The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-10-06

upon that occasion was not able to got the pa
uers for examination because another memoeI
II the committee dosired them Tor tne s ,ine
purpose. Will state fu ther that, aIteI J ,s
out of tho committee. I went to the law library
ard found the case referred to 10y the gentlsh,nn
from Wisconsin % Howard, coniiiinins , Ine and
csion OF Judge Nelsonl. | read u haHtlN' anu
the tmprcssion was made upon my uilnu COZ.
responding prct scly with the statement rinnraceu
in the resolution presented by me gentletnan
from Wisconsin. 1 went to the Chairman OF the
committee ami said that such was the impress.
ston made upon my mind hut The majority Of
Drcommutcc hdd d,cidtd TIE naatt,i, ant cOud
do nothing. ala not know TIL | saw the state
ment In the papers that Tue m, , Z "a neen
ar cifi 10 he bW the time Of it, passage,
should have stated the Impression had received
rom re ding the case IN 10 Howard. l Will say
further that my present impression Is. that n tie
cai,n Is a poficcl' good one. as perhaps Il may
right that we SHOULD, II possible, procure post
porcmcnt OF action by the department, and that
tho resolution Of the gentleman from Wiscop-
sin, or something similar TO IL, should be
adopted
This may be called a remarkable ef-
fort" for its style, for its composition, and
for its glaring contradictions First of all,
MIR. HAYES says "the committee was
called together to consider this matter
during, think, the last week of the SEES
SION" Now, the bill passed on the 2d of
March, the day preceding the end of the
session. So according to Mr.. HAYEs's YER
sion, the report from his committee and
the vote In tho House must have folio wed
in quick succession. Bearing these fhcts
In mind. what did he do III the matteri
He states that after coming out OF the
committee | went TO the law library ana
found the case referred TO by the gentie-
man from Wisconsin," who upon that de-
cision had pronounced 1t the most fraud
ulcnt claim ever presented TO Congress-"
He agreed with MIR. WAsHBURNs impress
sion. and so cold the Chairman of the COM
mittce. nut, says he, the majority of the
compdtee had decided the matter, and
could do nothinGl'
Herein the feeble and passive character
of the man is revealed. He knew this to
be n fraudulent claim after reading the
decision of the Supreme Court, but because
the majority had decided the matter"
ne accepted their judgment and the fraud
together, dismissed the case, and excuses
himself by saying, 81 could do nothing"
why did he not make minority report,
or, knowing what he did, watch the calen-
dar and expose the fraudf 1t was in his
power to prevent the passage of this bill,
but. rs in the case of the railroad jobs, he
did not dare to lisp u syllable against what
1.-THE majority had decided"
But this is not all. Mr.. wAsuBrRN had
declared 81 served on the Committee on
Private Land Claims four years, and this
10 an old acquaintance of mine; | will say
to the House, a moro fraudulent claim was
never presented to the Congress of the
United States; II gentlemen will only read
n decision of the Supreme Court referred
to. they will see that IL is n fraudulent
claim" Mr.. HAYES, in his explanation.
said: 81 went to the law librar- and found
the case referred 10 by the gentleman
from Wisconsin. l read II hastily, and the
impression wds made upon my mind
corresponding precisely iCiM the state
ment embraced IN the resolution present
cd IN the gentleman from Wisconsin"
so they agreed precisely" that the
claim was a fraud under this decree Of the
| Supreme Court. Yet, after uttering this
| positive opinion, he winds up this singular
| discourse i'll these words:
81 will say further tn at my present impre SSH on
is, that II the claim Ia perfectly good one, AZ
| seems TO me fignt that we should, II possible,
| procure postponenent OF action by the De-
| partment."
| These utterances need no comment. They
| speak for themselves, and exhibit a com.
monplace politician, with small capacity
and no moral force, lifted up into the po-
sltion of u candidate for the Presidency
and put forward by powerful party as a
statesman" fitted for this great crisis. II
anything was needed TO determine the
qualities and the fitness of this aspirant
the foregoing speech would supply the de-
ficiency. II ought TO settle the pretensioni
| of RUTHERFORD ID. HAYES.