The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1856-07-24
GOV. REEDER's DEPOSITION BEFORE THE KAN
SAS COMMITTEE.

SAS COMMITTEE.
In CHANGING through the large volume made up by the
committee Kansas for proof in the contested cleo
ton for delegate from that Territory surprised to
ud deposition of of the parties to the conesGov
Rseaer 1t sixteen solid pages is without date
specification the place where it taken and tn,
only evidence that it is the recital in thu
capton"Andrew II. Reeder called and sworn" 1t was
evidently taken upon interrogaons in the pres
OF the other party in the lawsuit We undersan
that in fact il was taken in New York without tn
knowledge Of either Mr. Oliver Of the committee
Gen. Whitfield his counsel As the majority ofthe
nec considered it legal to receive the proof of the
tesant il certainly good stroke of policy to deItl
tnling it until it could be done without giving the
other party, the other member Of the committee
opportunity for cross-examination II Gov Reeder was
competent and credible witness in his own case II
certainly useless waste of time and labor and mo-
ney to send commission out to Kansas Gov ReedeI
10 Washington and could well have proved his
here by his own evidence in Kansas Whether Gov
Resders evidence relevant the ISSUE 1t wal
illegally ADMITTEDLY If reepan 1t illegal because he Il
apary the suit fit relerant then II was incou,-
petent for that reason. .r
But upon looking into the deposition, have no diff
Guilty in understanding why the majority Of the COMMITTEES
were willing to sanction gross violation OF law aps
propriey ia admitting IL proof It is In respect
either in form substance the evidence of witness
the argument Of party in his and upon hi.
own testimony. II Ia argumentsve history Of Gov
Reedes extraordinary gubernatoral In Kansas
marked throughout with strong partisan bias dsfgured
with communications Of his conduct distorted with
Misrepresentation Of Others and rendered ridiculous by
the cool erontery with which the party in the up
his word evidence to- outweigh the testimony Of hafa
dozen legal and competent witnesses. -
Tho portion Of the deposition however, which discoses
most clearly The Office. Of Gov Reeder and Of the majority
Of tie committee relates TO certain interviews and converse
TORS Of entirely private confidential and mainly Off
cA character which took place between Gov Rseaer and
President Pierce in the month Of May 1855. How Gov
Reeser got his consent TO volunteer flor he
Vay wness disclosure OF suck interviews and CONVEX
cations Is less difficult comprehend than the fact
that in giving bis recollection Of them he should have SO
grossly perverted msreprescned and faisfed what did
in those interviews Perhaps il would be fair to In
fer that the who could volunteer his own witness
and make evidence for himself by violating the confidence
of official interviews could hardly be expected to do just
Ice 10 detailing the conversations which he TO dis
cioee
Two weeks alleged by Gov Rceder and occurred upon
his yisir to Washington early in May 1885, after he bad
given certificates to the memte elect the Kansas legs
ture and bad gone to Easton in Pennsy vana and mad
hi denuncarory speech against the nvasops Of the Dor
der ruians from Missouri which has obtained some no
tov Upon that visit to Washington be had interviews
OF the most friendly and confidential character almost
daily nearly two weeks he says in bis deposition
and he undertakes TO give his impressions derived from
those various interviews part Of bis proof in case il
which the issue Is whether General Whitfield or Governor
Reeder the legal delegate from Kansas Territory what
relevancy the conversations had this issue win appear as
we proceed.
The general subject Of the protracted interview as
stated in the deposition, whether under the then er-
sng circumstances In Kansas and In the States the pub
lie interest would be advanced by the substitution
Of some other person than Governor Recder the gov
ernor Of the Territory. President Pierce decidedly
Of opinion that the prejudice existing in large portion
of the public against Gov Reeder together with the known
hottie feeling against him in the Territory, likely 10 be
greatly increased by bis late violent and mprudent speech