Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-06-20

upon IlHlit1l LcEaLLilElilalLulas upon Lar Ne-t
Indignation that could be obtained and upon the
best judgment could form; 70 defend myself for a.
king tie opinion Of an experienced engineer OF the
highest character, with the reasons for bis opinion
where I was called upon % give it only the weight
which due 70 it for the reasons he assigned q
otherwise to defend myself for the manner IN winch
have exercised the discretionary powers when II
was my duty to exercise according 70 my best 9uog
meat. In the responsible position which occupy
To all this, and much more, / am ready 70 respohe'
if those who have the power shall see 1T 70 give me
an opportunity in any Constitutional way
am, very respectfully, Your on't seTvL
Isaac T0UCEY Secretary Of the Navy
To Hon. Robert HArT0s, Chairman OF the Ooili-
mittee en- Naval Expenditure House Of hepresen-
tatives.
The Washington Constitution Of the 18th contains
history of the SHERMAN resolutions, which were
adopted bv the House Of Representatives on the I
18TH In the last Congress, says that paper, +" Mr.
SHERMAN preferred charges in reference to alleged
abuses in the Navy Department He asked for their /
investigation. His request was granted. A COM
nittee was appointed composed Of three Opposition
and two Democratic members. Witnesses whose |
testimony covers 1900 octave pages were brought
forward to sustain the charges. When the exam |
nation was concluded Mr. SHERMAN proposed resO
buttons Of censure Of the President and the secreta
ry OF the Navy, and the committee not only rejected
which were adopted. acquittng the President and
the Secretary of the Navy on all the charges and
declaring that nothing had been proved OF any sort
which affected in the remOtost degree the personal
honor or official integrity Of those high public fune-
tiouaries. The committee which had examined the
witnesses and had the best opportunity to Judge Of
their eredibiity ignored the SHERMAN Indictment and
practically condemned Mr. SHERNAN's resolutions by
adopting others of entirely opposite character.
Mr.. SHERGAN's malice was fOiled for the time bat
it still existed It is to be supposed that it &C
CURED intensity from its defeat The honest press
and honest public sentiment Of the country APPROX
ed the action of the committee in scouting the SHEER
NAN resolutions and commended their ample yindi-
cation of the President and Gov. TOUCEY.
The Thirty-sixth Congress met Mr.. SHERMAN
was the Black Republican candidate for the Speaker
ship. His infamous endorsement Of the HELPER book
rendered his election impossible All the " allies
dared not to endorse murder, seditiOn and arson
The plant and inexperienced old gentleman who now
occupies (not Jis) the Speakers chair elected
as the pis aler Of the Black Republicans That SHER
NAN was bitterly disappointed there cannot be
doubt His spite against the Democratic party be-
came acute. If he could not be Speaker, he knew
he could control the Speaker and make him do acts
which would enable him to crafty his malice while
he could not be held personally responsible. Thus
tine chairmanships of all the most important com
mttees were distributed among his cOsigners Of the
HELPER circular. The most unscrupulous partisan
ship directed the formation of all the committees
and on the special committees appointed to invest
| gate, or rather to trump up charges against the
President and his Administration, the most violent
enemies Of the accused were appointed With view
to the attainment Of the purpose which he achieved
on Wednesday Mr.. SHERMAN got himself put on the
Committee on Naval Expenditures,-at the tail end,
in the hope that the fact would escape observation,
did not appoint Mr.. BO0OCK who served on the COM
mittee in the last Congress and the only Demo
crat this House who was cognizant of the facts of
the previous investigation; appointed two Democratic
members who knew nothing of the circumstances,
and asked that his defeated resolutions Of the past
Congress be referred to this committee, and special
ly to himself as he was aware Of the facts. The
trick would probably have succeeded, had not Mr.
UNDERWOOD of Georgia promptly and ably exposed
it. while he asked to be excused from service on the
committee and that Mr.. BoCoCK be appointed in his
place.
1--WE exposed and denounced this iniquity at the
time and we believed that the condemnation Of it
was so universal that even SHERMAN would have had
the decency to abandon it. But, no, he persevered,
and on Wednesday last the exploded resolutions Of
last year, which former committee had condemn
ed as founded on charges which were unworthy of
belief were brought forward and passed by the
Black Republicans and their allies.
"Let it be remembered that the committee which
reported these resolutions never saw or heard one
of the witnesses on whose testimony they purport to
be based, and never gave those against whom they
are levelled an opportunity to be heard in their de-
fence. The only member of the committee (Mr.
BoCoCK) who examined the witnesses dissents now
as he did at the time from the whole proceeding,
and administered to Mr.. SHERMAN a Febuke under
which anybody less insensible to public reproach
and shame than he is, might well feel abashed.
Thus on charges already disprOYed, without
even the form of an inquiry, with no view to i'm
parchment or legislation Mr.. SHERMAN and his assO-
cates proceed to punish coordinate branch of the
Government and Cabinet officer over whom they
possess no CONTROL by the passage Of vote of cen
sure.
So reckless a violation Of law, so indecent a de-
znce of every principle of justice, so disgracefu
{ display of mean partisanship under disguise Of
official FORM have never before occurred in the his
bOlg Oh AllC Country Allc NAlOlG proceeding Is a
burning disgrace to those engaged in it and while
it cannot affect in the least those against whom it is
specially directed It must bring down on the heads
of its authors the indignant and scornfu cOndemna-
ton of every honest man who desires to execute
justice maintain truth and preserve the purity and
efficiency of our system of Government"
The Philadelphia Eueningi Journal, paper that
supports BELL and EVERETT in its issue of the 14th
has the following article in regard to the action of
the House Of Representatives in adopting the SHER-
MAN resolutions.
We invite attention to the letter of the Secretary
of the Navy, which we print to-day on our first
page 1t shows very clearly two tacts-tO wit, that
the proceedings instituted in the House Of RepTesen-
tatiyes on motion of Mr.. Sherman, were conducted
in most unfair manner regards the high officials
whose action in the exercise Of their constitutional
authority was pFOfesSedly made the subject of in
0uiry and secondly, that the pretended inVestiga-
ton instead Of being designed to elicit truth, with
view to correcting supposed abuses OF administra-
ton was really intended for nOOther purpose than to
excite public Indignation against two eminent tunc-
tiouaries of the Government, one means, among
many such, of making votes for the "Republican'
party in the coming Presidential election The fact
is as every unpreludiced and discerning man must
see that the present Republican" majority in the
House Of Representatives have employed their pow
er during this session Of Congress, chiefly in erpGe
inuuisitiOns into the conduct Of the President and
his Cabinet in which the inquestOrial committees
were packed with the enemies Of the accused parties,
whose action was so shaped to elicit every fact
that was likely TO discredit the Administration,
while every fact that would have been exculpatOry,
was suppressed. And all this was done, too, with
the foreknOwledge that, whatever the result Of the
in0uest might be- the parties originating it had the
mower BY final vote in the House, to pass and re-
| cord a sentence Of condemnation and with fore
gone purpose to give the whole proceeding that dam
ming issue The event, as exhibited IN the resolu-
tions Dassed Yesterday in censure of the President
and the Secretary of the Navy have consummated the
disign of the conspirators and the journals Of Con-
gress are again disgRaced with denunciatory
Judgement pronounced against the Executive OF the
nation bv partisan majority in one branch Of The
Federal Legislature against every principle Of Con-
sttutional right and power, and every rule Of Ord
nary judicial propriety and justice. Comment on
this shameful abuse of the power Of majority IN
a single chamber of Congress is unnecessary. Ii Is
a striking example of abuse in those who have set
themselves up as the special refOrmers OF abuses