The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-03-08


as 1t might deem right, just, and necessary
Mr.. Blaine, OF Maine, asked Mr.. Ciymel
IL the court had asked or had desired to ask
for any information that was not contained
in the published report and was not matter
Of record and OF general notorety. He could
very we'll conceive that the gentleman from
Pennsylvania might not wish to be called
upon by that court 10 testify Of what Yves
still committee secret, but on what the
point Of delicacy could arise as to those mat
ters which were as common as history could
make them he could not see.
Mr. Cltmer replied that the court had not
proposed to ask them any question st all.
They were to be examined before the grand
Jury. II the questions were to have been
asked by the court 10 the presence OF the
public he might not have had as great an
objection, but he and bis colleagues rad felt
that If they were to 60 before grand jury,
| whose proceedings were necessarily secret,
that fact would strike terror everywhere
throughout the land, and would close all the
avenues OF testimony to the House and its
committees.
Mr.. Blaine reminded Mr.. CIymer that his
own privilege as member protected bim,
and that there was no power to compel aim
to testify.
Mr.. Clymer repeated that he had stated to
the court that he did not intend to pleadlhs
privileges, SO that it might not be said that
he intended to exclude anything which
should be rightful!y known to the public.
MIR. Robbins, of North Carolina, another
member Of the committee, made like state.
ment In reference to his being subpeuaed,
S., and declared'it as his belief that the eff.
feet, If not the design, was to intincidate wit
nesses aud throttle investigation.
| Mr.. Danford, OF Ohio, another member of
the committee, said that he bad bad no
subpoena to go before the coart, but he
would like to know from the chairman
whether any additional testimony bad been
taken before the committee.
Mr.. Lamar, of Mississippi, objected to that
question.
Mr.. Blaine: The objection must come from
q most inconceivable motive.
Mr.. Lamar +: 1t may be motive that you
misconceiye, but nevertheless it is q mo-
tive which have, and that is the preserva.
ton Of parliamentary order. | maintain
that no member has right to reveal the
secrets Of the committeeman.
Mr.. Clymer said that there had been no
additional testimony taken before the COM
mittee, but he repeated that the attempt to
drag forth what occurred in committee could
result In nothing but detriment to the public
veal.
Mr.. B Elaine: "Tbere should be no divi.
sion or seeming division between the two
sides of the House in regard to the rigorous
prosecution of public criminals. What was
the object of this Investigation except to
bring offenders to criminal justice? Com
mittees could not punish anybody except
that everybody knows that this was brutun'
fuimen"
MIR. Clymer: "I have stated the facts OF
the case to the House; and if necessary
imputation arises that some one in this Dis
trict wishes to close the avenues of evidence
all over the country, it is not who make
the charge but the facts of the case"
Mr.. Blaine: "The gentleman closes the
avenua himself"
: MIR. Clymer I will not permit the gen
tleman from Maine to impute to me language
which do not understand, nor to put in
situations in my mouth which l have no
uttered"
, Mr.. Blackburn, of Kentucky (auothel
, member of the committee), said he was no
surprised at the uneasiness and nervousness
manifested by the gentlemen from Maine
He (BlackburD) did not intend to charge tina
! it was the purpose Of the Executive to IN
tmidate witnesses, to throttle investigation
, and to afford immunity to criminals, but b.
did say that unless the gag process wa
stopped the country would believe that tina
was the purpose, and he believed it, too
: TApplause on the Democratic side
, MIR. Blaine: "What gag process?"
Mr.. Blackburn said it had gone forth Il
the country that the committee bad conniyet
at the Ascending of an important wines:
: against the protest of the Republican mem
5 bers of the committee, and it was needless
for him to say that that charge was flatl,
false, and he only wondered that those Re
publican members bad allowed it to 60 on
on their authority without contradiction
He went on to argue that it would be ut
!. terly impossible ever to convict the late Sec
rotary Of War, or any other Cabinet officer
, except by the testimony of accompllces
and yet the House was now to be told tina
an accomplice should not testify before {
. committee except at his own peril. 1t wa
against that he protested. He minated tina
the phrase "Let no guilty man esclpe y
would lie construed by the country to meal
Let no man escape who dares tell on thos
who are in authority.' He warned tn
House that the voluminous investigation:
that were now progressing would be stop
ped, and that it would be utterly impossible
to carry them farther successfully unles
there was declaration that the testimony o
witnesses should not be used against them
Mr.. Lamar, of Mississippi, said there SHOULD
not be any exhibition of party feeling or eX
element in the presence of such solemn
events as were throwing their shadows oVel
} the House. 1t seemed to him that the voice
J of faction should at last be husbed. He re
garded this mandate, or summons, or Su6
!. pgnd, issued to the members Of the commit
tee by the Supreme Court of th'
District as an outrage on the priv
leges Of the House. He did not say tina
the object of the court was to hush or sup
press investigation. The question was on'
of purely parliamentary privilege. He re
garded it as q violation of the privileges o
the House for a court TO issue summons Il
a member and order him to bring along will
him the records Of the House, and to re
main in court and not depart until allowed
by the court or. district attorney.
Mr.. Blame: Does not the gentleman from
Mississippi see, and does not the Who'll,
country see, that, having possession of al
the evidence on which an indictment can 81
found, and having in its possession ever.
paper in the case, the House puts itself be
hind its technical privilege and throws
itself across the indictment of Belknap, ant
that to-day it stands as the obstacle, and TIT
. sole obstacle, to the indictment of the latt
~Secretary of War?
Mr.. Lamar: Neither the gentleman from
Mississippi, nor the country, nor the gentle
man from Maine sees any such thing.
Mr.. Blaine "If 1t is nothing but that -
Mr.. Lamar "It is anything but that
The question Is simply whether this House