The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-06-02

Ar PHELPS, Il nlrcuri, ..kd Il ~ n. po,,cv .
~ y ra wish the Secretary u wsr to dupocs II a.
U4srAsu - d1bsr public or private sayn Fort
hnsling was u~nasw military pat tn ~ Hsrrstnry
- right in dlspuing OF Il bat neodsd A1n h ~
Wiling 10 conosde MAJ Il should nu& have 49, dpoesd
Of He oeassadsd tA.a even upon the evsdsccs q ma
tary nra. end Aznoas them Gen scct - 1uEt W. ~
ls~ Sus militnsy pssposs IA y
Ar. CAvAEAUGH, Of Minnesota susoux1y dsSvsSsa
the saas Of Bcss Scaling which ths sspuhans n~ds
lar. STANTON, of Ohio, would not ~ tA.4 ths sxss-
tAy wn guilty Of overt Co. but be woud s.y that he
suryoundsd BY associations thai hrer sstrion over
tho uansaction- There wss handulsnt comh{nstou
between the agsnt the government and the purhasrn
II tbs raDcsvution
Mr. BURNETT nd tbs renassi. II ths grstassuaa On
tho other 1de struck him mot only with mrpriso bat
many things bad been stated which be rsxrssd There
remarkable ct connected with the position T.
ken by these gentlemen that they did not base their
statements upon the testimony reported by the
mittee, bat detached portions Of Il fox the purpose
whether intentional not Of making false impressions
upon the country. So r his acfion was connected
with the sale of Fort Smelling, he sid there mo one
thing 10 the record from the passage Of the law author
nng its sale down to the time Of the sale by the War
Department that any gentleman could put his finger
upon, that would attach wrong TO the Secretary Of War
he understood the majority Of the committee agree
with them that there nothing showing want 81 In
tegty on the part OF the Secretary Of Wax hut they did
not aay the record They had dared charge
fraud openly but they put it upon the ground Of grave
Official error
Mr. MORRILL, sAid they held tina. the private char.c-
ter OF the Secretary not trial, but his public ACTS
add while he did not think any money had gone into the
Secretary pocket yet he did think be guilty OF
'grun political pArtiality."
Mr. BURNETT stated that whilst these gentlemen had
not out and charged fraud because specific charge
would have bocnnet they by nnuendo and irsinuation
charged that he collision these paxties they
believed he guilty Of the want ofintegty that did
become him OF the executive officers Of the govern
mcnt they ought to have sAid their report In
stead Of Investigating the subject referred them there
was evident attempt the part Of the majority of the
committee TO misead the public mind from the acts Of
the public officer charged with the sale by bringing into
their report the actions Of the purchasers and connecting
the Secretary Of War with the conduct of the witnesses
there had been anything improper the part of the
Secretary, gentlemen ought to have put their fingers
upon 1t and made it specific thsf the House and the
country could have known what it was.
Mr.. BINGHAM, of Ohio, dealt with fcts snd the Law
pronounced the Judgment which they merely recorded by
their votes There only three points to which he
wished to call nade4uacy a thu price
which the reservation sold, the marked secrecy by
which the transs ion conducted from The beginning
to the end and the fragrant and pspabe violation Of the
written law of the land.
Mr.. LEI-HER said the gentleman who last addressed
the House, Mr. BIxoaAn, and other gentlemen that
side, undertook to charge that DR. Graham combined
with other persons for the purpose Of stealing plum
dering the government They knew nothing Of his
charge would not have been made On the score Of
character, intelligence and standing in the community
IN which be was born, he fully the peer Of any
There nothing la the evidence to Justify the chaye
He produced testimony to show that there ground
for the charge Of collision between Governor Foyd and
DR. Graham, and that he knew OF DIR. Graham pur
pose IN going there The charge was absurd, TO nay
nothing of it. Nor was there anv evidence 10
show that communications had passed showing that
these parties knew that DR. Graham Interested in tie
sale.
Mr.. DAWES inquired by what means DR. Graham got
possession Of the instructions given the commissioners
before the sale.
Mr.. LETCHER wanted to know if the gentleman
sought TO get rid Of the question in that way He had
charged distinctly that Mr. Eastman made there
nic2tions to DR.. Graham.
Mr. DAWES said he made no such charge
Mr.. LETcHER- What did you charge
MI DAWES said he charged that Mr.. Eastman, after
the public camar raised about the sale went
up to Fort Ripley and sold it public auction for the
purpose OF setting up back fire in justification
sale
Mr. LETCHER. Precrey And now the gentleman
did not pretend that he could find the record one par
tice Of testimony to prove that there any
cation between DR. Grabam and these parties
Mr. DAWES asked by what method he acquired
knowledge of the instructions ia the pockets the COM
Mr.. LETCHER replied that he did not know. unltyS
from the publications in the papers. III he had obtained
il from Nh. Heisken, it easy for them have cx
amiaed him the subject when he before the COM
-osaA8 AsA axa1itst the cecfetAry
and yet HIS gentlemen could mot 20 DOZEN sentencss
before they began to Charge that the whole thing was
fixed purpose 10 steal and cay that the
Secretary actd upon the principle thai the spols coo
belonged to his fends II struck him that this came
with very bad grace from that party which always
stood by its friends, whether there chancsof elect
ting them not Let the gentleman from Massachusetts,
Mr.. DAwnl 60 to his Stale. where even the jud
cisl robe does not protect from being stricken
down from honest adherence to his oath
Mr.. MARSHALL. of Kentucky, had examined the re-
port of bl branches Of the committee and the tes
mony of the principal Witnesses Az he did mot belong
to the democratic republican party he had no doubt
that he would be credited in saying that he cndsrsd
the without any party bias whatsoever There WIS
nothing in the majority report at which any friend Of the
Secretary of War could take offence He said al the
Secretary of War that he thought he acted ipEovident-
~, but he believed that he acted honestly Doubles
however, he hsd exceeded his power.
Mr.. DAVIS. Of Mississippi inquired whether If the
land had been offered - public sale there would have
been combination which would have resulted in depse-
cisting the sAle Of the bnd
Mr.. MARSHALL. thonght the continuation would have
been unavoidable, but the Secretary might have obyi
ated the dfcuity wherever there inadequacy of
price by establishing = miniu I'm price
Mr.. CLARK, OF New YORK, inqufred whether the pre-
caution 70 prevent the Combination mot sxer within
the powers Of the agents Of the Secretary than within the
powers Of The Secretary himself
Mr.. MARSHALL sAid he believed that such was the
fact.
Mr. HUGHES. OF Indiana, said after listening aaten-
lively 10 all Ire ssntaemsa WHO hid spoken On ts goes
ton he strongly inclined 10 coincide in tbs views
of the geuksman um Connscticut Mr Rasep thak tie
whole looked its influence Of the partisan