The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1876-03-16
THE slTUATION,

IN w asnluRtOn, out has neither Deel
impeached nor indicted. The Hous'
Committee on Expenditures of thu
War Department, who made the
Investigation and preferred the charg
Is, having permitted Ito put the most
favorable construction possible upon
| their remarkable action the escape
of the only witness who knew any
thing about the alleged corruption
on the part Of the Secretary Of War
the Committee on Judiciary have
been unable to tortity their articles
Of impeachment with such testimony
As will warrant them in going before
the Senate to prosecute their charges,
The Democratic members Of the Com.
mittee on Expenditures, who have pos
session of the documents of the Marsh
examination, being subpenaed by
the Supreme Court Of the District OF
Columbia to give testimony necessary
for the indictment Of Belknap in
criminal proceedings, persistently re.
fuse to testify, aud Marsh being out
Of the country no indictment has
been found or can be found until ad-
ditional evidence is presented. Messrs
Danford and Bass, the two Repubi.
can members, have given their testi.
mony. but as they were not permitted
to be present when Marsh was exam
ined and have had none of the pa
peri, they can testify as to little. A.
the matter now stands, Belknap is
master of the situation.
The responsibility for all this rests
with the Democratic Committee on
Expenditures, and especially with its
Chairman. Mr.. Clymer. 1t appears
from statement made in the House.
Friday by Mr.. Bass, Republican
member Of the Committee, and cor
roborated by Mr.. Dantord, anothe,
member, that Marsh had been exam
ined two days by the Democrats
comprising the majority Of the Com
mittee and that his testimony had
been concluded, signed and sealed, be-
fore the Republican members were
notified that any meetings whatever
had been held; and that these meet.
ings had been held at unusual times in
the evening and when the House was
in session, which was contrary to the
rules and customs, and that they
were conducted with great secrecy.
He also stated that Marsh had been
dismissed against his (Bass's) positive
protest, he insisting that the witness
should be detained until the House
had decided upon some action; but
that in the face of this Clymer dis
missed the witness, went with him to
get his fees, and promised to send
him his papers through the mails.
Clymer even sent to Marsh the writ.
ten contract between Evans and
Marsh with regard to the division OF
the profits at Fort Sill.
There is good reason to believe
that Mr.. Clymer and the other Dem.
ocratic members of the Committee
did not want Marsh to remain and
an investigation to be made in the
courts, and that they not only per.
mitted his escape but were anxious
for it. There are ugly charges made
against such leading Democrats as
Geo. H. Pendleton, Congressman
Randall and even Mr.. Clymer him.
self in connection with "jobs." Mr..
Clymer insists, as member Of this
Committee, upon investigating biz
his own case. which is safe if some
what unusual mode of procedure
Robbins, of North Carolina, anothe,
Democratic member of the Committee
is a convicted bribe-taker. (The
official statement is published on
this page.) 1t is we'll understood by
the country that the sole purpose o.
Clymer's hasty sensational repor,
was to affect the New Hampshire and
Connecticut elections. It was intend.
ed much more to damage the Admin.
istration and the Republican party
than tosecure the conviction and pun
isbment ofSecretary Belknap. And
least Of all was it any part Of thu
purpose Of this Committee to hav.
the case brought into the courts
where the Committee itself might be
come subject to investigation: Th'
| Democrats do not want any investi
cations except such as they conduc
themselves. when their motto 10. lie