Wilmington journal., 1869-02-12

leading member of the committee re-
osts that the committee shall not be dis
qrod and the report shows that the
Is of Justice may have been defeated by
.bo failure of these witnesses to attend
NJ doubt exists that strong suspicious resi-
W. IN certain capitalists in this State. Ii
~ have influenced this Legislature let
sn inow it, What objection can there be
80 fall. fair and impartial Investigation
r. tbess men are innocent, this 1nvestlga'
!;on of the facts will but the more trium'
.Tontly yindicate their characters. But il
ttho very yitals of the old North State are
Icing preyed upon by Shylocks, is it not
t;me that the representatives of the people
shonld wake up to this matter ? This
c3mmittee, by asking its own discharge,
cannot influence the action of this
House. We should consult IL the
Great interest of the people. The
report of the Committee is the strongest
nvidence of the necessity Of the contlnu-
once of this matter. They show very un-
nsuaI transaction in reference TO SlOO,ooo
in bonds. They show many strange ac-
tions of officials. Why not throw open
tbn doors and have complete and trlum-
pbant Investigation?
HTr Estes said that the report did not
how that any witnesses refused to appear,
Int that one or two failed to attend. If
nnv gentleman at all interested, shonld re-
",nest in Justice to himself to postpone ac-
tion upon this report he Mr.. Estes would
certainly be willing to grant such request,
rn But as the case stood at present he
saw no good reason why the report of the
Committee should not be at once concur
red in.
Messrs. Pou and Stilley were opposed to
continuance of the Committee, and were
in favor of concurring In the action OF the
Senate.
Mr. Malone again took the floor In OPP
ncsition to the motion to discharge the
Conmittee. He had understood that
Senator Sweet asks that it might be con-
tinuei He hoped that measures would
he taken to compel the presence Of those
absconding witnesses before the commit
tee, &c. He moved to postpone action an
iii Friday next.
J. H. Harris, of Wake, colored. said
Senator Sweet had openly declared in his
seat that he could prove his charge in five
minutes. Now five minutes; five days yes
five weeks had been granted, and yet the
charges are not made good. He knew the
two men who Senator Sweet had in his
minds eye, when he made those declara-
tions and these men were Mr.. Stevens, Of
Craven and Senator Robbins Now the
report of the Committee shows 40 guilt
attached to Mr. Stevens, and as tie Senate
refusing to expaI Mr. Robbins, declares
that no guilt is fastened upon him, there
fore Senator Sweet has failed as far as those
two gentlemen to prove anything. Now
Senator Sweet had himself signed the re-
port, asking TO be discharged, &c. He
hoped the motion to concur would prevail.
Mr.. Hodnett said that man, who had been
SO abused in his having, tO-wit, Mr.. Sweet,
instead of being injured by such re-
proaches, would and did, command the
respect and admiration of the people for
his noble effort to vindicate the Legislative
integrity of the State.
Now while he (Mr. Hodnett) did not
make any charge upon any member of this
Assembly, yet he felt almost certain that
there has been an immense amount of cor
ruption, not confined to the inside of this
Legislature solely, but parties outside have
influenced legislation by money cOnsidera-
tions. The report of the corruptness of
this Assembly had gone abroad among the
people, and he felt that he labored in COM
mon with others under the stigma, there
fore in Justice to himself and other honest
men wished the matter..to be sifted thor
oughly to its bottom, &c.
Mr.. Pou again took the floor and said
Ia view of the case, can 1t serve any USE
ful purpose to continue the existence of the
Joint Committee.
The Committee itself asks to be dis
charged IF il has made full and COM
ilete Investigation, it ought to be discharged
as requested. If it has not made full and
complete Investigation, it is either because
of its unwillingness or it's incompetency to
40 SO, it ought to be discharged, and if it
need be, new Committee raised.
The evidence taken before the Commit
tee is now published to the General Assem-
bly, and to the people of the State. That
evidence may serve as basis for future In
yestigation by some Committee, to be
hereafter appointed.
Whenever need appears for that future
Committee, shall vote to raise it and to
give it the ample powers which voted to
give the present Committee.
Mr.. Ingram said he was in favor of rails
ing the Committee, but believing that the
Committee can do no more on account of
the absence of important witnesses, he was
in favor of their discharge. But there is
an uneasiness in and out of this Legisla-
ture that all is not right. and it will take
more than wholesale denunclatlon to de-
stroy the character of Senator Sweet in the
esumatlOn OF all parties VINO desire the
good of North Carolina.
After some further debate the question
recurred upon Mr.. Malone's motion to
postpone, which was put to a vote and lest.
The question recurring upon Mr.. Estes
notion. Mr.. Malone called for the yeas
and nays.
The call being sustained, resulted in the
following ballot
YEAs-Messrs Allison, Ames, Ashworth, Blair,
Caroy, colored Davidson, Estes, Forkner. Fos-
ter. Franklin Gahagan, Gibson, Graham, Grier,
Glnter, Harris, of Wake, cOlOred, Hayes, Hen
Gricks, Hodgin, Horney, Hugings, Justus, o.
Henderson, Justice, of Rutherford, Kelly, of Da-
vie, Kelly, of Moore, Kinney, Long, of Chsthan,
Long, of Richmond, Mayo, colored, McCanless,
Mcmillan, Morrill,, Pearson, Pou, Proffitt, Rag
land, Benfrow, Robinson, Reynolds, Seymour ST.
mOnds, Snipes, Stilley, Vest, Walrop, White, Will
hanson, colored, Wilson and Wiswan.
NAys- -Messrs. Boddie, Carson, C4wthorn, COL
0red, Cherry, colored, Harris, Of Franklin, Hicks,
High, Hinnant, Hodnett, Leary, colored, Malone
Aendenhall, Moore, Price, colored, Siegrist,
Smith. of Allegheny, Smith, OF Wayne, Sweat, col
ored, Sykes, colOred, Welch Wilkie, and Will
Lams of Harnett.
On motion the House adjourned until
tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock.
CENATLH