Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-05-24
HOUSE.
FISK University.

FISK University.
On motion of Mr.. Townsend, Of Penn
sylvania, from the committee on public
lands, bill passed donating to the Trus-
tees Uf Fisk University three acres of land
in the suburbs of Nashville, Tenn.
Senate amendments to House bill amen
datory to the agricultural college law were
concurred in.
The House went into committee Of the
whole on sundry civil appropriation bill.
=, Rogers Sworn in.
A message was received from the Presi-
dent announcing his approval OF the am
nesty bill.
Thereupon Mr.. Rogers, member elect
from North Carolina, who was included IN
the bill, was sworn in.
Mr.. Hoar remarked that the House now
had its full representation.
The Buell. Inquiry-OOburn VS.. Small
ley.
Coburn offered an amendment to the ap-
preparation bill to pay 81 200 for trans
cript of the Buell. court-martial proceedings,
and in connection with it, spoke of bis hav-
ing taken ground in the Military Commit
tee not to take verbal testimony as to the
contents of the missing record. For that
reason, he said, hired SANDER in the New
York Tribune had stated that he (Coburn)
was opposed to the admission of the testi-
mony of the reporter of that court. Such
statement is utterly and absolutely and to-
tally false. A hired slanderer had said that
he (COburn) was compelled by the vote of
the Committee to send for that reporter
| CBen PittmanA. The fact was there had
been no vote of the Committee on
the subject. immediately on his
fndingout that Pittman had possession of
notes of that court, he had sent for him with
out request of any body, without any action
of the committee. lie wished, therefore,
to brand as utterly and abominably false
the report published by the hired slanderer
who occupied seat in the reporters gall
lery, and who had once been the clerk Of
the Military Committee. From day to day,
during the examination of the committee,
falsehoods had been uttered, and his only
object now In making this statement was to
show that the committee, as well as him
| self, had been uniformly in favor of getting
at the truth and all the truth in the matter.
| Mr.. Townsend, of New ork, asked why
| that clerk had been discharged.
Mr.. CobCrn replied he had been dis
| charged for various reasons. One was be-
cause he was not in harmony with the ma
| iority of the Committee. Another was
that he was poor clerk and that he had
kept 10 minutes or records Of the COM
| mittee.
Mr.. Brooks remarked That that had not
been found out until after the Cincinnati
Convention. [Laughter.l
Mr.. Coburn replied that he had not found
it out before. [Laughter.l There was an
other reason for his discharge. The New
York Tribune some days before Mr.. Greeley
discontinued to act as editor, had charged
that he (Coburn) had been guilty of a gross
violation of the rules Of the civil service,
because he had discharged an old and faith
! full clerk. he had not in point of fact dis
charged an old and faithful clerk, but q
young man, good young man, Mr.. ST.
Clair, a brother-in-law of the clerk, who
got 81 a day for his services while the
clerk got Sc. If that was specimen of Mr..
Greeley's civil service reform be wanted it
understood.
A member-How was that?
Coburn-This young man was clerk OF
the Clerks
Maynard-Do 1 understand that the
clerk farmed out his Office?
Coburn-I do not know about that.
am stating the facts. You may call it
| farming 0ut or employing deputy or any
thing else.
Garfield said he had not intended saying
anything on the amendment, as be
had been instructed by the Committee on
Appropriations to assent to it, but
felt compelled, as a matter of justice to the
gentleman concerned (Air. Smalley), to say
that for the period of two years under the
Craftsmanship of Gen. Schenck, and for the
two years that he (Garfeld) was chairman
of that committee, that gentleman had been
a faithful, intelligent AID honorable clerk,
and be had never before heard anything to
the contrary. A few days since, shortly
| after the Cincinnati Convention, it seemed
to have been discovered all at once that
that gentleman was an unfaithful and in
efficient clerk, and he was given notice to
quit. He (Garfeld) did not believe that
was quite the way to transact public mat
tiers. He did not believe that it was quite
wise for the Republican party to begin to
cut off heads on an occasion Of this sort.
If that was the gentleman's (Coburn's)
view of propriety, he might have his opIn-
ion. but he (Garfeld) had his.
| Mr.. Hay, of Illinois, a member Of the
Committee on Military Affairs, bore his tes-
timony to the fidelity, ability and worth
of the clerk.
Mr.. Coburn remarked that he had de-
sired, in as fair and kind a manner as pos
sible, to let this man off. Naughter.) But
his own object was defeated. The matter
was made public. he asked every one to
look at the records of the committee and
say whether it had a faithful and efficient
| clerk.
Mr.. Dawes-When did you discover
| that?
Mr.. Coburn some time since, Laughter
He made no personal attack,on character OF
integrity or standing of this young man,
but be would simply say that in bushes:
point of view he was worthless as a clerk,
He had spent most of his time as reporter
for the Tribune on the floor of the house
and on the gallery. Greeley had said in his
paper that be could afford to pay him as
| much as Congress could. But that wa.
Just where the shoe pinched and that
was why day after day and week after
week himself and his committee wert
slandered. the Tribune had now to pay
man full pay for days work. That wa!
civil service reform, and he supposed it wal
according to the rules that every employer
should pay full days pay for a full day.
work.
The amendment offered by Mr.. Coburr
was agreed to.
The Keersarge.
On motion of Mr.. Garfield an appropria