The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1866-09-08

Hon. 4. j. Rogers, aud members of
the Judiciary Committee, to which was
referred an investigation as to what COM
plicity, if any, jefferson Davis, Clement
Z. Clay, George n. Sanders, and others
had in the assassination of Mr.. Lincoln,
on Saturday made the following minority
report to the House of Representatives +:
When | entered upon the duties of this
Investigation, / did so with deep sense
of the Importance, difficulty, and delicacy
of the task imposed upon the committee.
The Government, by the offers of enor-
nous rewards and the wording of its
proclamations, spread over the land n be-
lief that Clement G Clay, George n.
Sanders, Jefferson Davis, and others
were, or might he, implicated in the as
sassination of the late President Abraham
Lincoln. The historic importance and
record of the accused were of character
to make the truth of this charge dis
grace, not only to any one particular sec
ton of the country, but to the whole OF
it; and the additional crimes thereafter
I imputed to them were of that awful ma
ture which, when they are committed by
men who have sat in its high places,
blacken the civilization of the nation in
which they were trained and preferred
On the other hand, if it should turn
out that those charges had been lightly
made, and without satisfactory evidence
rs to a probability of their truth, the
Government so solemnly making them
must needs suffer in the esteem of all
good men, As being lacking in GOODNESS
during general excitement, and as shar-
ing fear which it was its province to dis
pei.
i Knowing the entire unreliability of any
testimony whose origin cannot be traced
beyond professional detective, especially
when large rewards stand out in placard-
ed prospective determined, as far as in
me lay, to give to every shred ofevidence
; presented as thorough au examination n.
, might be capable of bestowing upon it
and this spirit, with no desire TO convict
or acquit capable of mastering my wish
to educc the truth, tried to ascertain it
and this report is the result of the effort
For some reason or reasons not fully
stated, the majority of the committee de
termincd to throw in my way every posi-
bic impediment, not only in any assistance
might try to render them in what
. considered a common task upon Us by th'
House, but even in my working out any
conclusion for myself. when it becam,
evident that in this thing they not only
would have none Of my assistance or fel
lowship, but resented deeply any attempt
i of mine to render any.
| felt | must work out my own con
victions, not with the committee, but il
-IsPiteNof it. The papers we're put away
from me, locked in boxes, hidden; ana
when asked to see them, vas. told
day after day, and week after week, tha
| could not. All sorts Of reasons were
assigned for this, sometimes one, some
nmes another; and, finally, was told,
ishouh not.
| The House will recollect brought th'
matter before it, and that the Speake
decided | was not entitled to see the pa
, Ipers on which my opinions, as member 0
that committee, must be based, till sucl
time as the other members Of the com
r mittee chose TO allow me, by saying the.
), were done with them and it was not I'll
twelve o'clock yesterday that was allow
ed freely to look through them and deriy
= any knowledge, based upon examination
for the purposes Of this report. 1t wa
said the interests of the Government re
quired that none should see these paper
save and only Mr. Boutwell,. the hOnora
BILE member from Massachusetts,, who wa
> preparing the majority report. ] felt hui
at this, but should not have alluded
this strange action on the part Of tn
committee but that it was necessary
'' explain any lack of brevity and clearne'
that may be apparent in portions, or
the whole, of this report, which, avail
: ing the right to see the papers, or rathe
the power, did not commence till tc
late. If, therefore, this report be longe
than 1t need to have been, or if it be le'
clear than such report ought to be, tn
cause must be found in those reason
which induced my colleagues of the con
= mittee to endeavor to keep me in tt
dark till it was too late for me to use tt
light.
l. AS the members Of the committee al
members of this House, will not presun
to say they had any fear of an investlg
ton of their doings in their examination
As they are gentlemen, and bound
that character not to hide the truth,
IN any part of it, will not say that the
kept me in the dark to the last hour
prevent my making any report at all b
oc this must cay, In justice to myself, tn
had they allowed me to use the usu
privileges from which they excluded IN
e. this report would have been of more be
.ly eft to the cause of justice and of tru
to than [ can now hope to make it.
should also have accompanied the dedu
" tions Of this report with ampler extrac
2S of the testimony, showing conclusive
the existence and fostering, the hirir
and the paying, of the most wicked col
or. bination of perjurers the world has ev
N known.
in The main portions of the testimoI
alleged to connect Mr.. Davis and othe
with the assassination of Mr.. Davis we
nd all taken in the absence of Mr.. DAY
- and of any counsel for him and of al
Ds @ person capable of cross-examining al
explaining the testimony. In the wor
of the late Attorney General, "Mt
,re Of the evidence upon which they a
based was obtained er pdrte, without I
tice to the accused, and whilst they we
apt in custody in military prisons. Thc
publication might wrong the Cover