The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1867-07-24
A Congressional Commission Ben
Butler Delighted.

A Congressional Commission Ben
Butler Delighted.
That amiable and excellent man, Cen
eral Benjamin T. Butler, is delighted. A
little boy, with o new hobby-horse, could
not be more so. The reason Of it We will
proceed to state: 1t has long been his
opinion that the affair which took place at
Ford's Theater, in Washington, a little
over two years ago, which resulted in the
death Of Abraham Lincoln, had not been
sufficiently investigated. We have had, it
is true, q Military Commission, which sat
several months, looking into it, and which
hung four persons for being privy to the
murder. It was called under the auspices
Of those distinguished legal and political
lights, Secretary Stanton and Judge advo-
cate Holt, and it was ornamented by such
military heroes as General Hunter and
Lew Wallace, and it had the invaluable
assistance inferreting out the truth Of Chief
Detective Baker, and his aid and lieu
tenant, Conover; and its deliberations
were directed by the acute and sagacious
Bingham. We have now civil Court in
Washington in the same business, which
promises to set quite as long as it's dis
tinguished predecessor. But somehow or
other this does not satisfy Butler. He
wants the subject spproached from another
direction and looked at in new light
the Military Commission and the Military
Bureau, who have. done their best, he de-
sires to eclipse by the superior brilliancy of
q Congressional committee, of which he is
to be the head. He thus, by resolutions,
which were adopted by the complacent
House, says:
Whereas, No information of all the facts
and circumstances connected with the as
sassination of the late lamented President
Of the United States has been had by any
competent authority tending to show who
were the persons engaged in the conspiracy
to do the acts, its inducements, its objects,
its instruments and means Of accomplish
ment; and
Whereas, As such investigation can not
be fully had not on account Of the Justice
trying one or more of the conspirators in
single Issue, trammeled with questions of
admissibility Of evidence confined to the
issue. !.
After hanging several persons for the
crime, it is rather stunning to be informed
by the House "tllat we don't know who
were the persons engaged in the conspira-
cy, or what were the inducements under
which they acted! In order to find the
whole thing out it is necessary to have
tribunal that not be "trammeled" by any
such little thing as the reception Of legal
testimony! Now, it was never thought
that the Military Commission allowed it.
self to be "trammeled" in that respect. and
if Buffers committee can beat it on that
line it will be an astonishing achievement.
The work marked out BY Butler for his
committee is thus stated.
Be il further res0lred, That, as the
crime to be investigated is ola most helm
GUS and unprecedented character, and is be-
lieved to hare included in its plan and per-
petration many persons holding high posi-
tons Of power and authority, because Of
civil officers who were acting through in
ferior persons as their tools and Instruments,
and as such persons may be prevented
from giving evidence because ofliability
to punishment for participation in such
conspiracy therefore, to open oil sources
Of evidence the committee shall be en-
powered to report bill granting grace
and amnesty, according to- parliamentary
usages, to any persons having cognizance
Of such conspiracy not already put on trial
and convicted Of completely therein, who
shall give material and faithful evidence
tending to bring to light facts Of said con.
spiracy; and that, in the Judgment Of his
House, no person in whose favor said
report shall be made ought to be brought
to trial on any evidence given BY him to
the committee against such persons on the
day Of trial.
The Speaker subsequently announced the
Special Committee as follows; Messrs.
Butler, Shellabarger, Julian, Ward and
Randall.
Now we shall get to the bottom Of this
mystery. 1.-THE murder is not traced to-
JEFF. Davis or to johnson, or to both Of
them, it will not be the fault Of the COM
mittee, They have got the thing so pre-
pared that they can grant abso!ution to any
future Conover who may come forward to
testify. Under the thumb-screw Of this
beautiful continuance we may look for the
hardest kind Of case against Davis and
johnson, and the Lord knows how many
others, for in its action, as we have shown,
it is not "trammeled" by any old foolish
legal forms and observances, nor By any
wants Of the public money! Cincinnati
ENQUIRER. "a; fs.- ~