The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-04-10

u
for MS credit He then referred TO the remark
made by Senator Ames IN his letter that Mr.. Wood
was not illegally" guilty Of any crime The Senate
A LEGAL VIEW OF THE EXPULSION.
There were moral obligations they had TO look to-
II might pe That the Senator was not '.legallyn
guilty OF crime but II the Senate was morally
convinced that he was guilty OF wrong doing they
could expel him without waiting for legal evidence
to convict him OF crime punishable under the
law. To sustain this view OF this particular point
The argument OF Judge Seiden conceded that
the loan might not have been made "had
the onicial character OF the parties not existed"
That was the point exactly. and the majority OF the
committee not only conceded" the probability OF
such contingency, but believed that the loans
IL was plain 10 them that the men who mad loaned
the money did so because Mr.. Wood was senator.
self show as TO- this pointi i showed that
he told his partners that he, In his position,
might get money 70 nep them from certain parties;
by stating that he mad tried to do his duty In the
case without bias. and with full discrimination 10
be Influenced by no motive other than proper one.
and under the circumstances he would Ind nothing
to complain OF. no matter what result might be
Mr. Murphy next addressed the Senate. He said
that the Senate was the strongest power OF the
STATE government Inc senators, as individuals,
each represented the people. The question at Issue
was one that concerned
THE HONOR OF THE SENATE,
but Il also concerned the rights OF the Senator &C
cused. To not expel him II ne was guilty would be
q wrong to the people. TO expel him II innocent,
Equally be doing the people greas Wrong. He
should be t.Ied according to the constitution and
tne laws o. ,na sne ana noanng more
power TO Judge OF the qualifications OF It's own men,
Ders, but he denied that that power gave them the
right TO eXpel Senator without legal cause.
III the Senate could turn SanatOr out without
law no member would be safe from party fury or
personal haired. II the constitution were inter-
preted by any such sweeping STANDARD then the Le-
Rslature might as well assume the power TO expel
from onice Judge OF the Court OF Appeals. or any
member holding q constitutional once. The ac-
cused, he repeated, should be tried by
We had copied our parliamentary system from
that OF Great Britain. and this was the guide the
Senate mad 10 go by, Tor u was to be governed by
into offences committed BY one Of Its members
tweaty days or twenty years before t came into ex
lament or Congress dared to usurp such power
Take the case OF Mattes0n. The Congress that
@ ,Sr ms @
committed the acts charged against him. Wilkes,
VINO was three distinct times expelled alter having
PEELED each time BY the same Congress- against which
ne mad onended, and not ny another. snll ne
Wood had placed himself in position inconsisten5
yns n noson him con% 5
The door Of temptation to Mr. WOOD and he was
only too quickly. sud then and there lett that he
was to be. IN consideration OF the loan,
A FRIEND OF THE ERIE ROAD.
AS for the loan made by Tweed he saw nothing
wrong about It.. 1t was no crime for Senator 70
borrow money from another senator II there was
tended that no bad motive was shown IN connection
with this particular loan. 1t was made months
after the suspicious measures had been passed
upon.
MILD REBUKE.
The Senator then offered Ills amendment, which Ia
as follOws:-
Resolved That in the opinion the conduct OF
the Hon. James Wood N placing himself under pccunary
before the body Of which he then member,
Resolved, That the with stands charged
not offences against the privileges Of this body Of
oution for expulsion be indefinitely postponed.
MT. D. P. Wood, alter the amendment was
amended, proponnded question to Mr. Murphy, 10
wtt:-Had the Senate not the power to eXpel men,
Der who stood charged oil some felony committed
before he became member OF the bodJY Mr.. Murphy
that constituency mad the right TO send noto-
rious burglar thief 10 the Senate and the Senate
could not expel hum unless it had proper
certified proof before them That he had been con-
victed OF felony by Jury Of his peers. Mr. Madden
Investigation Senator Wood had not waived
all his Senatorial privileges which he might have
avalled himself q osnerWlse Mr. Murphy believed
field here rose and offered the following as
AN AMENDMENT TO THE AMENDMENT.
VINO places pecup e
known 70 him 70 be likely 70 have importan,
late mparay himself an improper person 10
part he took as q member OF the committee OF in
vestiQahon. He declined to sign the report, he
se: wno had Vosa o ae
tain bills in 1870. He was one OF the
Senators who voted for these now called corrupt
Hssy 'sssss ns% good rns Ssa
they been administered by honest men honestly tiy'
they would Today be considered good laws.
hay rnfr
!ion Of expulsion II fen upon me ike a
was of several oil the Senators. .Hes a Chris
tlan," SAID they, and I SAID in reply. ar
or remember well tSa1 ,he none GOOD Of onGn
says that IT man loves God and nate his neIgnbor
hath seen, now can ne love God. whom he hath not
SEEM Mr.. Wood Is
NY NErGHBoR,
and believe that the good book says "a Christian
must love ms neignbor az himself"
Chatled looked rather uneasy while being talked
at IN this fsshlon, and was evidently much an
In loud laughter at the close of Mr. Lords remarks.
Al this stage OF the proceedings the senate got into
was to be taken on the amendments SO
as to allow senators TO put themselves
cerned. and it was nnaiiy settled By unanimous
consent that the amendments should be divided
ana voted upon separately Mr. Palmer then got
rowed money from man who stole q railroad
ought TO be expelled. He lOnged for an opport,-
NIFTY to show by his vote lnat he was with them IN
their detestation OF corruption. II he had been
bribed with $1,000 o by Gould 1t would be
VERY NATURAL FOR HIM
to show that he had borrowed 1t. Mr.. Benedict I'd
an elaborate speech argued to show that Inc testi-
mony against General Wood was very
weak. and did not by any means
prove him guilty or bribery, although It
did snow that he had been very indIscreei. Mr..
Madden denied the right OF the Senate TO in,
qulre into the conduct OF q member OF another
Senate for acts committed before the alleged Of
fender was member OF the present Senate If
the acts charged against General Wood had been
committed while he was q member OF the present
Senate so strong was his moral conviction of hrs
guilt he would vote TO expeI him. Mr. Palmer then
moved as
AN AMENDMENT TO MR.. MURPHY's AMENDMENT,
that Senator Wood be requested TO resign hIs
seat. Mr. Cnathed then Withdrew his SUBSTITUTE
and the voting began. The first vote taken was to
substitute Mr.. MurpnY's amendment for the origi-
nal resolution OF expulsion. This was carried by
the following vote:-
YEAs-Messrs. Benedict Bowen, Dickinson, Foster, Ora
ham, Narrower, Lewis Lord, Madden, Murphy, Tienapn
Wagner, wesmann, winslow, wood-i5
kAYs--Meeers. RAJ rcc