The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1869-02-03

quit lail Where IL UciOn5S Even innocent
Senators should wish to have these facts
| laid beforcthe public. He had no wish to
injure or in way affect that. unhappy man,
bur it was duty lie owed his constituents
to lay before them the facts tha. they might
know who was guilty, and the fair
fame of the honest be vindicated
| This was his only motive. He did
not wish to make a party matter of
this unhappy circumstance and did not
charge it on party. There was no retaliation
/! about this n,atter-lIe wished to injure
none. but he wanted the whole truth Of the
case laid before the Senate and the people.
We owed it to the people of this State
that the charges which day after day and
week after week have been spread over the
! thirty-siy States of this Union should know
that the charges were false and that they
who make them were unable to prave them
after being given every opportunity, and
were not themselves as innocent as we could
wish. 1t would be neither right nor just to
cover up guilt but we shuld publish the
facts to the world that it might be known
who were guilty and who innocent. When
this was done he had nothing further to say
and the Senate could do as it pleased but
he would never do his constituents the
wrong to conceal from them facts that they
should know. He was glad these charges
made so proudly and arrogantly had failed.
| Mr.. SWEET hoped no discussion of the
merits of the case would take place.
The CHAIR said that discussion of the
merits of the case and the weight of the
| evidence was in order t,ast
Mr.. SWEET considered that the evidence
! ,ntr ctatn fL.,c oh
Mr.. WELKER said that was a matter for
the Senate to Judge. If it did, then the re-
port aohich said IL did not must he changed.
If the Senator from Craven could prove the
charges, as he had pledged his wor,l he
could, let him do it, let the guilt fall upon
whom it might. He had no partisan feel
ings to make him desire to cover up any
guilt that might be found to exist. He did
not, however, consider that the charges had
been made good. Those who made these
charges, and have kept the General Assem-
bly, under cruel suspension day after day
and week after week, had granted us no
mercy. We had begged for it and had not
received it. All we asked now was that the
| whole matter be made public, that the
whole world may see the innocence of their
suffering body
Mr.. ROBBINS said gentlemen were talking
about mercy, and showing him mercy. He
did not ask mercy, but cOmmon-sense JUS
tice.
Mr. JONES requested that the resolution
upon which this committee had been created
might be read, that it might be seen what
the charges were and whether they had been
proved.
The charges were read.
Those of Mr.. Sweet were directed to frauds
alleged to have been committed in relation
to the Chatham railroad. Those of Mr..
Robbins were based upon newspaper reports
of fraud, bribery and corruption, of which
the General Assembly was alleged therein
To he guilty and demanded an investigation
that the good name of the General Assembly
might be vindicated.
Mr. JONES said that when these resolutions
were first introduced by the Senator from
Craven, and the substitute of the Senator
from Rowan adopted in their place, he had
supported them. But upon the solemn assn
rance of the Senator from Craven that ht
was able to convict members of the Genera
Assembly of having received dollars and
cents for their votes. he had supported the
investigation, and he was happy to say that
given every chance to prove the truth of his
assertion. 1t was now proved that he knew
nothing. The resolution offered by Mr.
Sweet was directed against the Chatham
railroad, scheme he had been active in aid
ing. He (Mr. Jones) had known, of almost
all the workings of that scheme, and thought
if there had been anything improper going
on he should have seen 1t and said so at thu
time. When the substitute was introduced
by the Senator from Rowan and accepted
by the Senate, from Craven, the Senator
from Northampton had demanded why such
grave charges were made upon no basis ex
cept newspaper reports. The Senator from
from Craven had jumped up and replied
that the charges were true, and that he coult
point his finger and locate fraud. FRAUD
had now been proved somewhere else, and
he wanted those Who were found guilty tc
suffer. The Senators from Rowan and era
ven by making these charges had done moro
to injure the credit of the State than any
thing else He could have expected an at
tempt to injure the Republican party ant
| the present government of the State from
the Senator from Rowan, because he was o
an opposite party
Mr.. ROBBINS would deny any intention t.
injure anybody. The object of his resolution
was to vindicate not to injure the Genera
Assembly.
Mr. JONES had said it might have beef
expected of the Senator from Rowan, be
cause he was of the opposition. 1t nigh
reasonably be expected of him as u partisan
hut when those charges came from Senate
who might be called a leading Republican
and were made in cooperation with lead
ing member of the opposition party, it wa:
to say the least, very strange.
Mr.. SWEET contended that the resolutio
did not charge the General Assembly wit
fraud or corruption.
Mr.. ETHERIDGE called for the reading q
the oath by which the committee had undel
taken these duties.
1.-THE form was not in the Chamber, bu
Mr.. Winstead stated it to be to investigat
Ill things fairly, and without fear or favor
and to report all things that came to thei
knowledge.
Mr.. JONES had heard it intimated that i
this matter was referred back to the com
mittee, some more evidence would be elici
ted. II so, he should vote in favor of til
resolution to recommit He wanted tn
General Assembly purged of every kind o
corruption wherever found. The Senate
from Craven had assured him privately sew
eral times that he was able to point GU
where votes had been sold for dollars an
! cents in bills for money appropriations ant
he had failed to make good his
! Mr.. SWEET denied that he had ever mad
such assertions; he was misrepresented. H
| wanted the report printed, and would pre-
| sent the argument of the evidence as it OF