Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-03-18
Charges Of Bribery in Connection
With its Passage.
A Report from the Chairmen of
the House and Senate
Committees.
But the Majority VIII be Heard
From To-Day.
Nobody Knows Anything About it
Principal Points ct the Testimony
Taken.

! senate yesterday BY MIR. Logan:
Mr.. Speaker: The Special Joint Com
/ mittee, raised under House Joint resolution
! No. 43, to investigate charges AGAINST mem
berS Of the Thirty-eighth General Assembly
Of the State Of tennessee, have diligently
discharged the duties imposed upon them,
and respectfully submit the following re-
| port:
The committee have fully examined into
/ all the matters which il is believed the
| resolution contemplated. Specific charges
| were not preferred against any member of
the Thirty-eighth General Assembly. and
the committee were Of opinion that a very
wide range Of inquiry was allowed them in
this investigation. Hence, their inquiries
were not confined alone 10 what is known
as the Funding Act, but extended to other
matters in general which were before the
last General Assembly.
After most careful and thorough exami-
nation Of such witnesses as the committee
were advised could give information on the
subjects under investigation, they are of
opinion that the testimony is wholly insult
hclent to implicate any members of the
Ihirty-eighth General Assembly in any i'm
proper conduct, affecting his vote or action,
While member Of that body; and that no
member Of that body, so far as the testi-
mony shows, was influenced by money, or
any improper consideration, in his vote up
on the Funding Act"
The committee regret that they were IN
able TO procure the testimony Of John L.
House. Subp@nas were ISSUED, and the
Sergeant-at-Arms made every effort to serve
them, but without success. Mr.. House left
the State very soon after the committee
assembled.
The committee herewith submit all the
testimony taken during the investigation.
(Signed,) T. B. LOGAN,
Chairman of the Senate Committee.
(Signed,) c. T. Gates,
Chairman Of the House Committee.
The joint committee Of investigation con-
sists Of Messrs. Logan aud Marye, on the
part Of the Senate, and Messrs. Gates, |
Peters, East, Taylor and Cole on the part !
Of the House. 1t viii be seen that the |
above report is signed only by Messrs. Lo- |
gan and Gates. As to the views Of the |
other members, we need only say that the |
following report will be presented in the |
House this morning:
The undersigned members Of the CON- |
mittee appointed to investigate the con-
duct Of members Of the last General As |
sembly relative to the passage Of certain |
measures and to certain elections, which |
were pending before that body, beg leave |
to disagree to the report by the other men, |
bers Of the committee, and would submit /
In their own behalf, the following conclu-
siOns:
The testimony, in our opinion, discloses
many facts and circumstances inVOiY- /
ing several persons in grave and seri-
rrG -,
evidence, is positively denied, and we
do not assume 10 reconcile the
conflicting statements Of the various wit
nesses. John L. House, upon whose tegti-
mOny 1t will be seen much depended, could
not be obtained, as he is a nonresident.
fl7Aeg IFttss Gft IIS. fasf iSIlfressfuiiy evaded
We are induced, therefore, TO submit I
all the testimony adjuced before the COM
mittee to this General Assembly, and |
through il to the country, leaving il TO each /
person to form his own conclusions.
All Of which is respectfully submitted.
g. B. PETERS, JR.,
a. a. TAYLOR,
EDWARD II. EAST,
r. p. COLE.
The investigation has lasted several weeks !
and has not been pushed with any extraOr-
binary degree Of vigOr. Senatorial wit
nesses were examined, as follows: E. 4.
James, James White, II. NJ. McAdOO, J.
NJ. Elder, L. c. HOuCk, L. F. Hyder and
A. 7. Lacey, all members Of the last Cen
cal Assembly; DR.. VIM. Morrow, State
Treasurer; B A. EnlOe, now editor of the
Jackson COUrier-Herdld; JnO. II. Elem
ming, State Supt. Of Public Instruction;
Vim. Rule, of the EROJUjue Chronicle; ).
II. Taylor, bOOk-keeper Of the State Ma
tional Bank Of Memphis; W. NJ. Duncan,
banker, Of this city; NJ. G.. Galloway, edi-
tor Ofthe Memphis appeal; W. II. Carroll,
Of Memphis; J. B. O'Brien and j. G. Nc
Crary, of Nashville.
TAYLOR, who was an anti-funding candi-
date for Comptroller before the last Gene
raj Assembly, said in the course Of his tes-
timOny:.
4 had a conversation with J, NJ. keat-
ing. Of the AppeGl, just before or just at
ter the election Of johnson, in which be
stated he was feeling sore upon the point.
| | believe that his absence from Memphis
| two years ago was because Of his coming
here TO aid the funding scheme. thought,
at the time his paper was paid for it.
/ Heating was in New York part Of the
/ time.
ssSore upon what pOint?"
SsOn that point in which he said he had
! been dealt unfairly with by these fUnders.
/ That was, that so and 50 much was 10 be
/ allowed the ApDedl. l heard that Mr.. Du-
! PREF was to be allowed so much, Galloway
/ so much aud Heating so much. heard
/ that Galloway got on a spree during the
| pending Of the scheme and lost certain pa
pers connected with the funding bill.
/ Heating said So, 900 in State bonds was to
! be carried six months, and that the en-
! hancemeut on the bonds was to 90 to the
credit Of the appeal. They were Tennes-
see bonds
! The same witness said:
81 would like to speak Of another thing.
! You have IN your possession, L suppose,
| letter l wrote to Hobbs. | saw paragraph
| in the ACdlmche to the effect that he had
been bought out, and wrote to him, asking
him upon what terms he had resigned"
This does not exactly correspond with
what Mr.. Taylor did write to Hobbs, as
shown bv the following extract from the
original letter, filed with the Comptroller
! shin Investigating Committee and embraced
in their published report:
"RumOr has it that YOU are about to re-
sign. The motives that prompt you to this
action am unaware of, but l am eager to
secure the Office, for which, few months
AGO, l was a candidate; and from you !
,ro,rld Ike TO kROlC the terms and promise
that they shall be strictly confidential"
Col. Galloway, Of the appeal, was ex-
amined and testified in the most emphatic
terms that he knew Of no money having
been used in connection with the passage
of the bilfand that be had made no arrange
ment by which a consideration was given
to secure the support of the appeal. The
papers referred 10 by Taylor were Of a pri-
vate nature, and had no connection what
ever with the Funding bill. He was equally
positive that Mr.. Heating had not entered
into any agreement by which $4,000 in
bonds was to be carried six months for the
benefit of the appeal, as such a bargain
| cnrllh moi have hean made OF Carried out