New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-01-31
THE CONGRESSIONAL CoMM1TyEE.

THE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE
The Congressional Committee met yester
day morning in the 'little court room
There were present Messrs. Sco1leld
McCrary, Smith, Archer and Speer.
The committee proceeded to examine Mr
j. Henri Burch. The committee went on by
reading the ipjunctons of the Eighth Dis
trict Court, when, in answer to question
Mr.. Burch said that the Carter House an
swered the Injunction by counsel. and tha
this House did not obey the injunction by
ceasing to meet. In answer to question
as to the test vote OF the House, he submit
ted, as an explanation of what he meant, a
| copy of the REPUBLIC AN, from which the
clerk read the resolution passed by the
House relative to the approval OF Colonel
Carter as Speaker of the House.
| The witness stated that the real test vote
came upon the adoption of the .jOu rnal. in
which this resolution was embodied, and
| that number of the members who had
voted for the adoption of the resolution had
refused to vote for the adoption of the jour
nal and that this was, in his opinion, the
real test vote.
When questioned by Mr. Scofeld as to the
| reasons of the contest for the seat OF
| Speaker, and whether or not 1t was ambition
| alone that caused the contest for the seat,
| Mr.. Burch stated that there were other rea-
sons, he understood. This he did not know
| of his own personal knowledge. but it was
| understood that articles OF impeachment
would be reported against the Governor.
The following colloquy took place subse-
quently between the questioner Of the com
| mite and himself:
QuestioD-Do you think the Governor is
| opposed to the repeal of obnoxious laws
Answer-No, sir. Twill not be unjust. !
| think he was in favor of the modification Of
these laws, but not to the extent that the
| people required.
Question-Who would have been Gov
ernOr in case Of the Governors impeach-
| ment!
Answer-The President of the Senate.
Qnestion-Wouid not Colonel Carter la e
| been!
Answer-Not necessarily SO.
Mr.. Burch proceeded to state that ne did
not know of any agreement entered into
between Colonel Carter and the member of
| the House. He-did not know Of any com
bination by the Carter party with the fed
eral officers here to break up a quorum.
He could say nothing personally about
| the "Wilderness' movement and the alb
| sence of Senators on that vessel. In fact,
he did not know that any Senators were
-. Il n, hut In n
number were opposed to Pinchback.
He had published Republican paper.
and keld a printing contract from Messrs.
Dunn and Carter to print the State and
parochial proceedings. For what he had
done he had received warrant for some
$1,000, which, " hen sold. netted him about
forty cents on the dollar.
Mr.. George w. Carter was called by the
committee as witness, and. in answer to
| numerous interrogatcries, displayed the
characteristics of what is called a willing
witness. He felt it his duty to give conjec-
lures at large. and to vouch for public
| opinion; to determine the popular side in
this controversy, and to pronounce YER
dict upon the Just and upon the unjust.
The reporter will make no attempt to give
Mr.. Carter's testimony in the order of its
delivery, but will, in what follows, give the
substance of the evidence-as near the cor
rect thing as possible.
The witness recapitulated that which has
been public notoriety here since the session
of the Senate was called by the Governor
down to the present time, and, in answer to
inquiries on the part of the committee, gave
an account of his fol mer rela ions with Gov
ernor Warmoth, their connection and busi-
ness, all Of which has been 50 often recited
that to every reader of u newspaper here it
is ''twce told tale"
The witness was finn in his conviction
that the military under General Emory had
aided the Governor, defining the aid to con-
si>t in the moral support afforded the exec
utive by the presence of the troops. Osten-
sibly the forces were only to prevent d riot;
actually, they prev, ut,l the installation of
witness as Speaker Of the House after lie
was elected theretrom during the progicss
of the called session.
lie claimed to be the legal Speaker then
and now. The answer attributed to General
Emory when tDe people called upon him he
had never heard himself Ike had been i'll
formed of it by ii comm lniCatlon to him as
editor and thar the General had said unless
the mob went utf he would give them grape
and canister. The people had called on
the General to ask him for protection, and
the above WAS tie reply Will h he gave, say
ing also he would answer a deputatiou. In
the opinion of the testilicr, the way in
which the United States forces had been
managed was sufficient to deprive him of
obtaining his legal rights.
The object Of the ex-Speaker in issuing
the proclamation was to call together snch
i, force of ritiz rs to support him that their
mere presence would be enough to oyerawe
the Metropoli ans, twothiids of whom he
estimated would 20 over at the first sign of
d disturbance Ia this proclamation he had
not intended to provoke violence or to
cause bloudshed. He had supposed the
force that would answer the call would of
itself avoid the necessity for violence and
blood letting. The citizens answered this
call every unanimously" but here again
the military g We their moral support to
his opponents aud "Uhipped the fight" He
gave a copy of the proclamation, by request,
as being correct. He believed the whole
people were at his back in this movement
He was confident that such was the case
both on the part of the white and colored,
as he was the representative of the reform