New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-06-06

of the House, and Mr.. Blaine therefore de-
termined to force it upon them. No notice
of his purpose to address the House had been pub
lished in the Washington morning papers, and there
were, therefore, such throngs in the corridors
and CALLER es as such occasions generally attract
An intimation of it had however, been whispered
about the House after it was called to order.
and at the close of the morning hour the members
generally in their seats than has of late
been customary. Besides this the sofas in the
of the chamber, the cloak rooms and the open space
behind the desks well filled by those who, with
or without the authority Of the rules, had gained
access to the floor.
Mr.. Blaine had had no time to prepare written
Speech but if he lost anything of brevty direct
ness this account, which is very doubtful it was
than made up by the increased earnestness and
vigor with which he spoke. His first point the
least effective. While there is no doubt that the in
vestigaion of the Committee has repeatedly degen-
Grated into a persecution, and while the Chairman
especially has allowed it to drift away from the sub
ject under inquiry and to bring IN private affairs
wholly unconnected with it, the accusation which
has SO often been made by Mr.. Blaine's
friends, and which he openly repeated to-day
that Proctor Knott, the Chairman of the
Judiciary Committee, had given this subject into the
hands of the only two Confederate officers on the
selves for the damage Blaine had done them in the
amnesty debate early in the session was probably
unjust. The Subcommittee referred to ap
pointed long before the Blaine investigation was
thought of, and while the TarboX resolution might
well have been referred TO other members of the
Committee, il very naturally went where other
resolutions relating to the Pacific Railroads were
already under consideration. But although his accu
sation was not well founded. it had very great
effect on the Republican side of the House.
The excitement and interest seemed to reach the
climax when Mr. Blaine, after having spoken most
elOquently and effectively support of the rights of
the citizen in the possession of his private papers
and of the outrage which would be perpetrated upon
any one by the publication without his permission
of his private business or social letters waived his
rights in vindcation of his honor aud reputation,
and taking the package of letters from his pocket,
held them up in full view of the House and said that
he should submit them to the confidence of
100000 of American people. Then for the first
tiBe there was applause all over the Republican
side of the House and in the galleries; and IL was
so spontaneous and earnest that it fully vim
dicated the wisdom of the course Inc had
chosen. The reading Of the letters became
somewhat monotonous. The majority of
them related only TO private business matters in
which no one felt any especial interest and il was
only when some passage was reached that appa-
rently referred directly or indirectly TO OF the
transactions brought to light, either by the inquiry
of the Committee or by newspaper publications.
that the attention of the House and galleries was
very close. The universal feeling produced by the
reading of the letters seemed to be one of great dis
appointment. Mr. Blainc's friends who had not
already learned what the contents Of the letters
were, were surprised and indignant that they should
have been made the basis of unjust iusiuua
tons, while his enemies manifested by unmistakaolc
signs the disgust which they evidently felt.