The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-03-09

condition of the Indians, and would leave it
in full force to the peace commission.
Mr.. Foster, another member of the commit.
tee, said that what the chairman said YVES
mainly correct, but that he thou hit Randall
had placed additions which the minority of the
committee would recommend at too low fig.
ure when he placed it at 5000 The mnori-
ty would propose various amendments aggre-
eating million dollars, probably one and a
half million, notably In the internal revenue
department. where sweeping reduction has
been made, such as might endanger the collec-
ton OF the revenue.
Mr.. Randall said that when this bill should
come to be discussed he should be able to estab
lish the fact that these reductions ought to be
made. The bill was ordered printed and made
special order for Friday next
Mr.. Purman of Florida denounced the
charges against him Of yenality as falsehood
and said they emanated from Governor Stearns
of Florida and his henchman named Martin.
| He proceeded TO denounce both as knaves-
"the Moses and Tweed of Florida"-and NOV
| ed that select committee be appointed to in
| vestigate the chages against him.
The Speaker expressed his opinion that after
| the House was fully organized into standing
and select committees, it only tended to weaken
| the general effectiveness of the body, and it
was better in all matters of this kind to have
| them referred to one of the standing commit
tees.
Mr.. Purman of Florida explained that he had
only dSkeu IOr u S6l6CG COmmlUteo because ne
| had understood that all the standing commit
| tees were oveTworked.
Mr.. Whit horne, chairman of the Comm ttee
| on Naval Affairs, intimated that in the prog
ress of the investigation of that committee GER
| tain facts had been developed affecting the
character of the Representative from Florida,
| that. the committee had not felt at liberty to
prosecute the matter so far as that gentleman
| was individually concerned, but only so far as
the general service of the country was affected,
h.rkl 1, hf
| fetal relations and conduct of Mr.. Purman
should be investigated.
Mr.. Harris of Virginia moved that the mat.
ter be referred for investigation to the Commit.
| tee on Naval Affairs.
Mr.. O'Brien suggested that under the cir.
| cumstances it might be better to refer the mat
| ter to a select committee.
| After some discussion it was so ordered, and
| on motion of Mr.. Hoar the committee was in
structed to investigate the matters referred to
in the paragraph from the New York Sun.
As soon as this matter was disposed of, the
the recusant witness, A. B. Wolf, who had re-
fused to answer certain questions put to him
by the Committee on Naval Affairs, was
brought before the bar of the House, and Mr..
| Whftthorne, the chairman, was proceeding to
| state that the witness had this morning ap-
peared and answered and that he might there
| fore be discharged from custody, when the wit
ness himself fell on the floor in an epileptic fit,
| producing much excitement and sympathy in
the chamber. He was attended by physician
| and subsequently carried from the hall, when
Mr.. Whitthorne concluded his statement and
| had the witness discharged from custody.
On motion of Mr.. Whitthorne, the sub-com.
mttee of the Committee on Naval Affairs was
authorized to carry on the investigations at the
| subcommittee are Messrs Mills of Texas,
| Burleigh of Maine and Jones of New Hamp-
| shire for Kittery, and Messrs. Mills and Harris
of Virginia and Jones for Charlestown.
Mr.. Knott, chairman of the Judiciary Com
mittee, made the following report in the case of
| the impeachment of the late Secretary of War
The Committee of the Judiciary would re-
| specially report that in pursuance of instruc-
tions of the House they have prepared articles
| of impeachment against VIM. W. Belknap,
| demeanors in Office, but that since preparing
the same they have been informed and believe
| that Caleb z. Marsh, upon whose testimony
before the Committee on Expenditures in the
War Department and referred to them by the
| House said articles were framed, has gone be-
| yond the jurisdiction of the government of the
United States and that probably his attend
| ance as witness before the Senate sitting as a
court of impeachment cannot be procured suf-
| fcient to convict said VIM. w. Belknap of high
crimes and misdemeanorS in office as Secretary
| cf War; they therefore recommend the adop.
| ton of the following resolution:
Resolved, That the resolution inStructing the
| Committee on Judiciary to prepare articles of
| impeachment against William w. Belknap,
late Secretary of War, for high crimes and mis-
demeanors in Office be recommtted to said COM
mittee with power to take further proofs to send
for persons and papers, to SIT during the ses.
sions of the House and to report at any time.
