternity of
the grand conception may belong, Irepudiatc it
us spurious Wlat sir. may an executive Off
Ger 90 on from year to year allowing spurious
and unjust, grossly unjust and illegal claims
/ against the Government and paying them too,
without law semblance Of law to sanction
his conduct; and must we, the representatives
of the people, fold our arms IN quiet, and be 81
lent, ba fuse we have no power or right to in,
quire into The official conduct of an executive
officer! II, sir the conduct of the eX-Secretary
had not been in the highest degree reprehcnsible
we should have heard nothing of this plea to
the jurisdiction. Conscious innocence would
not tlIus shrink from fair investigation. 1t is
? precisely because these transactions will not
bear the light of open day, that attempts are
being made, and combinations formed, to bury
them in this House under the hollow pretcnce
| that we have no jurisdiction. Why was not
this discovery made five months back, when the
investigation was ordered Why was it not
made during the four months and half that the
committee was sitting! Why was it never
made until it was seen that an impartial investi
CATION would result in condemnation of these
transactions !--in condemnation which would
arrest such proceedings in future, and thereby
save millions to the Treasury
now tell the House that if the conduct OF
the late Secretary is not distinctly rebuked and
! his decisions repudated, millions Of dollars will
be taken from the National Treasury without
law and without the knowledge or sanction Of
| Congress. If we, the guardians of the Treasury,
are TO stand by and witness these proceedings
in silence, because the gentleman from Ohio
says we have no jurisdiction, no power to arrest
them why then, be it so; / take water and
wash my hands of them.
How long is it since the gentleman from Ohio
found that Congress could not inquire into the
conduct Of an executive officer! During these
fifteen years or more that he has held a seat on
this floor has he, ever in single instance, voted
against an Inquiry into the conduct of any
Democratic Executive officer! Never, sir, never.
| challenge the gentleman to a trial by the rec
ord, and dare the assertion that he never, in all
his life, voted against al inquiry into any alleged
msfeasance or malversation in Democratic office
holders. But row, when Wing Secretary is
arraigned- when The personal and political friend
Of the gentleman is charged with Illegal and inn
proper conduc, he steps boldly forward, and
says, Stop; touch not mine anointed." You
may inquire into the conduct of Democrats, but
| Whigs are sacred against such impertiucnt and
| oticious intermeddling"
| The gentleman found power in this House 10
appoint the Bundecuud COMM tee" and &c
send them around the world on n voyage of dis.
covery. He could delegate to that committee
power to pry into the private aud official conduct
of every Democrat in and out of Office. III,
could confer upon them the right TO propouno
, mpertinent inquiries to the editor of the Unia,
and to Mr.. Sengstack ms to how they conducted
their private affairs, private citizens and h,
could even find the power TO bring these gentle
! men to the bar of the House and punish then
g., tba,r