Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-07-06

he had no notice Of the time nor the place whore
the committee were to meet that he had had but
part OF night in which 70 make his reply to the
summons Of the COMMITTEES; that he ouly received
| the notice from the committee late on Friday
night, and on Saturday morning had gotten his
| reply into writing, and was on his way tn maois
| trates office 70 attest il when he heard that fhe
| COMMITTEES were to meet that night at o'clock in
this room. He had repaired to the com mittee on
ence was kindly permitted by them 10 remain and
| listen to the examination Of the two witnesses
wnom they had summoned before them, viz
had desired to cause them 70 testify to a certain
| Point,-t.e as TO the advantage which would
accrue TO Mr.. Brown by the alteration Of the bill
such testimony was irrelevant. Mr.. Kennedy was
| dlsmissed without being examined on this point.
The speaker had also desired to have Mr. Owen
same facts, and they were not summoned.
When the papers We're presented, upon which
this report has been made, he had again REQ uested
that these witnesses might be summoned and IL
| had been refused, at least no action was taken
/ upon the request by the committee When the
defence made by Mr.. Brown at the Investigation
lan year was before the committee, he had re-
quested permission to read and examine IL I'm the
presence OF the committee and had been refused
| the privilege. On leaving the committee he had
,eN behind him this request, and no action had
been taken upon it by the committee He had
1 never heard word from them i'm relation to the
| SUBJECT His witnesses, which he had desired to
| De summoned had not been summoned nor their
Il
| referred to. III Mr.. Owens had been present the
speaker felt confident that he could have testified
70 the fact that an effort was made to drain Mr.
| Brown property towards this sewer.
| MI Moore here read a copy of a letter from Mr.
brown to the Mayor, requesting permission to
Gram his property through square of ground in
| also one from the Mayor, in reply refusing TO
| comply with the request.
Mr Brown said that the letter Just referred to
| stated that the distance was the same from the
alley In question to street il was to III street
| MI Moore commended that the committee had
done wrong in not investigating the motive for
the alleged mutilations was required of all such
| committees by all parliamentary law N
| lie then went on to exonerate the committee
VINO mad had the matter in hand last year, from
any mott yes Of malice in the report which they
had made, saying that that committee had be-
| come cognizant Of certain painful facts which
their duty required them to make known to the
| Doaru. That they had placed these facts and
these papers before the board, and had given the
| member supposed to be implicated, every oppor-
UNITY OF making an explanation. They had gone
70 TO ane gentleman emu beforehand, and requested him
| nAo refused to do so, except the committee would
promise to withhold their report and not make it,
IN Inn would have been condition dshonorable to
tne COMMITTEES, and they refused to comply with
~, and the gentleman had not therefore made his
l aeiehce 70 the committee. He had made his de-
fence 70 the board after said report had been par
| mentary law ~ - f'
MT Miller would like to know II the parlia
m s,n law required the committee to investi-
gate crime alleged to have been committed
came member Of the Legislative body under
winch said committee was acting,
| MI Moore had not thought of that question II
1 wds new one to him. He then went on to state
| tnat certain facts had come before the committee
wicn Were OF very painful character, and which
the committee were bound by their oaths To inyes-
| uSate ana develop; they had endeavored to do So
ana when their report had been nearly read
ha ,SSugh u had been ruled out of order After il
ON H. Ill
| tne Ihlrd Ward assuming himself To have been
Implicated, made statement to the board. AS
noin,e now by the report Of this committee APP
| PoInteo last Monday, that the gentleman is not
the guilty party, had the committee done their
DUTY, by ascertaning who that party is? Certainly
rne report did not show it, After that bin was
aSG9, eng,ossed, and signed it was loaned by
slI. kennedy, as sworn to by that gentleman be-
Iore THIS committee, to Mr.. Brown w no had il for
| several days; and Mr. Kennedy in his evidence
- i., .h' ne does not remember that he examined
| ~ either before he loaned ii to Mr. Brown or
aier That gentleman returned 1t to him. His testi.
mony also showed, conclusively, that II had been
aLaied Tor he states that it had been so mutila-
eo that ne could only recognize it by the endorse
ment on the back, made In his own handwriting
whch ne recognized. The secretary Of the lower
ocaia anirms 1t was not done by him; the late
| chairman OF the Improvements committee athrms
INA. u was not done by him; the record shows
Inas IL was not done by the mayor. The question
now was Had the bill been altered; and, II 50, by
In opposition to the record evidence tending to
snow that fraud had been successfully practiccd
on Ihe corporation, there had now accumulated a
| mas OF papers founded on mere Inference and
Whlcn were not i'm conformity to the rule Of law
Nas IL not inconsistent with the rule Of law to
enueavol 70 overthrow record evidence by the
/ introduction Of parole evidence? This had been
| t ne ne,e. In all these reports one thing had
| neeh studi ously kept out Of view, and that was
.Ie appointment of assistant commissioners by the
! ngol 70 assist in executing this work. The
sPeaA9 believed he was not mistaken i'm saving
| .IaI one OF these assistant commissioners was
/ paced over the Commissioner himself.
,,% ~ f nee here suggested that the committee
ndu no' Deen appointed to investigate the law of
legged fraud
| Mr. Moore was aware Of that-it was clause
ne ma overlooked in the resol ution last Monday
| n,ght. lie had intended to have had it inserted
nu. was very strange procedure that the
| nnee mad confined the investigation to single
/ PoI"t, ana had let In such mass Of papers on
| numerous other points
! MI Moore went ON to state that he did not de-
e 70 nave any unnecessary excitement on this
SUBJECT; but large portion of the testimony indi-
| ceu 'ne high sentiments entertained by the CON-
| munity at large and the members of this Board
. Tt,a the gentleman from the Third Ward
| ms Ieter wnlch was read here tonight signed
| Dy members Of the Board comprising the Last
Ooanci, was, in his opinion inappropriately
g %s,h up, a, various Of its ,igners were now
| on ,he adoption Of this report. II looked TO him
a rnough those members had prejudged the case
Inc speaker had examined this matter i'm every
L a ~ tutouSu all lS various otdpe6,
ana was honestly satisfied that the bill had been
| muuLated aud altered. He had commenced the
idnvesigSnon endeavoring to overthrow the evil
| oeMe o. ais own senses. After making the dis
covery he had enclosed the bill to the chairman
| OF the committee without limiting i'm any manner
| 70 we discovery he had made Of the fraud; and
| on that very same day Mr. Thomas Miller had
couls 10 MIN, stating that he had discovered the
| muuIation The thing was manifestly apparent
| 70 each member Of the committee without their
converting or writing to each other upon the sub
1 yect- he sui thought the bill was mutilated II
~ds III possible for any reasonable person to over
| LOOK the alterations which were so apparent AS
| mere. he washed his hands Of all responsibility
| In ,he matter, and left 1t now with the Board
| MI ward here rose In his seat and stated that
| ne ola not desire to complain that his colleague
| thouSht him unfit to be member of this commit
| zee; Du' ne would take occasion here to saw in
| reply 70 The complaints Of the gentleman that he
naa not mad SUFFICIENT opportunity to Introduce
| tesumony before the committee that he had writ
zen a note to each member of the committee. i'm
| whch ne had enclosed the names of the witnesses
| whom he had desired 10 be summoned Inv the
committee; that he had been present i'm the corn
inlttee daring the investigation, cross examined
Il ~,