Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-03-10

q
the democrats refused the republicans the privi-
lege of one accord. The republicans then, out
ragged by this injustice of arbitrary power for the
first time this season showed their power. They
forced the democrats by fillibustering to grant
them half an hour. The democrats were surprised
and chagrined at the skill in parliamentary fe nee
exhibited by the republicans, which was so in con-
trast with their own laundering. The democrats
so f1agrantly violated parliamentary law as to force
a call of the House, when the last vote showed a
Quorum. After tircsome fillbustering siege of
two hours the republicans carried the day by fore
ing the democrats to compromise, and obtained
the floor.
Mr.. BIaine's Remarks
Were very effective, and give a verbatim report
| of them
Mr.. Speaker-My friend from Pennsylvania
| (Mr. RandalD was anxious to learn how the gen
tleman from Iowa (Mr. Kasson) could know that
the witness Marsh left here on certain ~day.
told him would answer him. After SO much was
attempted to be made yesterday out of the alleged
fact that Marsh frightened out of Washington
by some pretended threats of prosecution, sent,
| after the adjournment of the House, to the Ar
lington Hotel, and learned q have the memoran-
DUN here by the person who VENT that Mr.. Marsh
left here on Thursday, March 2, at l.3o p. NJ, by
| the express train for New York and be was sew
enty-five miles on his route toward Canada when
! the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Clymer)
made his report at the Clerks desk.
The gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Kasson) has
stated with precise accuracy that the next day he
l
heard OF these mythical instructions of the Cabi-
net, he heard of them in the Montreal papers or
IN the New York papers of Saturday, when they
reached Montreal on Saturday, so that the state
ment OF Marsh having been frightened by Cabinet
threats is entirely without any foundation what
ever.
| l am authorized also to say that there never
were any instructions whatever given in the Cab
met to prosecate Marsh His case was never con-
sidered-never. 1t was simply question to pros
ecute Belknap. Yesterday the gentleman from
Mississippi (Mr. Lamar, whom, regret to hear,
is i'll, and therefore cannot be in his seat, stated
that II the question went TO the Grand Jury, it
was Belknap that could not be indicted, but only
Marsh. But after adjournment the gentleman
added foot-note to his speech in the Record,
Tossing his msconception of the law and pract-
caily withdrawing his statement, and l here ven
ture TO affirm that there never was the slightest at
tempt on the part of any in Washington to
threaten Or ntimidate Marsh, and whoever chArg
es to the contrary states, to put it mildly, that
which has no foundation in fact.
| Marsh left because he discharged by the
committee, and state again that the simple fail
ure to discharge Marsh would have retained him.
| | beg to remind the House of the fact that the
| chairman of the Committee on Naval Affairs the
| honorable gentleman from Tennessee Mr.. Whit
thoIne), this morning took precisely that precau
ton in the Of the witness whose presence was
so painful to the House. He simply retained the
witness. So far as is known to the House, that
witness, as Marsh had done, had answered every
question put to him by the committee; but, out of
abundant caution, the chairman of the Committee
on Naval Affairs stated to the House that he
begged that the witness be retained. The mere
fact of not dscharging witness retains him, and
! do not believe there is a man in the United
States who has nerve enough to leave this city
when he is here under the orders of the House,
under the control of a committee of the House,
unless he is discharged by that committee.
| The gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. ely
mer) must not understand me making any Ie
Election upon him. l do not desire to do that, but
1 hot thn vnnf1n rno andh nNlln Of
accept the responsibility of grave public mis-
take. The witness (Marsh) would be in this city
to-day and at this hour but for that discharge. |
The House of Representatives were not permitted
to CONSIDER the question of retaining him here. |
| but were forced under the previous question |
into ordering an impeachment, and at that time |
this man Marsh was seventy-tve miles away from |
this city, bound for Canada on an express train,
so that it was absolutely beyond the power of the
House to take any action in the premises what
ever.
A gentleman near me questions the propriety of
this bill. 1t may have some very extreme prov-
sions, but do not care about that; will vote for
the BILL and ask my Republican friends to vote
for it. do not want the slightest possible ground
of evasion or anything of that sort. do not want
it to be said that we made no attempt to get the
witness Marsh, but will venture to prophesy that
you may pass all the bills ofexempton you choose .
and you will not get him back.
Mr. Randall-How do you know?
Mr. Blaine-I do not know, but am Yankee
L
simply guess that he will not come, and he is now
beyond our jurisdiction. Yesterday, Mr.. Speaker
we were told that the privileges of this House !
were invaded and its dignity insulted by reason of
the fact that we were asked to send certain testi
mony to the grand jury of this District in order
that criminal proceeding might be initiated |
against the Secretary of War; and it was said by
the gentleman from Tennessee (Mfr. Bright and |
the gentleman from New York Mr.. Cox that it |
was done in order to interfere with the mpeach-
ment
We were charged here with a great desire to
get these papers away, in order that impeachment
might be famed and hindered in some way. But
forthwith, soon as the House had voted that the
dignity Of the realm and Its own superior status
must be maintained, and that the impeachment
must not possibly be interfered with, in come the
Judiciary Committee and tell us that cannot i'm
peach him at all. He cannot be indicted, for
when we ask to have him indicted they say ooh,
you want to interfere with his impeachment"
Then the Judiciary come in and say this testimo-
nv is not worth anything for impeachment.
Here, then, we stand, and it appears to me the
Secretary will escape, will fall between the two
stools, that he will not be indicted because it will
iDjure the dignity of the House to have him in
dicted if we have to furnish the testimony, and
that he will not be impeached because. on the
whole, there is not enough upon which to found
an impeachment, or if it is not enough, our COM
mittee thinks it will do to hold to it until we
can get something else, until we can throw out
orag met and catch something AS my
friend from Massachusetts MIR. Hoar) says. give
the case to this side of the House and we will do
both very quickly. We will indict and impeach
him both. Great applause)
POLITICAL.
Poor excuses worse than none-those given
by Mr.. Clymer's democratic associates for not
wanting to 60 before the Grand Jury.
1t is said Mr.. Clymer never hears the phrase
LET guilty man escape" but he turns red and
seems to act if he had listened to something