Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1854-08-04

The Explosion.-The reports from the Co
case investigating committee made YESTERDAY
though embracing great mass Of very CUES
testimony, may be regarded a. IN early sxple
sion Of the new plan Of secret espionage owe
every thing and every body, which SCENE
likely, not long since, to come in vogue As
permanent part of the system Of the America
Congress, to the unfortunate generation of
popular impression that the mass of thos
now sent to Washington are approachable b.
improper means. These reports are four il
number. Messrs Letcher, Rufin, and Barr
sign one; Messrs Thurston and Wheeler ano
ther; Mr. Eliot, of Massachusetts, third, an,
Mr.. Zollicoffer the fourth-enough surely t
please all tastes in congressional scandal. Tn
report first referred to above, undertakes t
give wise and quite extensive and particula
advice and opinions with reference to what
member Of Congress should be- and concern
ing the character Of the testimony, abou
which, We presume, no two other persons il
the land will agree, on reading it. That o
Messrs Thurston and Wheeler We think yer,
properly declines essaying to do any thing O
the sort, on the ground that the oommitte,
was raised to ascertain and report facts-no
the impressions of its members upon gray,
charges against the integrity Of the Congress.
of the United States, &c. The other two re-
ports differ from these in various particulars
The result Of this investigation can hardly
serve to elevate the House in popular estima.
ton: as it tells, first, that they believe tina,
they have among them many mon who should
be in no such position-and, next, that to at
temptto ferret out and expose them, is, in
deed hopeless undertaking. The investiga
ton, it will be remembered, was conducted a
secretly as were those Of the Spanish inquisi
ton of old, 10 witness being allowed even te
keep record of the questions put to him and
his replies, and the rules governing courts OIL
justice in this country as regards the legality
of testimony, which all Americans believe ne
cessary for the protection of private rights,
being wholly disregarded, according to the
general impression in Washington. During
the progress of this investigation, belief tina,
the ends of public justice required that the
committee should be permitted to pursue their
work uninfuenced by comments of tho press,
induced US to abstain from publishing line
concerning the character and particulars Of
their labors. That necessity exists no longer,
and we thus promptly give the readers of the
Star our impression concerning the affair.
We say above that this affair will create a
popular impression that the House believe
that they have many improper persons among
them, because upon the vaguest charges con-
ceivable, they appointed committee to inves-
tigate the personal integrity of the House.
Unfortunately, not one in a thousand will wade
through all the testimony taken, the result of
which is really to completely explode that
allegation. Its rich and racy parts, however,
will surely be reprinted in thousand jour.
nals-embracing every baseless surmise to be
found therein, and all of the accusations
against rivals and enemies outside of the
House, which seem to bear upon the solution of
the question-how far are Congress approach.
able by improper means? In failing to conduct
their investigation in the light of day, and to
confne it within strictly legal bounds, they of
course scraped together as proof, tho bicker-
ings, jealousies, surmises, &C., of any body
and every body whom they examined.
Upon such testimony, the Twelve Apostles
would be condemned i'll popular estimation
Tho 10 IN fha oct; m o&;ov ~ <bo,o -hn ,..L
scandal rather than truth, and who reason
from extreme cases-the two classes in every
community who invariably making most noise
over such an affair, are wrongfully redited
with being the opponents Of American popu-
lar sentiment. On the whole, being most
anxious for the preservation of the dignity
and reputation of the House of Representatives
of the United States, We sincerely regret the
fau1 pas of raising this memorable com.
mittee.
Pensioners' Powers Of Attorney at any time
Rsvokable.-The pledge, mortgage, sale, as
signment, or transfer of pension money, to be
received, being illegal and void, pensioner
can, at any time. revoke power of attorney
which he has given for the collection of his
pension, and demand payment to himself, al.
though the power may have been given for a
valuable consideration, expressed in the in
strument.
The Current Operations Of the Treasury
Experimentation yesterday, the Sd of August,
thsrewere Of Treasury Warrants entered on
the books of the Department
For the payment of Treasury debts $4.145 As
For tho Customs ................ 1000 90
For the War Department.. ....... 84S 80
For tho Interior Department.. A,4S1 so
For re-paying in the Interior Do.
p2ftment. ..................... A.4Sl 60
For entering on the Treasury books
by warrants appropriations for
the Interior department. ...... q, 500 90
For the Navy Department. 1900 rs
B We are indebted to the publisher, A. E.
Beech, Esq, for the August number Qs54) of
the Peoples Journal, than which no other 80
useful and improving work of the kind is
published in either hemisphere for the same
money. This is our deliberate opinion of this
scientific journal, which is already in its line
what the American Farmer, published in Bal.
timsre, is in the way of agricultural litera.
tu.e. ,-....
This number contains ffty.two engravings,
all Of which are we'll executed.