The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-07-06
The Umpsschmen, Invs.,iga.ien Report.

from the committee appointed to investigate
the alleged corruption in connection with the
impeachment trial has at length been made
The committee conclude from the evidence
that improper influences were used to influ-
ence the votes Of Senators in favor of acquit-
tai. Testimony is adiuced to show that Gen
eral T. w Egan bet bat" about the LIST of
April, that the seven Republican Senators
VINO af .erwards did SO vte, would vote for &C
quittal, and won it. Much space is devoted 70
=" the Chase movement SO caIlet," which refers
to very stupid effort on the part OF Perry
Fuller, Edmund Cooper and some others to
buy Senator Pomeroy's vote, in which forging
his name to letters was one of the most bril-
liant points of the plan. Mr.. Ralph w. New
ton testfes that 100000 were raised for the
President by Mr.. William III. Appleton 0
New York, aided by Collector Smythe and
that considerable sums were raised among
persons employed by the government ostensi-
bly, to pay the counsel fees.
The matter of Senator Henderson's vote is
entered into at some length The only fact of
Importance which appears, and this has been
already stated, is that Mr.. Henderson had ex-
pressed his intention to vote for conviction on
the eleventh article Or resign, only the night
before the vote was taken. The committee
do not here suggest any explanation of the
sudden change, but by following it closely
with an account OF and testimony in regard
to Wooley's dinner and the sudden visit of
Collector Smythe to Washington they leave to
be inferred what is their own opinion in regard
TO the matter. ,.,.
The committee next briefly touch Senator
Fowler OF Tennessee, showing by the testi-
mony of several members of the Union Con-
gressional Committee, in card that has been
already published, that MIR. Fowler, January
10th, spoke at a meeting of the committee and
urged the impeachment of the President.
More attention is paid to Senator Ross. Mr..
James G. Blunt testifies 10 the fact that Mr..
Ross declared his intention to vote for con-
viction as late as eleven o'clock ON the 18th
of May. Mr.. Sumner testifies that when the
trial was about half over, Mr.. Ross declared
voluntarily that he was for conviction. Sena-
tor Pomeroy's testimony is quite interesting.
Five days before the Saturday when the vote
was taken he met Mr. Ross, whom he found in
conversation with Senator Trumbull in the
room of the Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate.
Soon after Mr.. Pomeroy went in Mr.. Trumbull
retired, and the two Kansas Senators held
conversation which Mr.. Pomeroy thus de-
scribes:
[Mr. Pomeroy exhibited paper.l
O. IL. What is that paper? A. 1t is a list of
the Senators as prepared by the Senate; and ON
this lisl ha i put down the articles that Hhad
made up my mind to vote Tor and several 9TH
er Senators had done the same voluntarily.
From my previous Conversations | HAD also
put down several articles which / supposed
Mr.. Ross would vote for; and now came TO
see if was right. Those articles. 50 far as
they related to Mr.. Ross, were the first, secoud,
hid, eighth and eleventh. / showed at that
time Mr.. Ross this paper, and he looked at the
whole list and saw how all the Senators, so far
Is they were known then, had decided to
vote. [ then asked him if those fig
ures were right SO far as related to himstl ,
He said they were right with the exception
of the eighth; he had his doubts in re gard to
The eighth; he was undecided. / said, then,
taking my pencil, if he was not entirely
clear l would draw a circle around the eighth
which did, as it now appears on the paper
L then asked him in closing ii, the eighth be-
ing erased, it was then right, as he would
vote. He SAID it was. L then asked several
other Senators that 1 was in doubt about
and they all gave ma their answers very
freely and very pleasantly, and put down the
articles they had decided to vote for, and
those they had decided to vote against. Til
was not al completed that day, but it was
completed before the day of the vote.
4 The following from the testimony OF the
same Senator as to the opinions of Senator Van
Wrinkle is nearly all relation to him:
@. ldesire to ask you if Senator Van Win
kle said anything TO you as to his opinion or
vote on the articles of impeachment before the
vote vas taken ON the eleventh article? A.
He did on two occasions, ii not more. Within
a day or two after the opinions of the senators
had been given, Senator Van Wrinkle told me
that he was preparing written opinion in fa-
vcr of conviction on the eleventh article and
some others. He said be had no doubt about
1t.
@. Did he tell you he had prepared an opin-
ion? A. He said be was preparing one in
writing. He showed some manuscript in his
drawer, which he said was what he was pre-
pairing. Si loi.
@. How did he say he should vote? A. He
said his mind was to vote for conviction on the
eleventh article, and was preparing an opin-
Q. Did he say anything about any other
article? A. think he did; but he did not
speak so clearly and decidedly in regard to
that. efE = -t.ss
The concluding testimony is to the effect
that the money which Van Valkenburg swore
he deposited in the hotel safe on the night Of
Mr.. Wooley's intoxication, was in his pocket
at the Astor House in New York three days
later, and there is also discrepancy ola thous-
and dollars in the amount sworn to have been
so deposited. The report comes to the follow
leg conclusions: @
Your committee did not feel it necessary to
probe this mass of corruption any further, and
would apologize for deyoting so much atten-
ton to it in their report, save that it exhibits
the quality OF the men who were the devoted
friends of President johnson, the COMPANIONS
and aids Of his counsel to procure his acquittal
and toll the justice of the nation.