New-York tribune., 1873-01-07
THE CREDIT MOBILIER.
THE INVESTIGATION TO BE MADE PUBLIC.
HOW THE COMMITTEES DOORS WERE ORDERED
oPFN-oNIY SEVEN VOTES FOR SECRECY.
mn.

HOW THE COMMITTEES DOORS WERE OhDbhbp
OPEN-oNLY SEVEN VOTES FOR SECRECY.
10y TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUSEl
WASHINGTON, Jan. 6-Mr Fry of Maine won the
honor, to-day, Of being the first 10 move in the
House for the opening of the doors of the Credit
Mobilier Committee. He offered a resolution Tor
this purpose in the morning hour, when only ma
jority vote was required for its adoption, but Mr.
Poland, the Chairman of the Committee, who has
from the first insisted upon secrecy with great per-
tinacty objected the ground that the resolution
effected suspension Of the rules, and required a
twothirds vote. 1t was not at all clear that this
the case and the Speaker in his ruling sustain
ing Poland did not make it much palmer
Mr.. Eldridge dissented from the ruling, but Mr..
Blaine appealed to the House to vindicate him. and
got unanimous vote sustaining his decision. no
body caring to vote against the Speaker on what
appeared to be point of little consequence because
everybody believed that there would be difficulty
in getting two-thirds vote after the morning hour
had expired.
II there had been a strong opposition to the reso
luton the Speakers ruling might have killed it, and
in snch case his decision would have been sharply
criticised When they finally got his resolution in
under the two-thirds rule Mr. Poland made speech
against letting the public know what his Committee
were doing. 1t was substantially repetition OF the
speech he made as a personal explanation before the
recess.
1t would be unjust to members involved, he said
10 let the testimony out by piecemea aud would be
a breach Of lcourtesv toward the Senate TO make
public at all anything rejecting on members of that
body; beside the committee-room was small, and
the Committee would be incommoded if the reporters
and the curious public were to crowd in. Mr.. Farms
worth asked if it were not better to let the truth
come out by installments than to have mixture Of
stb ard (which sensible ODesfiOn
Mr.. Poland had no good answer to make. Mr..
Cox made brisk little speech in favor of opening
the Committees doors. Mr.. Niblaek, Democratic
member of the Committee, wanted the secrecy con-
tinued and Messrs. Platt and Maynard exerted them
selves somewhat actively against the resolution,
particularly the latter who interpOsed various trv-
ial objections
On division of the House there were 16 votes
against the resolution but call of the Yeas and
Nays only seven members were courageous enough
TO 90 on the record in the negative. These were
MAYNARD, Hale, Platt, Peroe, Hoar, Mckee, and
Twichell As soon as it was obvious that the reso-
luton would pass the newspaper correspondents
rushed down from the gallery to look over the test
mony Judge Poland declined to let it be shown, on
the ground that of the witnesses had requested
leave to correct their testimony and the Committee
would have TO consider this question before giving
any of it out.
About an hour after Oakes Ames and John B.
Alley exhibited copy of all the testimony taken In
the room of the House Post-Ofi Committee, where
large numberof correspondents were assembled.
II leaked out about this time that copy of this
copy had somehow been sent to Boston, and was in
type there. On learning this, Judge Poland sand
there had been breach of faith somewhere. and ne
then authorized the ofnclal stehograpner' VINO hau
possession of the Committees copy OF the evidence
10 give il TO the press.