Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1870-05-20
THE GEORGIA INVESTIGATION.
THE CHARGES OF BRIBERY.
Report Of the Senate Judiciary Com
mittee.

mittee.
The Committee on Judiciary Of the Senate,
who were instructed by that body on the 18th of
April last to inquire and report as to whether
any improper attempts had been made to inf u
epce the votes of Senators on the Georgia bill
then pending, reported TO the Senate yesterday
afternoon. The report is signed By Senators
Ir1mbull, Edmunds, Conkling, Carpenter. and
Thurman. They state that they have had much
difficulty in ascertaiuHg facts BY reason of the
unwillingness OF several parties who were in a
position to know the truth Of matters about
which they were interrogated to disclose the
facts within their knowledge.
The first witness examined was Hon. James
hughes, formerly member of the House of
Representatives from indiana, who testified
that man named Porter called on him and in
formed him that sic, 900 in railroad bonds would
be ''put up" to secure the vote OF Senator Car
penter against the Bingham amendment and
desired witness to negotiate with Senator Car
penter on the subject, which witness declined.
The committee next examined Lewis Porter,
above referred to; who is assistant postmaster of
Washington. He hesitated, and declined to an
swer questions, but finally admitted that he had
called upon Judge Hughes to employ him as an
attorney in the Georgia matter, and had SUBJ
stantially promised him IS 900, which he was to
get from Mr.. Avery; that Mr.. Avery had told
him II he could ascertain how the Bingham
amendment stood in the Senate 1t would be
p. j. Avery, director in the Brunswick and
Albany railroad Of Georgia, admits having gone
TO see Porter to talk about the situation; that
he should have been willing to use so, 900 legal
ly and properly to get the Bingham anne ndment
out OF the way, and admits that he went to New
hork 10 get people to write letters to Senators;
" that ne had probably asked twenty to write
letters to Mr.. Conkling and Governor FentOn,
and thatthat has cost money"
henry M: Atkinson nephew of Senator
Iipton, testiies that j. L. Gibbs said to him
that he would rather give 81 900 than that he
(TiPton) should vote against the bill.
WIS. Huntington, cashier Of the First Ma
tonal Bank, testified that between March Is
Forney, on drafts drawn by Gov Bullock on the
Georgia National Bank, payable to said For
ney, and Endorsed by him.
ing Chronicle, testified that all the transactions
with MIR. Bullock were purely of a business
character, and exhibited his books showing the
transactions between them; "A .440 were paid for
printing pamphlets, publishing speeches, and
other matters, copies of papers, &c. 81 2oS of
the above amount was paid to the publisher du-
ring the present session of Congress, and every
item relates to the Georgia question.
George A. Bailey, one of the publishers of the
Congressional Globe; K. o. Polkinhorn, a prac-
ucai printer OF twenty years standing, and W.
publican, severally testified as to the very lib
eral prices paid ID. G. FOrney, from which the
committee draw the conclusion that one-third
OF the sum OF S4,22S, paid to Forney by Bull
lock, Ostensibly for printing and copies OF his
ton.
thought it important for the cOlored members
OF the Georgia Legislature to make some formal
expression of their wishes with regard to the
Bingham amendment, and come to Washington
Tor that purpose, and he teegraphed them ac-
cordingly. Eleven came to Washington as the
representatives Of the whole of them; and two
came who were not members OF the Legislature.
he lent them from 81 200 to 81 500 to pay their
expenses, and only a small portion OF the money
was refunded. The amount of money made use
OF by him from the 9Th of March to the 2lst of
and nff 10 MO-
paid to MIR. Forney and S5O5 to the Globe. 1t
appears from Governor Bullock's testimonv
that there was no special agreement with the
publisher of the Chronicle for the work done: he
sent the matter to him for publication without
fixing on the price.
man named George ID. Chapman said he
The committee had not thought 1t advisable TO
delay their report by sending Tor MIR. Chapman
who, from the testimony before it, assumed he
but having called the attention of Senator
Pomeroy TO his conversation, as testified to bv
Governor Bullock, Senator POmeroy came be-
lore the committee and showed that Mr. Chan
man was unknown to him save by introduction
and not exceeding ten minutes conversation
ana not IN any manner connected with apy of
the matters through which Mr.. Chapman as
sumed he could control his vote, and that the
pretext OF Mr. Chapman's being able to ipflu-
ence him one way or the other was without a
shadow of foundation.
The committee feel constrained to saw from
the evidence before them, that such means had
been used and attempted However unwilling
some et the witnesses implicated In the transac.
ton had 7hoTn themselves to disclose the whole
truth, enough has come out to satisfy the com
mlttee that r. j. Avery used improper means
TO influence Senators to vote against the Biny-
ham amendment, and that Lewis Porter an
ofhcer of the government, acted improperly in
undertaking for pay to sii him in his purpose:
X. Is. Bullock, in p.yIng ID. q. Forney, publish
er or the Chrcrlcle, having the patronage of the
government, triple prices for printing pam
pnlets and inserting In his paper articles and
speeches on the Georgia question, and the said
ID. &. FOrney, in publishing said articles and
speeches, with editorials, concealng the fact
that he was paid for the same double and triple
prices, did use improper means to influence the
votes Of Senators on the Georgia question.
influenced; but it is not unreasonable to sup
pose that newspaper in the position of the
Chronicle, enjoying to some extent the conf
dence of the Administration and Of the domi-
nant party in Congress, would have an infiu-
ence with Senators, while assuming to act in
dependently and from q sense of duty, which it
would not possess if it were known that the in
sertion Of many such of The articles published
bearing on pending question were paid for at
extravaganza prices by person having an inter-
est to produce particular result. As there is
be left land perhaps it is best they should be
LETT to the judgment OF the enlightened and
just public sentiment, which will not fail to
visit with its condemnation any attempt of the
use OF improper means to influence the vote of q
legislative body.
Messrs. Stewart and Rice, minority of the
committee, concur in the above report, except
they regard as free from any suspicion in the
matter.