Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-06-11
TILE RrTIrR INoUISTTION

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THE BUTLER INQUIsTTION.
The question has repeatedly been
asked Why Butler did not call before him
Mr.. Hugh j. Hastings, who has publicly
demanded hearing We do not believe
that he has yet been summoned; but we
find in the New York Sun the following,
which may account for the hesitation of
Butler to bring this witness forward:
at is reported from Washington that
Gen. Buffers committee have summoned
Hugh J Hastings 10 testify with regard to
the alleged impeachment corruption; but
Mr.. Hastings has not yet received their
subpoena. He openly regrets its failure TO
arrive, and declares himself anxious to APP
pear and testify. We are, of course, not
aware what his testimony will really be;
but il can be proved that he positively and
publicly afirms that be is not only ready
10 swear that all his efforts in Washington
were in favor Of conviction, but that Mr..
WooIley told him that the whiskymen were
not able 10 raise money TO help the Presi-
dent, because 'they had been obliged to
pay so damnedly to Butler and other promi-
nent members of the House TO keep the
whisky tax at two dollars" The fact that
Mr.. Hastings proposes to give evidence of
this sort is another reason why he should
be summoned in reality and speedily. He
performed a conspicuous part in the tele-
grams which have been published; and if
he presumes to circulate reports Of an inju-
rious nature respecting members Of the
committee, we do not see how they can
afford to postpone his examination under
oath for single day"
There are other witnesses whose testi'
mony would be equally damaging to the
Radicals, but they have not been sum-
moned Among them, Gen James B.
Steedman, who has openly defed the
managers to summon him to testify; in
timating strongly that it does not at all
accord with Mr.. Buffers aims to know,
officially, the things which might be
learned from Mr. Steedman. The fact
that this challenge is tamely borne by
gentleman usually so eager for the fray
as Mr.. Butler, is of itself startling But
this failure to summon witnesses who
profess TO be in possession of important
facts touching the corruption Of members
Of Congress, is not all. Gen. Butler is
chargedwith suppressing and otherwise
tampering with the testimony of wit
nesses. For example, the Boston Posts
Washington correspondent says of the
examination Of Cornelius Wendell;
"Buter produced private telegram
signed G. W. and inquired of the witness il
thattelegram was his. Wendelldeclinedt 10
answer, and Butler threatened to send him
TO keep company with Woolley. Il have no
fear Of that, General one elephant at a
time Is as many as you care 10 have on
hand. Besides, if ! tell anything, / shall
tell all know. Do you wish me to do 50,
GeneralY Here the witness gave General
Butler a significant look, and the manager
promptly replied that he had no further
questions to ask him, and that IL the man
ayers should want him again they would
send for him. Manager Logan was present,
but remained SILENT not venturing TO inslst
on the witness telling all he knew"
1t is remarkable that the House of
Representatives has taken no notice of
this intimation that Mr.. Wendell was
possessed of fact the development of
which would be damaging to Butler.
When Butler gave in his report Of
the evidence taken, synopsis of
the testimony Of Thurlow Weed, he
left certain blanks which that
gentlemen felt constrained to fiji up in
card to the public, and from which it APP
pears that the Astor House gs on
which Mr.. Woolley is so persistently re-
ticent referred to an etfer supposed to
have come from Senator Pomery to sell
to the Presidents friends three votes, his
own and those of Senators Nye and Tips
ton, for thirty thousand dollars Mr.
Pomeroy has not denied Mr.. Weeds
statement, yet Buffers inquisition has
not had Pomeroy, Nye and Upton before
them to testify as to their readiness to
to sell out In letter 10 Gov. Koerner, of
Illinois, Senator Trumbull, a gentleman
who weighs his words well, and never
commits himself to important statements
without strong evikonce for them, says
"The stories about corruption or inn
proper motives influencing any Republican
20 vote against conviction are, of course,
false. All The pressure. and il was very
great-more than you know oe-was on the
other side, a. an investigation, If one is
ever had, will show. But for outside
pressure 1 think 40 such vote As thirty
i've could have been obtained for convic-
zion on the eleventh article
This terrorism Of party having been
exerted to aid the impeaehers in their
efforts to break up the government, it is
no part Of the Butler inquisition to bring
the hight and expose its eorrupting inAu,
ence. The amount of corruption en-
ployed by the impeachers to carry their
infamous project would astonish the
people beyond measure if it could be
brought to light, and hence the studied
effort of Butler and his co-eonspirators to
cover up their own misdeeds By dis
play Of the petty tyranny they have
visited upon Mr. WooIley, and refusal
to allow Democrats to be placed on the
Investigation committee with themselves
a COMMUNICATIONS, yindicatory of Prss-
ident Burns in the matter Of the Norths
western railroad imbroglio, is necessa-