New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-03-21
aA0HING THE MINORITY.

aAaa1Ha THE MINORITY.
The House Committee on Expenditures
in the War Department, consisting of
Heister Clymer, William N. Robbins,
Joseph C. s. Blackburn, Lyman X. Bass
and Lorenzo Danford, is known and cele-
brated as the SANDER committee Of the
Confederate branch of Congress. Mr..
Clymer, of Pennsylvania, is chiefly known
As an old time Democratic politician; he
was delegate to the national Democratic
conventions Of Charleston and Baltimore
in 1860, and has frequently presided at
Democratic conventions in his State; his
profession is politics, and he is considered
the best party manager in Pennsylvania.
Having been promoted for faithful political
service to the craftsmanship of the national
Democratic campaign committee. he was
very naturally appointed chairman of the
House committee calculated to work up
evidence, and aid Democrats in election
campaigns. Mr.. Robbins, of North Caro-
lima, was Confederate soldier, and latterly
q Democratic politician. He is known
in his State as Twenty-Dollar Robbins,
on account of little anecdote connected
with the seating Of . member in the Senate
of North Carolina, when Mr.. Robbins
was q member OF that body. Mr.. Black
burn is . small lawyer Of Kentucky, q
Democratic politician since 1871, and
having served through the war in the
Confederate army, gained such experience
of suffers as to make him valuable
member of the Committee on Expendi-
lures of the War Department of the
United States. The Republican members
of this queer committee are Mr.. Bass, of
New York, and Mr.. Danford. Of Ohio.
They are at the tail end of the class and
constitute . powerless minority. In an
able speech Mr.. Bass has told Us how the
committee met at unusual hours without
notifying him, and how the one-sided
testimony was taken. The speech of Mr..
Bass was not surprising We have
seen at homo how committees of
investigation. having Democratic
majority, are managed. 1t was left
to Mr.. Blackburn, of the committee,
to astonish the country. The committee
had been very unlucky in writing its
first campaign document Marsh had
made his statement without cross-ques-
tioning, and had been hurried out of the
country to await the verdict Of the New
Hampshire election. In the meantime a
careless newspaper writer had suggested
that few prominent Democrats be ioves-
tigated. Here was unlocked for trouble.
Bass might make more minority speeches;
eminent gentlemen who expect to be NOM
mated for President could not afford to
run off to Canada, and stay there until
elected. Something had to be done for
Mr.. Pendleton. The committee stood,
three with whitewash brushes. and two
ready to kick the bucket of evidence in
case things were not fairly managed.
How to gag the minority, who
would most likely have de-
tective to inform them of the time
and place the committee was in session,
was the Democratic question of the hour.
Democratic audacity was called out.
What was attempted is best told by the
New York Heralds account of the pro-
ceedings of the committee when Colonel
Grafton was examined in the Hon. George
II. Pendleton and the Kentucky railroad
case, and the testimony was given on the
day following the New Hampshire cleo
ton. The Herald says:
Mr. Blackburn offered resolution that
everything done as agreed to by this COM
mittee shall be accepted as the action OF
each member present at the meeting IN
which such action is had, unless q dissent
therefrom shall be entered upon the records
by the disagreeing member or members.
The resolution was adopted; Yeas,
Meesrs. Clymer. Blackburn and Robbins;
NAYS, Messrs. Bass and DanfOrd.
Mr.. Bass entered his protest against the
resolutions as being unnecessary and I'M
heard of.
This precaution did not occur to Mr..
Blackburn when q Cabinet officer was
being accused, and i. was overlooked
when Mr.. Marsh assured a correspondent
that e.. -..s o. Land and that he held
the documents to give the Democrats
control of the White House; but the
Pendleton business was more serious; it
was more like the death of friend. A
majority of the jury was to acquit, and
the minority were to be bound to say the
verdict was unanimous.
MARRIED..
DORAM-SCOTT-At New Orleans. on Wednes-
day, March g. 1876, by the Rev. g. Burdford of CAL
oe Jlo