The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-05-24
42d CONGRESS.
HOUSE..

| sAS NuPlSaIIVu VI Uulptu 6tate
bonds defaced or destroyed, was con
Cured in. .,,S 4iGjF. VT4ET
On motion Of Mr.. TOWNSEND, Of Penn
sylvania, from the Committee on Public
Lands, a bill waa passed donating to thl
trustees Of the Fisk University, threC
acres OF land in the suburbs Of Nashville
Tenn. u 10. i'' u .
On motion Of Mr. HAwLEY, from tbl
same committee, bill was passed extend
ing the swamp land act to the State d
Nevada.
The Senate bill 10 provide trusscs fol
disabled soldiers, was passed.
The Senate amendment to the Honse
Dill amendAtory to the agricultural col.
lege law, was concurTed In.
The House then went into committee
Of the whole on sundry appropriation
bills.
A message was received from the Pres.
ident announcing his approval Of the am.
nesty bill. TheFeupon Mr.. RoaERs, the
member elect from North Carolina, who
was included in the bill, was sworn.
The Speaker remarked that the House now
mad It's full representation.
MIR. CoBURN offered an amendment 10
the appropriation bill to pay 1900 for a
transcript Of the Buell. court martial pro.
ceedings, and in connection with it spoke
Of his having taken the ground in the
Military Committee not to take the verbal
testimony as to the contents Of the miss.
ing records. For. that reason he said a
hired slanderer in the New York Tribune
had stated that he (CoDuRN) was opposed
to the admission Of the testimony OF the
reporter Of that court Such statement
was utterly and absolutely and totally
false. A hired slanderer had said that he
(CoBuRN) was compelled by vote Of the
committee to send for that reporter (Benn
Pittman). That was false; there had
been no vote Of the committee on the SUBJ
ject. Immediately on his finding out that
Plttman had possession oIthe notes that
the court had sent lor him without the re.
quest Of anybody andwithout any action
OF the committee. He wished, therefore,
to brand as utterly and abominably false
the report published by the hired SANDER.
or who occupied seat in the reporters
gallery, and VINO had once been Clerk of
the Military Committee. From day to
day during the examination by the com
mites falsehoods had been uttered, and
his only object now in making this state!
ment was to show that the committee as
well as himself had been uniformly in ia.
vor Of getting at the truth and all truth in
the matter. rr.r. r...f.,.r
Mr.. WILSON, Of New York, asked why
that clerk had been discharged.
Mr.. CoBURN replied that he had been
discharged for various reasons; one was
because he was not in harmony with the
majority Of the Committee; another was
that he was poor clerk, and that he had
kept no minutes or records OF the Com
mittee.
Mr.. BROOKS remarked that that had
not been found out until after the Cincin.
natl Convention. Laughter.
MIR. CoBURN replied that lie had not
found it before. Laughter. There was
another good reason for his discharge.
The New York Tribune, some days be-
fore Greeley discontinued to act Us editor,
had charged that he (CoBURN) had been
guilty Of q gross violation OF the
rules Of the civil service, because he
had discharged an old and faithful clerk.
He had not in point Of fact discharged an
old and faithful clerk, but young man
a good young mana Mr.. st. Clair, u
brother.in.law Of the clerks, who got SO
a day for his services, while the clerk got
SO. If that was a specimen of Greeley's
civil service reform, he wanted itso un.
derstood. 90 .r
A Member-How was thats
Mr.. CoBURN-This young man was
clerk Of the clerk. f,% - -
Mr. MAYNARD-Do I understand that
the clerk tarmed out his office?
Mr.. CoBURN-I do not know about
that. ! am stating the facts. You may
call 1t farming out or employing deputy
or anything else.
Mr.. GARFIELD said he had not intend.
ed saying anything on the amendment,
as he had been Instructed by the Com
mittee on Appropriations to assent to it,
but he felt compelled, as q matter OF
justice to the gentleman concerned (Alr.
BuTLER) to say, that for the period of
two years, under tho chnirmanship OF
General Schenck, and for two years that
hes (GARBtELD) was chairman OF that
Committee that gentleman had been
q faithful, intelligent and valuable
clerk, and had never before heard any.
thing to the contrary until lew days
since. Shortly after the Cincinnati Cob.
vention it seemed to be discovered, all at
once, that that gentleman was an unfaith.
ful and inefficient CLERK, and he was given
notice to quit. He (Mr. GARF1ELD| did
not think that was quite the right way to
transact public matters. He did not be.
lieve it was quite wise for the Republican
party to begin to cut of heads on an oc.
casion Of this kind, and if that was the
gentleman's (Mr. CoRURN) view Of pro.
priety he might have his opinion, but he
(Mr. GARFIELD had his own view. Z f,F
Mr.. HAY, Of Ill, a member Of the Com
mittee ION Military Affairs bore his testi.
mony to the fidelity, ability and worth of
the clerk.
Mr.. CoBUlsN remarked that he had do.
sired, in as kind manner as possible, 10
let this man go, Laughter but his object
was defeated; the matter was public.
He asked any one to look at the, records
Of the Committee and say whether 1t had
a faithful and efficient clerk.
Mr.. DAwEs-When did you discover
that2
Mr.CoBURN-Some time since. Laugh.
ter He made no personal, attack on the
chdtacter or integrity or standing Of this
young man; he would simply say that In
a business point OF view he was worthless
as clerk. He had spent most Of his
time as reporter for the Tribune on the
floor of the House and in the gallery.
Mr.. Greeley had said in his paper that he
could afford to pay him as much as Con.
gress could but that was just where the
shoe pinched, and that was why, day after
day and week after week, himself and his