The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-06-15

him that he was a party in interest to the
s64,o00 transaction. These letters, he said.
were picked out of correspondence extend
ing over hiteen years, and the most intimate
business correspondence of his life; the man
Muiilgan had done his very worst. Mr.. Blaine
then charged that Mr.. Knott, Chairman of
The Judiciary Committee, had suppressed a
telegram received by the committee, com.
pletely exonerating him (Blaine) from the
charge against him, and demanded of Mr..
Knott to know If such telegram had not been
received by the committee. He then offered
resolution instructiDg the Judiciary Com
mlttee to report forthwith to the House
whether such telegram had not been received
from Mr.. Caldwell, Or whether the committee
had heard from him (CaldwelD in any other
way. In answer to Mr.. Blaine's insinuations
against him, Mr.. Knott stated that there had
been no wrong done to Mr.. Blaine bv the com.
mlttee. So far as the letters were concerned.
the committee had not decided what should
be done with them, but Mr. Blaine had been
positively assured that he would not be mar.
tyreo by the committee. Yet, in defiance of
all parliamentary law, an ex-Speaker of the
House had, in the House, under pretext of a
personal explanation, taken the matter awav
from the jurisdiction of the committee. AS
10 the telegram from Mr.. Caldwell, Mr..
Knott said he hurled the falsehood back into
the teeth OF any man who suggested
that it had been suppressed. He said: az
have it. | did not suppress it at all. In less
tnan thirty minutes after l received it read
1t to several gentlemen, but there was no
particular address in London from which it
puiported to come, and did believe, and am
not altogether certain yet that do not be-
liese it was a fixed-up job"
In answer to requests from the Republi-
can side to read the dispatch from Caldwell,
Mr.. Knott said: 81 have not the dispatch
here. 1t is at my house. The contents of it
are substantially as stated by the gentleman
from Maine (Blaine) I do not know that
can repeat it in the exact terms. The pur
port of it is that Caldwell had seen Thomas
A. Scotts testimony in the New York papers,
and that it was substantially correct; that he
had not let Mr.. Blaine have any bonds, and
that he would send an affidavit to that effect
but that he was engaged in a railroad enter
prise over there and could not come to give
his testimony without serious pecuniary loss
This is substantially what is in it, and if the
gentleman had only waited that dispatch
would have been presented to the committee
for whatever use the committee might see
proper to make of it. | had no desire to in
jure the gentleman from Maine personally,
and especially not politically, but l desire
that the truth may be told"
Mr.. Blaine moved the previous question on
his resolution, and attempted to make
further remarks, but was prevented by loud
calls to order and by the Speaker pro tenn.
ruling that he was not entitled to the floor for
that purpose.
The House refused to second the previous
question, and then the motion of Mr.. Blaine
was referred to the Committee on Judiciary
yeas, 124; nays, 81.
On the 5th, Speaker Kerr appeared before
the Committee on Expenditures in the War
Department and, through his counsel, pre-
sented a statement In relation TO Harney's
charge that he (Harneyl had paid him (Kerr)
$3.50 to secure the appointment OLA P. Green
to a vacant Lieutenancy. Mr.. Kerr stated
that, in 1866 or 1867, he was called upon by
MIR. Green in relation to the appointment. He
did not rccollect that he was introduced by
Harney and had no consciousness of ever
having known Harney. He (Harney) had
never visited him anywhere, and had never
paid him money for his influence, or for any
purpose whatever. He (Kerr) had told Green,
after examining his credentials, that if he
could procure the names of certain New
York parties whom he knew he
would aid him. Green did procure
the Endorsements desired and he (Kerr)
wrote the letter TO the War Department
which secured the appointment. Mr.. Kerr
quite distinctly that, previous to
recommending the appointment of Mr..
Green, he had offered the recommendation
10 two Of his constituents--Col. Thomas
J. Jackson and Maj. Thomas Morrison
both of whom had rendered gallant
service in the volunteer army. These
gentlemen had both declined, and Mr..
Kerr was not aware that any Demo-
cratic soldier had ever applied to him for the
place. He had held the appointment at the
service Of the people Of his district or State,
f any should apply; but none did so apply,
Of whom he has the slightest recollection,
and when the long session of Congress was
we'll advanced, and the time for these ap-
Dointments was passing away, he was called
upon by Green, and had recommended him
'or the position.