New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-07-02
SPEECH OF SENATOR TRUMBULL

!
New York Tribune:
Senator Trumbull defined his course to
! his constituents he said, in the cause i'm
| pelling him to revolt from the Republican
| party. He said:
] have acted as your representative IN
/ councils of the nation for more than seven
| teen years. During that long period events
/ of the most momenfOus character have
| obscured the most remarkable that have
ever happened in our history, and questions
/ upon which the Republican party was
| formed have been settled, and settled l
| trust, forever. Nothing is now left but the
| organization, and that organization has
| fallen into the hands of men who seek TO
prostitute the name of the party to their
| own selfish purposes, and to make it mere
| party of partisans. During this long pub
I lie service it was not to be expected that In
my public action ! should always
have acted in aceOIdanee with the views
| of all nv constituents. and / can only
claim that have brought to the discharge
of public duties the best abilities have,
and have endeavOred to discharge my
duties honestly and faithfully to the people
who have so frequently hOnOred me by re-
| elections to the positions / have held.
! Three cheers for Mr.. Trumbul were here
called for and heartily given Within the
last few years many abuses have crept into
Numerous defalcatiOns have occurred,
among the most noted of which is perhaps
that of Mr. Hodge, paymaster in the
office of the Paymaster General in the city
| of Washington, whose defalcatiOns, occur
ring there right under the eye of the gov
ernment, amounted to more than 81, 100000.
Other defalcatiOns have occurred in other
parts of the country. A committee of in
vestigatiOn of previous Congress reported
hot oh faA IN nne
house in the city of New York. They re-
ported that officials in that custOmhOuse
were in the habit of receiving bFibes, and
that the public service was greatly demOr-
allied.
THE SPIRIT OF INVESTIGATION AND ITS RE-
CEPTION.
At the commencement of the recent ses-
sion of Congress, with a desire to inquire
into these defalca tiOns, and the causes of
these defalcatiOns, and the abuses that ex-
listed in the custOmhOuse in New York and
in other cities, and all departments Of gov
ernment: to ascertain whether supernumer-
airy officers were employed; whether money
had in any instance been put out of the
Treasury without authority of law, intro
duced into the Senate a resolution for the
purpose of securing the appointment of a
committee of investigation and retrench-
ment, to be composed of members of the
send for persons and papers, When / Of
fered that resolution did it in good faith,
for the purpose of discovering and exposing
frauds, and, if they existed, of applying
the proper corrective, and without any
design of injuriDg the Republican party.
l was simple-minded enough to be-
heve that the Republican party to
which had been attached, and with which
had been identified so many years, would
hn in n h.
strengthened before the people, if it had
the virtue and honesty to expose, even
among its own members, wrong, cOrrup-
ton and fraud, if it existed, and to apply
proper eOrrectives; and / admit that l was
very much astonished when that PROPOSE
ton was met by gentlemen in the Senate.
who constitute what, for brevity's sake,
may GenOminate as a senatorial ring, de-
nOuncing me as untaithful to the Repub-
lican party, and as throwing dirt upon it
by offering a resolution to inquire into the
conduct of public officers. Cheers I | |
was denounced as unfaithful because / had |
offered a resolution of this character Eel
lOW-citlZens of Illinois, / ask You if that
was a breach of trust to VOC ! Cries of
"NO, no ~ A public sentiment was aroused
throughout the country by the opposition
to investigation, an investigation not of a
novel character, for similar ones had been
had in previous Congresses. The people !
throughout the land, through the public
press and otherwise, expressed their con-
demnatiOn of this attempt to prevent in
vestigation; and to cover up abuses if they
existed.
INFAMOUS SCHEMES OF THE SENATORIAL
RING.
The voice of the people was heard by this
senatorial ring, and they made haste TO de-
wise some scheme by which investigation
could be rendered Intellectual. A party eau
Gus of Republican Senators was called and
a scheme devised to change the character of
the resolutions and to organize and pack !
the committee, which, instead of going forth |
to uncover and expose corruption, should /
90 forth to conceal and cover it up. The |
proposition for the joint committee of the |
two houses, with power to send for per
sons and papers, was voted down, and in its |
place resolution was passed creating a |
committee of the Senate alone. Members |
of that committee were selected IN a party /
caucus, and not a single Republican Senator |
who had originally favored the investiga- /
ton was placed ON the committee This |
was contrary to all parliamentary law, and |
contrary to that rule of parlia- /
mentary law which says that a
'chIld must not be put to a nurse who
cares not for it." This investigation was
placed in the hands of the friends of the
parties to be investigated. The frauds of
Thomas Murphy and others inquired into
by friends of Murphy and others / ask you
tonight, as intelligent citizens, knowing
the secrecy with which fraud is committed,
and who are aware Of the cunning devices
resOrted TO to cover it up, if you would ex-
Dect to uncover and detect it if none but
friends of those accused were appointed to
make investigations / could detain you
here until daylight tomorrow morning in
detailing cases of the same character, |
which are justified by the action of parti-
san committees, appointed, not for the pur-
pose Of ferreting out, exposing and cor
'ecting iniquity, but for the purpose of
party. l was never a party
nan to the extent of being willing to serve
{ against my country.
NECESSITY FOR THE LIBERAL MOVEMENT.
Parties are only useful to carry out meas
Tres for the good of country TapplauseE
md if to-day am acting with the Liberal
Republican party, have denounced these
at the hazard of being myself |
denounced, it was done in good faith on my
,art, for the purpose of correcting abuses |
md appealing from a diCtatOrial party
tyranny established by a senatorial ring, to
he honest, intelligent, upright citizens of |
he country, who are bound by no such |
hackles as will compel them to cover fraud |
q behalf of any body or any party. Hence |
favored this Liberal movement, and in
end to favor it until the end-uatil the peO-
lie in November next, with floating flags,
nd beating drums, and booming eannOns,
hall proclaim the triumph of honesty and /
Urity in the government. Loud cheers.
What is this Liberal movement / have l
.s platform with me. In some respects it
Oes not differ from the Philadelphia plat /