Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1870-06-22

the party i'm persuit interposed no objec-
ton, but quietly replied: I'VE will claim
no part of the reward, Jut Oc CW claim the
,1gHt to 90 Uih the prisoner, and see that
he is fdithtully deljUered to the authorities"
So it is in my ease; | claim no part of the
reward nor do | propose to become
part of the committee to investigate my
charges. All | wish or desire is, the privi-
lege to be present, to examine and draw
from the witnesses such facts, within their
knowledge, as | rely on to establish the
mputation of which the committee com
plain.
Some persons may suppose that the ttrms
prescribed 10y me, as a condition precedent
To my assuming the responsibilities Of
prosecutor, manifest undue caution or cap
tiOusness, but it does not. On the contra
ny, | had ample reasons for my precautiOn.
Committees, of late, are MS often organized
to 2OhjteUdSH persons as to investigate and
erposc corruption. My charge against
some of the committee was n very grave
one, and ought not to have been made
without proof to sustain it. Had the COM
mittee to be appointed ut my request, to
investigate and report on the charge made
by me-that portion of the "Investiga-
ting Committee had been bought up
been organized and made partial or lncth-
cient Investigation, and upon such inetti-
cient or partial investigation reported that
Justly be held as Il malicious slanderer.
Hence | had direct interest, not in max
ing the investigation myself, but in being
present to see that the evidence on which
the charge was made was adduced before
the committee, and correctly reported TO
the General Assembly.
The committees OF the present General
Assembly have given many proofs of their
indispOsition or incapacity for thorough
investigation. In several instances they
seem to have pressed their investigations
with terrible elm until they We're apparent
ly Just about making discovery, when,
from some unaccountable reason, their encr
gies relaxed into naCtion and BOnchdlClice.
4 few illustrations will serve to show this
popularity of these committees.
During last winter, it swas alleged that
the late Treasurer had received compensa-
ton from holders Of Comptroller's war
rants upon the Treasury, for giving them
preference in payment This charge-cer-
tainly Il very serious one-induced an in
vestigation. A committee was raised and
charged with the duty of investigating,
and il investigated. In due time the
report was forthcoming, and | am sorry |
have 10 speak of its contents FROM memo
nv, not having the report before me- But,
as recollect it, the committee said
substantially this; that they had made
u partial investigation of the mat
tiers referred to them as far rs they
had gone they had found GW one instance
i'm which the Treasurer had received COM
pensation for paying Il warrant, but that
this had been satisfactorily ecpIdjRed, and
unless the Legislature desired them to 90
on and make further Investigations, they
would ask to be discharged and according
ly they We're discharged. How the Treas
urer 81 satisfactorily explained" or how he
could have " satisfactorily explained y this
transaction which the report imputed to
him, the committee did not deign to eX-
plain.
But more signal delinquency is to be
found in the report of the committee on the
" lost school fund.- Among other discov-
cries, the committee, after recapitulating
the history of the bank-its removal to and
subsequent surrender Of its assets to the
Federal army in Augusta, Georgia and
the return of its assets by the FedeTals to
Coy. BrOWnloW ut NaShVille-gO on and
show that somebody stole $4,000 of the
bonds of Tennessee belonging to the bank.
| The discovery was new to the committee,
and it was natural for them 10 suppose it
also new to others, although the fact had
been publicly known fGr about two years
| past. The public, therefore needed no in
| formation ON this point. What the people
/ wanted, and what they expected, OF the
I committee was an exposure OF the thief,
/ ana, II possible, reclamation OF tIe stolen
/ bonds. But this il exactly what the com
mttee did not do. They did ascertain that
! some OF these stolen bonds were sold by
/ Tibbs d Hardewick to Wa.-rhouse. Now,
/ Tibbs d Hardcwick both reside within
| twelve hours travel of Nashville their re-
sidences are known to the committee; if
examined, they could tell " no they obtain
ed these bonds from, and I'm this way the
committee could have traced up and iden-
titled the thief, and fulfilled their legiti-
mate.mission and fully met the eXpecta-
tions of the public. Why was this inquiry
not made? this investil alton pushed one
step fHrthers Let the committee answer
If they have a good reason for not going
one step further, let them publish ii for the
information of the public The people
want light. AS one of them, | can con.
ceVe of but one motive in the committee
stopping where they did: There is some
body behind the screen the committee dC
not want to expose. If there is any othc
reason the public have the right to know
what it is, and, in their behalf ! demanC
that the committee shall say why they die
not trace up and expose the thief
These, and other similar instances, in
duced me to believe that the committees 0
the present General Assembly were not re
, liable in their investigations And hence
in the matter referred to, preferred to b.
T cred into the custody Qt the tar !; to exam
inc the witnesses and draw out the facts
in Il word, to establish the charge tina
some of the committee had been bought NJ
by the corruptionists a charge which
80. 1. 81