Your committee impressed with the import
| ance Of securing the fullest indemnity to such
witnesses as may be required TO testify in be-
half of he'government before either House of
Congress or any committee of either House, or
before the Senate sitting as court of impeach-
ment would also recommend the immediate
passage of the accompanying bill entitled, "a
bill in relation to witnesses" BIZ introduced,
printed and referred to the Committee on Judi
ciary with leave to report thereon at any time
The following are bills:
A bill to protect witnesses who shall be re-
quired to testify in certain cases.
Be it enacted, That when any person shall be
required to testify against his protest before
either House of Congress, or any committee
thereof, or Senate sitting as a court of i'm
parchment, and shall SO testify under protest
he shall not thereafter be held to answer crim-
nally IN any court of justice or be subject to
any penalty or forfeiture on account of any act
concerning which he shall be so required to ties.
tify, provided that nothing herein contained
shall be so construed as to relieve any person
from liability to impeachment.
Be it enacted, etc., That every person. who
shall wilfully absent himself from his pl ace of
residence, or conceal himself, or absent himself
from the United States, or being absent shall
wilfully remain absent, or shall flee or attempt
to doso for the purpose and with the intent to
escape the service of any lawful writ or pro-
cess requiring him to appear and testify, or
give evidence Or produce books, letters, docu-
ments or papers, or for the purpose and with
intent to avoid being required to testify, or
give evidence, or to become witness, shall be
deemed guilty of crime and punishable by a
fine not exceeding $1,000, or by imprisonment
not exceeding three years, or by both of said
| punishments Nothing herein shall be con-
strued to exempt any such person from lawful
punishment as for contempt.
Mr.. Knott proceeded to address the House on
the subject. He said that the testimony of
| Marsh had disclosed such Infamous crimes and
| misdemeanors on the part of the late Secretary
of War as had caused every honest American
to hang his head with shame and ignominy.
The committee had proceeded to discharge its
duty, but had no sooner completed it than the
committee was confronted with the fact that
Marsh had fled bayond the jurisdiction of the
government. He would not undertake to say
what was the immediate cause of Marsh's
prompt flight. He would say, however, that
having testified before the committee and hav-
ing given no indication of contempt of the
House, it was beyond the power of the commit
tee or of the House to have ordered him into
custody, or to have restrained him in any
manner of his liberty without having been
guilty of almost as great an outrage as that
charged on the Secretary. Marsh, however
might have beenltaken into custody in pursu-
ance OF law by another department OF the gov
eminent. He (Knott) did not insinuate that
the distinguished head of the department of
justice or the District Attorney was not aware
of the proper mode and manner of securing
Marsh's detention. There was but one method
now by which Marsh could be brought back,
and that method was an infallible one.
1t was in the power of one man to have Marsh
in Washington city in forty-eight hours. 1t
was simple power and one known to the legal
profession from the earliest dawn of jurspru-
dence If the President of the UnitedStates real
ly, honestly and sincerely desired the impeach-
ment, Indictment and punishment of the late
Secretary Of War whose enormous crime had
disgraced his own administration and caused
ever Americans cheek to mantle with shame,
all he had to do was to give assurance to the
witness (Marsh) that if be would come before
the tribunals and tell the truth, the whole
truth and nothing but the TRUTH he should
have free pardon, and Marsh would be in
Washington in forty eight hours. Marsh was
not coming without such assurance and no sane
man in his situation would come without such
assurance after what had been blazoned all
over the country.
The question therefore presented itself to the
Committee what was most advisable for the
House to do and the Committee had concluded
that to present articles of impeachment with
the moral certainty that there would be no suf-
fcient evidence to sustain them would put the
House in an attitude which would render it re-
diculous in the eyes of the world and contempt