Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1876-04-26
Washington Letter.
WASHINGTON, d. c., Apr.

months.
As was expected Gen. Belknap filed u
plea to the jurisdiction Of the court. that
he being a private citizen Of the United
States and Of the State of Iowa. the Senate
could have no jurisdiction in the case. Two
DAYS later the managers on the part OF the
House filed a replication to this plea IN
sisting that the Senate, by the Constitution.
had sole jurisdiction of the case since at
the time the offences were committed and
for DAYS thereafter w. w. Belknap was
Secretary Of War.
The counsel for the accused will on Mon
lay file a reioinder to this replication to
which Il sur-rcj oinder will most probably
be filed by the prosecution or they may de-
muir and join issue, in which case the OPP
posing legal giants will try their armor
and their weapons for 4 week in heavy ar
gument. The counsel for Gen. Belhnap,
Ex-senator Carpenter and Judge Black
are very able lawyers, and the impression
is general that they will be more than q
match cor the managers chosen by the
House, though it is said that Mr. Lord who
Conkling has scarcely a superior in the
country Mr.. Carpenter appears in full
dress, spikc-taicd coat and white cravat;
his perfect readiness in emergencies, grace
full diction and clear, pointed, rhetoric.
make HIM independently of his profound
legal knowledge, formidable antagonist,
and powerful ally.
Judge Black is we'll known as the Attor-
nev General Of Buchanan's administra-
ton, and is a lawyer who has gobbled
some of the biggest fees in the annals OF
litigation. He watches the course of the
trial with the GOODNESS Of Il veteran and the
keenness Of Il hawk, chewin. tobacco the
while and twirling silver tobacco box in
his fingers.
The numerous, Investigations drag on,
but the interest which has centeTcd mann
" in the war claims and judiciary com
mittce involving the cases of Beiknap ana
Babcock appeared for the moment cclipse'i
by the sensational reports that We're pub
li>hcd in relation to the testimony of TX
Attornev-G General Williams. making it APP
, pear that the President had been guilty OF
> the grosSc>t fraud and misuse OF the pub
lie funds. These reports. to say the least,
: have been greatly exaggerated. 1t appears
that the disbursement Of the 1000 to
7 Davenport was not regular in the strict
ct sense but there was nothing in it to
substantive the grave charges that hav,
been made against Pr, >idcnt Grant.
, From The testimony il appears that one
/ Davenport. who was an ail-le-camp oil
I Gen. Butler. during the war. had spent
% much time and money in the st-li-lmpo>ed
task of making Il registration of the voter,
t. of New York city with 4 view to the pre-
vcntion of fraud in elections. 10 Use his
[ own language the work had become 4 hob
hv with him. and he had become almost
impoverished in his effort to carry 1t to 4
successful completion. He suggested to
, President Grant, who, it seems. approved
4 his work, that the fund appropriated for
y the detection and punishment of election
frauds might be used 70 dtfrav the cNpcr-
| >r> Of the registration. To this view, the
: then Acknowledgement. Mr.. Ahcrman, and
: his successor. Mr.. Williams 4, wei Is til,
President ;t>~entcd,the latter giving avcrba
order for payment If the money. which wa-
u not htndcl drccll, to Davenport. but took
! the usual channel Of appropriations tol
: The secret service through the chief OF
II HE secret service bnrtau, Hiram G.
{ Whitley. Hence. it Will be seen that the
: responsibility for the disbursement rests
I quitc rs much with The Attorney General,
n Who is the legal adviser Of the President
q rs with the President himself
; This Hiram {. Whitley viii hc r,mcm-
u bcrcd Il The man who WIS indicted about
g two wears ago. ana tried with Richard
8 Harrington and Arthur Is. Williams for
! completely in the safe burglary conspiracy.
: He has recently turned up here rs i kind
' of universal witness; he te>titie> much and
u often, before The grand Jury ana different
! Iconrre>> onal committees; he has confess
: cd ali that he laborcd SO hard to diSprovo
= DUNG the sue burglary trial. ana II l.
: now said that he will confess thl: he was
i mrmhtr OF III" Whl,kry flnT' ana VIII
furnish evidence lhll'1tNih- prominent
pIftlc> amt pr"HuI,. papers |" prove con
cIu>lvtIN tht Tn>It OF zen btpc"ch'
NO investigator mas tNclttu >uNh pro
found horror rs thal OF w Nlth"I. Az
mInl~Nali"n Oh u'e ''0'c!h"ehl lh>'h'
A>N .Hhl' ne !'lN'9'' ''loh II - gone Oh
= l'f Gays ana IL : '' 'i'li"o' th'''>> lc 't'
OF hIo"u-CurdIlh- ''l"cI'le> I'Iptti "l'u up
on the h'iPic'S Iuh'ItS' ih'S nave p''i
, beaten starved o'eI"oIht' 'h'! frozen
II II "'!t No' lO' ~ ''"' ~ IiV'
'.I;t,i. tn. L.l;.} ,1 l',,.h '.,,,.,,;'.
Il h,vn boon n,.rnrtratrI in the nine,4,ntl
:, century and in HE National Capital.
=, mere l'- "It"!''" '"' 'I','e oi ~, lh't[|>
/ - '1,I,,,, ~, ,rn Ei1bnrrr II,h'.,'.
C,rn,. va. c,}ivrnrl TX me c>cirin., ;. s.,
tn' h,tvcon Mr.. Blaine and Mr.. Tucker n
:. Y, in which neither ,,lrty nor TN. rnunfr,
u ,,.,i,,rI mu,.h miles, AN , r,r,v,,inn Of
er,ion,l bitterness, may l,e consider.
,r,;n
TIM. bin tn rapayc PENNSYLVANIA Aycuu,
u IN, 0.rn PASSED by the Senate: the prt,i
= dent has vetoed I'll, b.ll REDUCING the ,al..
u ,,,,f ii. successor tn S,intn ,nI IN,
!, yIou.. Ina. ,,.,.I iI,. h,I f,, thu. tr,n,f,,
ii If ,h. Iuditn Hu,e,u ,o fine War D,n,rt
{ ,,.nI M. Lilit !. th,nrht wiI m.p IN,
II li;tlr onun.jtinn in the senate, and viii IT,
T., ease it becomes law. the transfer vii
Il date from 'llc Isl OF July hcN,' ara II vii
II Ii;an .,',ir. .ir, Ar,nv ,,tfi'.nr. W.
l. "a ,,.;,l 49,. ,,.,.,, "a ,,,, ~, MAN