The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-03-10
MARCH 10, 1871.
a. 1,;t,zens and the Committee.

49, citizens ana tne w.
III. ssaars are informed Of the extraor-
-. 80, o conduct of the Committee on Roaos
" the House OF Delegates on WEDNESDAY
evening In reference to the gentlemen "no
have offered to buy out the State stoch IA
the Richmond and Petersburg raiifoSo'
1ro h,va never known the conduct Oh "
committee TO assume such an aspect o. pre-
sumption and rudeness. The mehoel i,on
Rcdford, who led the assault, certa'hl, i".u
no claim on the occasion to the chaIac'ciol
statesman, or one properly bearing the
tr,s, of the Legislature to gather inioriha'
ton and fairly report it. 80,
THE extraordinary fact was presented o!
, 60. Of gentlemen who have shown them.
calves willing to hand over the property OF
n company against its wishes ana It's re-
rnonstrances to gentleman whose ofhciai
nosi,;on is in mo material way connected
18th the interests Of that company, and to
do 50 without arraigning that gentleman and
examining him with reference to his inten-
tions and his means, that they were not
willing to listen to the statements Of hon.
orable and unimpeachable men who were
invited to meet their committee, unless
they were put under oath as g suspects"
and unreliable. General MAHoNE's word
had satisfied these persons, but the party
of gentlemen of this city and Petersburg
who proposed to pay an advance upon the
price at which it was declared by the pend
ing bill General MALONE should buy the
State stock in the Richmond and Peters
burg railroad could not be in like manner
trusted, and they were asked to- swear,
Just as IL they were before the "Reconstruc-
ton Committee" We beg pardon. Even
that committee required no oath from the
gentlemen whom we heard make their
statements with regard to the condition o.
things in Virginia. No; this Committee o.
Roads, or the majority present on Wednes
day, were touch above the Reconstruc
ton Committee of Congress in theil
sharpness and rigor.
e When the gentlemen of Richmond ant
Petersburg came in they were treated az
accused persons, and must swear. We
have known much of the Legislature O
Virginia, but we never have known in
similar case that gentlemen were put upon
their oaths. In cases where corruption
was alleged, and trial thereupon was or
iered, witnesses were required to take an
oath, but never upon question OF internal
Improvement or ordinary policy of State
have we known an oath to be eXacted. We
cannot but view the conduct of the major
}ity of the committee as harsh, llliberal, ana
7arbitrary-in no wise calculated to advance
the cause of liberal and deliberate leslsla.
ton.
We trust that the members who commit
ted this act of injustice, so unsustalned by
precedent-indeed, for which they had at
the time no authority from the Housewife
Il see the wrong they did, and profit by the
error.
There is no getting at truth and justice
in a body controlled by passion and per-
sonal considerations. Especially should
committees of Legislature shut out par
tisan feelings, and endeavor to get at facts,
and sift them patiently and deliberately,
that their report may in no sense be
unjust, and that they may not mlslead
the body who trusts them as its
eyes and ears. There was, for in
stance, amongst the gentlemen proposing
TO buy the State stock in the Richmond and
Petersburg road no man whose statement
might not be relied upon us implicitly as
though he had made it under oath. There
fore the demand for the oath by the ma
jority of the committee was a gratutous
reflection upon these gentlemen, was I'M
usual, and wholly unnecessary. The pro-
ceeding was calculated to lessen the mutual
trust amongst gentlemen by discarding the
safeguards Of honor and decorum which
dignity society and afford ample pro-
lection in all cases such as that be.
fore the committee. Those who demand.
ed the oath without authority laid
themselves liable to the impeachment OF
being ready to damage the cause against
which they were committed by proclaiming
the gentlemen unworthy OF trust unless
under oath: test they showed no DISPOSE
ton to apply to their own side-and, give
us leave to say, a test unworthily applied
to either.
We trust this grievous and unjustifable
departure from the decorum, courtesy, and
propriety of legislative rules may never be
initiated.
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An Jron.TlaG fo,. Virpinja