Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-08-01
WE. DAVIS AND THE AssAsSINA-
TEON.

] NJ 1AEAs AA8 H1E As1-SSAQeA-
TEON.
The report Of the majority of the Judicia-
" Committee Of the House Of Representa-
tves upon the alleged completely Of JEF-
FERsoS DAVIS and others in the assassina-
ton Of President LINCOLN, was submitted
by Mr. boutwell,, on the last day Of the
session. It is voluminous and discursive.
If abounds in augmentation founded on
improbable inference, and is criminatory on
the grounds Of preteKt merely. 1t is a
bushel Of ehaff without a grain Of wheat.
The paper, from beginning to end, shows
/ that its authors were laboring 10 make out a
case without sufficient evidence. It il
despicable piece Especial pleading, inspired
by yindictive motive which is apparent
throughout. In default of being able to
discover one single fact to substantiate the
grave and terrible charge they were appoint
ed TO investigate, the trainers Of this report
have resorted to the collection Of any and
/ every frivolous statement in their reach as a
/ premise on which to base the weak, incense
quential, selfstultifying argument they have
| putforth against Messrs. DAVIS CLAY, THoNIP-
son and others. Intended, as il was, to- reju-
dicetheaccused before the courts whose inves-
LEGATION they have for months Unsuccessfully
sought, reading of this document will have
the contrary effect. No fair, impartial mind
can fail to detect the perversion of facts and
the fallacy Of reasoning which seeks to give
force to the presumptive evidence that the
high officials Of the government at Rich
mond we're in any manner conserving or
| privy TO the assassination of President Lin
coin. Upon the main and special subject
that this committee was appointed to exam
inc, there is not fact given, and the report
in the outset admits that they could not dis
cover one. 1t says:
While The eUidence thus furnished does not
bear directly upon the question submitted to the
cOn1Dsiaee it has been thought advisable to
lay it before Congress and the country, as
showing the brutal and inhuman policy of !
the men who instigated and guided the re-
bellion, and as being, in that particular, in
timately connected with the attempts that |
were made to burn the cities Of the North, |
to destroy its commerce on the rivers, lakes,
and the ocean, without regard to the loss Of |
life, and, finally, with the assassination of |
the President of the United States"
Failing TO find what they so eagerly sought |
for, the Committee ransacked the official |
papers captured at Richmond, and have ad- |
duced a number Of private letters from OBJ
scure and irresponsible individuals to Mr.. |
DAVIS and the heads of Departments of the |
Confederate government, proposing foolish |
and wicked projects, and every evidence that
they had passed under the eye of Mr.. DAVIS,
or Mr.. BENJAMIN, or Mr.. seldom, or Mr.. /
BREcKERIDGE, is paraded as proof that |
these gentlemen entertained, encouraged and |
abetted them. 1t is by this sort of testi-
mony and the fimsy logic it admits Of, that
this branch of the Star Chamber seeks to /
arraign Mr.. DAVIS before the world, and to |
procure his conviction before the courts as a |
suborner Of assassination. They make the
most Of it, and of the statement of every
vile and corrupt hireling that was brought
before them, but are compelled to conclude
their report with the following reference to |
the testimony which took the lives of Mrs
SURRATT HAROLD and others
When the committee entered upon this
investigation in April last, the evidence in
the War Department, if accepted rs true, /
was conclusive as 10 the guilt of JEFFERSON
DAVIS. The Judge Advocate General had
taken the afidavits of several persons who /
protested to have been in the service of the
rebel Government, and who had been present
at an interview between SUHRATT, DAVIS,
and BENJAMIN.
Those afhdavits were taken by the Judge
Advocate General in good faith, and in the
full belief that the atlantis we're stating that
only which was true.
The statement made by these witnesses
harmonizes in every important particular
with facts derived from documents and
other trustworthy sources.
The committee, however, thought it wise
to see and examine some of the persons
whose aflidavits had been taken by Judge
Holt. Several Of the witnesses when
brought before the committee retracted en-
tirely the statements which they had made
in their aiidavits, and declared that their
testimony rs giving originally was false in
every particular. They failed, however, TO
state 10 the committee any inducement or
consideration which seemed 10 the commit
tee reasonable explanation for the course
they had pursued.
And the committee are not at this time
able 10 say, as the result of the investiga-
tons they have made, whether the original
statements of these witnesses are true or
false, but the retraction made by some of
them deprives them of all claim to credit
and their statements so far impeach or
throwed out upon the evidence given by
other witnesses whose afidavits were taken
by Judge Holt, that the committee in the
investigations they have made in the report,
have disregarded entirely the testimony Of
all those persons whose standing has been 50
impeached.
Mr. DAVIS has been aprisoner since May
1866. Mr.. Clay whose personal veracity is
impeached in this report, voluntarily snr-
rendered himself for trial. Both Of them
have anxiously demanded to be put upon
the country, under the forms Ct law, as to
their guilt or innocence Of all charges made
AAuAlANk AAANlAA ANA hAllN ANa11AAH AA9AANN mas
been delayed. The attempt of Congress to
interfere with the course. Of law will not
injure their cause when they come TO be
heard before pureand upright court. The
government should do its duty and see that
they are awarded a trial free from preju-
dice; and with the result, Mr. DAVIS "and
others" will be willing to take their place
before the Judgment of mankind beside ether
traducers Of high or low degree.
ROBBING THE PEOPLE, AND PUT
TING THE MONEY IN THEIR OWN
POCKETS.
During the last hours Of the session, says
the Albany, n. Y, Argus the members Of
Congress voted 10 double their salaries, and /