The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1875-03-03
CHARLESTON.
The Legislaturc-ENci scenes ut
its CIOse-Euli and Interesting Ac-
count of the Impe chment Proceed
inss-TLe Appropriation Bill.
CHARLESTON, February -.

CHARLESTON, February %.
Editors of the Register:
have only time this morning to give
YOU brief resume of the exciting events
Of the past few days, trusting that some
one with more leisure at command will
furnish YOU u fuller history Of these
affairs,
On last Tuesday afternoon the House
committee of investigation, which has
been working very industriouSly
in secret session during the
past three weeks, made its report. a full
synopsis of which has been sent you.
Although the greater part of the evil
dcncc taken before the committee had
leaked cut and become generally known,
| don't think that it was generally cN-
prcled that so grave penalty us i'm
prachment would be recommended.
When the report Wa, read the House
seemed. for few moments, stunned and
bcwildercd. and for little while an anN-
iou> silence prevailed. NJ. Gcttingcr,
Of Berkeley, then moved that
the report with its accompanying
resolutions recommending the impcach-
mrnt of the Auditor and Treasurer and
the prosecution of Senator W. I. Bur
dctt. be adopted by the House. Mr..
Fleming, of Marion, insisted that he was
not prepared to vote for the adoption OF
the resolutions until he knew something
of the evidence on which they were based.
Then sprang up discussion which re
suited in ordering the evidence 10 be
read. The reading occupied an
hour or more andi the debate was
then resumed. \ short recess was taken
for supper and night session was had.
Ii was coutoudcd 10y Mr.. Miller and
others that the officers accused could not
be- impcachrd for otfrnscS committed
prior To their present term of office, ano
that the only remedy the State had
against them was in civil suit for the
recovery OF funds improperly obtained
Very eloquent and imprisoned appeals
were made to the House by Mr. Elem.
ing, of Marion, and Mr.. jackson, Of Wood
in behalf OF the officers accused, and il
was held that the evidence did not dis.
close an oiicnsc of sufficient gravity t,
merit 81 extreme penalty rs that which
it was in contemplation to intllct. In
the Auditors case especially, it was urged
that he did not merit such treatment at
the hands of the House. The most in
gcnious and powerful of the several
speeches in bchalfof the prosecution were
made 10y Mr. Mason, of Jefferson, and
Mr.. Good. of Ohio chairman OF the com.
I III, .~ri-a,,nnt IN .ln Hlngi
va, intense; the lobbicS were crowded
and the result of the discussion was wait.
ed for with great anxiety. About II
o'clock Mr.. Warden, of Hardy, obtained
the floor and demanded the previous qucS
ton. The demand was sustained and nj
. length the roll was called, the question
being upon the adoption of the report q
the committee. the following resolution
being part of the same:
1 R,>olrcd. That John :. Burdctt, Stat,
Treasurer. and Edward \. Bennett, Au
ditor Of State. be impcachcd for higl
crimes and mi,demcnnOrs, mal-adminis
trution. nal fsasancc and corruption il
thri: respective offices.
The ave, were: Mcssrs. Babh Blake
more, Garlic, Cornwcll, Dix, Dychc
Enuch. Farn,worth, Furgcson, Gettingcr
Good, Hall, Huffman, Hutchinson, L."
Jordan, Tough, Mason, McEldowncy
Montgomery, Powell, Pugh, Roles, Shinn
. Suidcr, Spencer, SqUircS, Stone, Stuart
4 Tanner Taylor, Thornburg, Upton
Vaughn, Wclch, West, Williams, vii.
son and Iiun.-39.
The noes were: Mcssrs. Monroe
Speaker Agcc, Chapman, Dcpue
Fleming, Houston, jackson. Kirtlcy. Me.
Culloch, Miller. Morgan. REYNOLDS. OF
Mercer. Schon, Warden, Wooddcll-I5
1t was then resolved to appoint com
mitter of seven managers to conduct tn,
| trial before the bar OF the Senate. and OF
Wednesday morning the following nance
gentlemen wore chosen to act in thi
capacity: MtsSr>. Good, Wclch, Mason
BIakcmore Stuart, Hutchinson and Car
h>le.
1t was determined that these manager.
should first prepare articles OF impeach
mcnt and report them backto the House to
adoption before proceeding with the trial
In the meantime joint resolution origl.
Mating in the Senate has been adopted by
two.thirdS of both houses, for an adjourn
mcnt Of the Legislature until the 10Th
ofn.Nt November If the Committee OF
Managers does not present IT, report 10
dav land there is no possibility OF this
il cannot be presented and no tria
can be- had until the Lcgisla.
turc assemblies next fall, and in the
meantime very grave injury, for which
even an ultimate acquittal can scarcely
make reparation, will have been inflicted
upon the officers accused. The Difficult.
ties of the dilemma are seen by all par.
ties. but | cannot ut present writing say
what course of eXtrication is open OF
likely to be- adopted The House hi,
acted in the matter with too much haste
and heat, and several of the
gentlemen who have been prominent in
the affair now regret that greater time
was not allowed for elaboration.
The singular admission l. made 10y
members Of the committee, that they are
fully aware that they have not sufficient
evidence ut command to enable them IL
prepare or TO sustain articles Of impeach-
mcnt. but that they hope in the course OF
time to collect evidence enough for this
purpose. When asked why they
have reported in favor of tins
extreme penalty? they reply that they are
III expectation otadditiaual facts that vii!
warrant this course. The House l., OF
course, unwilling to commit itself blihdly
To- the prosecution, and hence insists that
the Managers must make report To that
body before appearing before the Senate
and arraigning the accused. An eXcit-
ed discussion has been had upon
the subject this morning and is now in
progress, but it isrot probable that any
action can be had TO prevent the whole
matter lying over until the November