, 1863-12-18
PROCEEDINGS CT CONGRESS-.


MrILL.E, of Now Hs,nphire, rose to a privi-
legged question. He desired to send to the
Clerks dusk, to be read, q newspaper para
graph, charging With lA;bery Senator from
View Encland, in securing the release for the
sum Of s, 600 ct TWO prisoners from the old
capitol. From information received from
Senator, he mas led to believe .thct he {Hale)
was the person alluactito. He wished to make
statement Of facts or which the charge
WAS based i1r. Hale ttcn ct some length
explained that he had acted as counsel for
these persons, and that previous to doing SO
.e had asked the advice Of Hon. Reyerly
johnson, and others, if Re could consistently
legal adviser Ut tie cboyc mentioned parties.
ue Vas ass1rcd Ac cou1l, and that there ex-
listed ro reason Why he sloEld nor. Hon.
,Nevcrdy johnson Stated to him that he was
himself engaged in such cases almost daily.
Under ta:e=c circEmstances be had ,ac.ed for
The l,ristners. He tHa.cl then stated the
facts of tie case, &nd Concluded by saving, Il
there VAS bribery, or Gyen indelicacy, it Nas
not done inadvertently but alyisedly and with
tcntiouE ic]ineration ..
Slr. JOHNSON OF Nd, remarked that he
recollccted distinctly t;.at Mr.: Hale called CO
him as stated, and reported the conversation
materially as stated IN answer to Ills {Hale's)
from acting as counsel for person charged
tclcre ccnrtmnrtial with fraud. He {John-
sou) said he eas1- no legal impediments in
the way, or eren indcl!cacy. What he
fHalc> ha6 done Wss no doubt done in coasc,.
qEence Of this opinion. Senators do not
cease to be lawyers i called upon for pro
ftseio1al services. Hc saw no difficulty in
complying unless the services involved the
neglect Ct public Gutics.. Ee{I Iohnson) had re-
EcatcdIyactsl himself upon this assumption.
The only question flat can arise il, Is there
any law prohibiting. 1t? There was law
prohibiting Senators from prosecuting claims
against tue Government before the Court of
Clafms., He believed that some law express.
u excepted cases pending before the Courts.
One las right to so before any other Court
in the United 6tates. It was. not the inten-
ton Of the law to prevent a lawyer prnc-
ticing in Ills profession. If case Of fraud
in contracts Is brought before Il military
has no right, because he is member Of Con-
gress, to refuse lis services any more than
he wculd in 4 capital case in the civil Court.
Mr. HALE submitted the following resolu-
ton, which was agreed to:
-EeS9reI, Tint the Committee on Judiciary be
Der otth,s Eody Il connection with the case Of one
Hunt. chlrEel With crime by the direction Of the
War Department, has been guilty OF any eondnct
inconsistent @ w1t1 MS 81 drty as Senator and that
The following resolution submitted by Mr..
WADE Of Ohio, Was agreed to:.
Etsoirtd: That Secretary Marcy be directed te
dispatches md papers Il The NaEy. Department,
relating to actions In which any OF the armed yes-
scle h2vkbee engaged.
On motion Of Mr.. LANE. Of Kansas, it was
resolved that the committee on post offices
snd post roads be instructed to inquire into
the propricty Of establishing what he now
knows as the new military road from Law
zeEcc to Fort Scott as post road
NFr TAME iufrc1nrp5 q hill IN nrror,f lind
to the citizens Of Kansas to indemnify them
On motion of Mr.. sPRAGUE, of Rhode
1slnnd, tie bounty Pay bill was taken up and
ze-committed to the Committee on Military
Affairs.
A document was presented from the sccre-
tary Of tic Treasury communicating the re-
ECrt Of Prot. A. D. Bache for the year ending
Nov. 1ft, 1858, and the report of Thomas
Brown, agent Of the Treasury Department in
California.
Tie resolution Of the House for IN adjourn
spt 1 9s{'E shFhsSH tsEsS up F. oh,o norca 70 amend
the bill by' striking out the words *.this
House adjourn" and Inserting "thc two
houses Of Congress-" Carried.
On motion Of Mr. SHERMAN Of Ohio, 1t
wns voted to. postpone the consideration Of
the resolution to Tuesday next. Yeas 81,
He following message was received from
tho President:
NEeeAEE OF TIE PRESIDENT
Herewith I lag before you letter addressed to
mysclf ty Committee Of gentlemen representing
the Ftect,men's Society in Boston, New York,
Philadelphia and Cincinnati. The subject Of the
letter as indicated nborc, is one Of great magui-
tude and importance, and one which these gentle
men Of known ability and high station eeem to
have considered with care. Not having time to
form mature Judgment ofmy own a. tt. whether
any plan they may suggest is the best, I submit
the whole subject to Congress, deeming their at
tensIon thereto Is almost tmperatiyely demanded
{slsneD AnRAnAx LINCOLN.
Mr. FO0TE, moved that when the Senate
adjourn 1t adjourn till Monday next Lost.
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