Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-03-10

liable to Indictment, conviction, and punish
ment according to law. have got him to the
ssmay be" now. He said a moment ago 1t was
not so. Now be iojeets 40 interruption, and
says 81, man be a punishment. That IS
promising. Perhaps can lead him on little
further Applause. =,
Disqualification from office may be punish
meut as 10 cases
I have a great mind, sir to let my frieni
What do you say, gentlemen Shall 60
op? Tories of Go 90, Punish him.
Disqualification from office may be runlsh
ment AS IN CASES OF CONVICTION UPON IN
PLACEMENT r.
Mr.. Blaine Let me state what [ mean. The
gentleman read the opinion Of the Supreme
Court which said that disability may be pun
| ishment. Well, that is just as gentlemen take
| il. The gentleman from Mississippi did take
il az punishment, but another gentleman
from Mississippi, JEFF Davis, regards it as no
punishment Cries OF "O!' or on the
Democratic side of the House.
Mr.. Lamar. May be punishment" Does
the gentleman meao to say it is punishment or
not as the recipient considers it7 Is that what
this decision means? Well, sir. let US see what
it SAYS it says that disqualification from Office
NAV be punishment as 10 cases of conviction OF
| impeachmet 1t may not be punishment ID
other cases, bat it is 10 cases of conviction up
on impeachment Note the language of the
| court:
| The disabilities created by the constitution OF
Missouri must be regarded as penalties; they
constitute PUNISHMENT. We do not agree
With the counsel of Missouri, that ito punish
one is to deprive him of life, liberty, or prop.
erty, and that to take from him anything less
than these is no punishment at all The
learned counsel does not use these terns-llfe,
liberty, and property-as comprehendlng every
right known to the law. H. does not include
under liberty freedom from outrage on the
feelings as we'll as restraints on the person.. lie
does not include under property those estates
which one may acquire 10 professions. though
thew are often the sou, ICE of the highest emolu
meDts and honors. The deprivation of any
rights, civil or political previously etjnyed,
may be punishment, the circumstances attend
inc and the causes of the deprivation deter
mining this fact. Disqualification from Office
NAV be punishment, as in cas:s OF conviction
upon impeachment
Now, sir, here is this trial going on, the trial
of : former Secretary Of War. The process of
i'm parchment is DOT complete All OF the test
mony has not been collected. and chat which uas
been collected has been rendered useless by an
accident or anything you may choose to call It,
But, sir, while that grand trial is going 90, here
comes small Criminal Court ordering the con-
mittee to come before them. What for? 10
bring with them all the papers IN their posses
sion to impaach aud to try this man, William
w. Belkuap. 1t was not my purpose to 20
into that question, but l will do It Tor an In
slant.
Mr.. Speaker, there was not particle oftesti-
L T.. IL. hAf, Y no D n
which 40 Indictment against w. W. BeIkuap
can be founded. | say it as lawyer. Irepeat
that az against William W. Belknap there is not
aoy evidence or any testimony or anything on
which any grand jury can base an lndlc ment
against w. w. BeIkoap. There are papers
there which taken in connection with the tesl
mony of Mr.. hlarsb might do it. But, sir, there
is another fact to which | invoke the attention
of nv friends on this (tbe Republican, side Of
the House, for whom have the kliudest feel
uc; and inasmuch as the gentleman from Name
iMr. Blaine has referred to it, will state here
tina, toward the Republican party of the coun.
Try have no persoual anlmosty or ll.teeling.
am Indebted TO that party for the right of
standing here 90 this floor today as Repre-
sentative 10 part of my State; and | say that it
was 40 act OF magnanlmity Oh their part to ex
tend to me that privilege whatever may be my
opinion as to the wrong done me and my peo-
pie 10 imposing these disabilities upon US.
Viewing it from your stand point, it Was mag
naoimous act.
Therefore, sir, gentlcme of both parties, l
proclaim to you, and do it as lawyer, that
there is not only no testimony before this COM
mittee on which criminal court could lndict
or convict w. w. Belknap, but there is test.
mopy there upon which Marsh could be 10.
dicted, and nobody else but Marsh. N W, gen.
tlemeu, We have all the proceedings which
have been taken in this House and all the tes-
timony which has been brought before it against
| w. w. BelkDap; but with Marsh absent it is
useless, and there is no way OF crm;ually pro-
ceediog against W. w. Belkuap. The only
effect will be to indict. try, and convict Marsh,
the confessed accomplish, who gave his testi-
mony against Belknap. Sir, the question is
whether We shall permit this testimony to GO,
or hold it until, in the discretion Of this House,
the members of the Investigating committee
shall be ordered to go before that court and
testify.
| believe there is no Republican on this floor
who has any disposition to screen this distln
guished general who has recently been exposed
10 this terrible crime. The calamity is SO great
the bideous ruin into which he has fallen is
such az to make him sacred from attack and
all that we can do is to let the law take its
course, feeling no sentiment OF Indignation
against the unhappy man, DO sentiment other
than that of commiseration; but in the mean
time it behooVes the House Of Representatives,
aud invoke it's action to-day, to see to 1t that
it's constitutional rights and its powers are re-.
spected. lApplause.
CONGRESS-. ..E