New-York tribune., 1874-12-22
A FINE FIELD FOR A COMM rrEE OF
INVESTIGATION.

INVESTIGATION.
CONGRESSMAN HAYS ANXIOUS TO HAVE TIE LATE
EIFCrIoN IN ALABAMA INQUlRED-wHAT
MIGHT DE LEARNED At TIE CAPITAL AND ~
MIR. HAYS pISTRICT--AN EXCELLENT OPrDRIu-
NIFTY TO CALL NUMBER OF DEAD MEN To
TIE WITNESS STAND.
tBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBrNE.l
WASHINGTON, Dee ol.-Thc House. Oh motion of
Charles Hays set foot to-day another iHyrstiga-
tion into affairs in the South. After the call of the
States for the introduction of bills and joint rcsou
tons for reference, the call for resolutions began
with Alabama. Mr.. Hays at once sent to the
Clerks desk series of resolutions authorizing the
appointment of Special Committee to inquire into
the circumstances attending the late election III
Alabama, cnumelating, among Othcr things which
they were to investigate the cCNdac. Vt the United
States troops who were Stationed in the scvc!al
counties, the alleged murders which occurred.
the politics Of the victims and of those
who are supposed to have been guilty
of the crimes, whether any threats or i'll
tmdaton were resOrted to aud by whom. etc.,
etc There was no opposition 70 the resolution, bui
the preamble rccitcd certain things as facts which
the Democrats would have preferred t" have emitted.
and SO, on motion of Mr. Cox, % separate vote was
vote WAS taken upon it. 1t was adopted by an al
most strictly party vote If Mr. Blaine is as success
the choice of the General Culnnitcc on Tie Cordl
tion of the South, the people OF Alania VIII have
reason to rj1ice in its appointment. The
Committee will tiud enough to do at the very
CAPITAL of the State. Unless the inv"StiGa
ton is conducted simply for political purp"sss.
they will necessarily inquire whether Republicans
of one clique Ill Montgomery County allowed
Republicans Of another clique To meet pcaceab'y,
whether one party did not repeatedly assault the
other, whether there was not shooting ut these
meetings when not a Democrat Was present. and
whether men were not murdered i'll that county III
political meetings. in which none hut Republicans
participated. In Mr.. IIayss district they will find
abundance Of material for inquiry. Two atrOcioua
assassnatons were committed in Snm.rr CoGnty III
August and the State and United States authorities
have so far failed to find any clue 90 tho murdrr"lS
If Committee of Congress is iorc successful; every
good citizen of the State viii hc thankful. The
operations Of Hester and Beach, the Cm;cd States
detectives in that same county. or=h. also to be in
auilcd into 1t has been alleged that tiey ar
rested men ard carried them for examination
hundreds of miles from home the most
frivolous charges which they had no evidence Ia
sustain and as these matters all racod and Tie
testimony preserved, it will DC easy for the Commit
tee to determine whether the United States officers
were acting honestly. or were prosccting innocent
cirizens whom they knew to be such. Mr.. Hays has
also great personal interest in the inquiry. The
Committee should take his letter written to Gen.
Iawcy in September llst, and call the men whom
he names in it rs witnesses. They will find rr0b-
BLY, a greater number Of dead men willing to testify
than they ever met with before