The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-07-21
Forty-fourth Congress.
SENATE.
WASHINGTON. JnlY 90.

vding for the sale of the Usage ceded lands
in Kansas to actual settlers. An amend
ment reported by the committee rcserving
the sixteenth and thirty-sixth sections in
each township to the state for school pur-
poses was rejected.
Mr. Edmunds moved to strike out the
eighth section, requiring the attorney gen.
eral of the United States to ascertain the
amount of expense incurred in the two
suits against the Leavenworth, Lawrance
Galveston railroad company, and the Mis-
souri,, Kansas and Texas railroad company,
and test the validity of the title 10 such
lands claimed by the railroad companies,
and providing for the payment of the same
by the secretary of the interior to the set
tiers who brought the suits.
The morning hour expired, aud the bill
was laid over.
Mr.. Patterson submitted resolution re-
quesing the president to communicate to
the senate, if not incompatible with public
interest, any information he may have in
regard to the recent slaughter OF American
citizens in South Carolina. Agreed to.
Mr.. Window, member of the confer
ence committee on the Indian appropria-
ton committee, said that the committee
thus far was unable to meet because the
managers, on the part of the house of rep
resentatives, thought ii best not to hold a
meeting until after the senate should ex-
press itself on the separate bill for the
transfer Of the Indian bureau TO the war
department, which was recently passed by
the house.
The senate then resumed the considera-
ton of the articles Of impeachment against
w. w. Belknap.
Mr.. Blair in opening his argument in
the impeachment trial, appealed to the
senate to consider the case with calmness
and fairness. The questions to be consid-
cred were of law and evidence, and ought
to be freed from the passions of the outside
world and political campaign now going
on. He then addressed himself to the
question of jurisdiction and argued that the
impeachment should he dismissed on the
ground that more than one-third of the
senate voted against 1t. He could not &C
count for the persistency of this prosecu-
ton unless the managers expected that
these senator's who voted against the ju-
risdieton would stultify themselves and
vote for conviction now.
Mr.. Robertson of South Carolina thought
such language toward senators was very
harsh.
Mr.. Blaine explained and said he did
not mean to be personal towards senators;
he only spoke of the action of the mana
gers as having the appearance that they
expected senators would stultify them
selves by voting for the conviction of the
defendant. He then reviewed the articles
of impeachment seriatim, and said they all
by circumlocutlon made the charge of
bribery, but the evidence did not sustain
that charge. Mr.. Blair then quoted at
length from the testimony in support Of
his argument, that the charges had not been
proven aud claimed that attaching such i'm
portance to things of a trifling nature
showed the weakness of The circumstances
upon which prosecution rested. He also
argued that the managers had suppressed
great part of the truth in the case.
Abiding to the testimony Of Associate
Justice Miller of the United States SUI
preme court as to the good character of
the accused, Mr.. Blair said he was one of
the purest men of our supreme bench,
man whose vigor of intellect everyone re-
cognlzed, but he came to give his testi-
mony as to the good character of the de-
PENDANT, when others, through those Or
ganized assasslns of character the press,
frowned him down. In conclusion, Blair
argued that the client should be dismissed
because there was not the legal two-tbirds
vote of the senate asserting jurisdiction.
Mr.. Merriman submitted Two questions
which he said be would like hear discussed
by counsel. FiIst-Wes q senator dig
senting on the question of jurisdiction not
bound by majority Just as dissenting
Jub6O Oh thN bbPiOuiO SOhht DthIh wac
bound by a majority; and, second, What
was meant by the term conviction in the
Observation-Disclosures there could be con-
viction without disqualification to hold
office.
Mr.. Blair replied that senator voting in
the minority was not bound by the major
lty, aud quoted from twelfth Peters in
support of his argument. In regard to the
second question he expressed the opinion
that there could be conviction without dis
qualification to hold office, though he had
not examined into the matter carefully.
After some discussion as to whether the
managers should go on with the argument
| on the side of the prosecution to-day, in
the absence Of Mr.. Carpenter, who was to
parchment, on motion of Mr.. Conkling,
took recess for ten minutes.
Upon re-assembliDg the impeachment
proceedings were suspended temporarily,
and legislative business was resumed
Mr.. Window introduced the bill to con-
tinue for ten days from date the provisions
of the act to provide temporarily for the
expenses of thegovernment passed.
Mr.. Anthony introduced bill authoriz-
ing the congressional printer to continue
the public printing for a period of ten
days in advance of the regular appropria-
ton passed.
The impeachment trial was then re-
sumed, and it was announced that Mana
ger Lapham, who had been assigned to
open for the prosecution, was too sick to
go on to-day. His place was taken
| by Manager Lynde, who commented on the
effect of vote of less than two-thirds of
the senate in favor of jurisdiction. and
agreed that in the impeachment of Judge