Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1876-03-16
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER
HOW MARSH JUMPED THE
COUNTRY.

oSs " "ASh1NUl lON LIZ 1IER
HOW MARSH JUMPED THE
COUNTRY.
The Responsibility Oh the Demo.
cratic Committee.
Special Correspondence.
WASHINGTON, D. c., March IL, 1876.
The past week has been one o.
great political excitement. The Dem.
ocrats were so much elated that they
had discovered Republican official Of
high rank, who was guilty of corrup.
ton, that they could not contain their
exultation. They talked largely about
other exposures to follow and bore
themselves in the most defiant man.
ner. But change has come over
them. No Republican, from the Pres.
ident down to the humblest member OF
the party, has been found who did not
heartily condemn BciHnap's dishon-
eSty, and all were r, auy "a use every
means to punish the man who had
been so recreant to both country and
party. An examination of the facts
showed that it was the Democrats who
did not wish Belknap tried. At first
this conduct could not be accounted
for, but it has transpired that Mr.
Clymer knew more, and that his wit
ness, Marsh, knew more than il was
desirable to have told. Marsh, on the
witness stand, would have been COM
PEELED TO tell under crosS-eXamination
that George II. Pendleton had been en-
gagged in most disreputable steal OF
several thousand dollars, for railroad
of which he is president. He would also
have told that Mr.. Hester
Clymer has been aware of the BelKnap
matter for months, and could have
madej the investigation and had Mr.
Belknap where he now is months ago.
But the speech of Mr.. Bass, of the sub
committee, on Friday, was the most
startling expose. He proved that the
Democratic members of the mittee,
Clymer, Robbins, and Black burn, had
met secretly, not on a regular commit
tee day, without notice to himself or
Mr. Danford the other Republican
member OF the committee, although
they were both in their seats in the
House. These virtuous Democrats
slipped out at O'Clock, and meeting
Marsh secretly in the committee room
examined him to see if his testimO Ony
would implicate any Democrat. How
they manipulated him 10 prevent the
facts damaging to Clymer and Pendle-
ton from coming out is unknown, but
the next day at regular meeting of
the committee these three, who, like
Macbeth'S witches, met alone, again
met and examined Marsh. They did
not notify their Republican associates
that anything unusual was to be done,
but after Marsh had testified and his
testimony had been reduced to writing
and signed, then they sent for
Messrs. Bass and DanfOrd. Mr.
Bass arrived at about eleven
O'Clock in the morning, and Mr..
.Clymer proposed to dismiss Marsh at
once. Mr.. Bass objected. The COM
mittee took recess at 11:40, and Mr..
Bass, who had been sent for, went to
the White House to see the President.
As soon as he lett Mr.. Clymer went
with Marsh to the Sergeaut-at-ArmS
and got his mileage and per diem as a
witness, and at 11:30 O'Clock Mr.. Marsh
was speeding on his way to Canada.
Mind you this was on Thursday. On
Friday the Cabinet met at the usual
hour, noon. At this meeting the in
dictment against Belknap was ordered
and every member of the Cabinet is
authority for saying that not one word
was said about indicting Marsh. The
meeting adjourned after three O'Clock
P. NJ, when Marsh was we'll on his
way to Canada. The associated press
agent telegraphed from here on Friday
night for the Saturday morning papers,
that the Cabinet had determined to in
dict Mr.. Marsh under the bribery act,
which telegram Mr.. Marsh read at his
hotel in Montreal, Canada, where he
had arrived during the previous night.
In the face of these facts Democrats in
the House and the Democratic news
papers charge that the President and
Cabinet drove Marsh away to prevent
his testifying in heimpeachment case.
Unblushing mendacity-to use unadul-
terated Saxon, barefaced lying can go
DO further than this. Mr.. Clymer and
his fellow Democrats on the committee
spirited Marsh away. Why ? Because
they discovered in their secret exam
inatiOn on Wednesday evening, that if
he was examined By shreWd lawyer,
he would criminate Mr.. Clymer's
friend, Pendleton. As soon as the lat
ter is notified that Marsh and his wife
were safely under the folds of the Brit
ish flag, and that no extraditiOn treaty
will reach them, he becomes virtuous-
ly indignant, demands an examination
before the committee, and is before it
to-day. But the facts are out, and as
David Dudley Field sent one Demo-
cratic candidate to the rear by his ex-
of Gov. Tilden in the Tweed
suit, when he proved that TiIden was
in correspondence with the great rob-
Der and produced TWeed's check for
s., 900 in favor of the immaculate ring
Governor, SO the BelknaD
case has knocked gentleman George''
out of the ring, and his southern tour
is dead loss.
The virtuous and indignant Demo-
Gratis raised their hands in holy horror
at the enormity of Belknap's crime. |
1t was a great crime and disgrace to
the nation. That no Republican will
deny, nor will one attempt to shield |
him from punishment. The Demo-
Gratis said it was without a parallel. !
when in fact there are dozens of Demo-
cratic precedents, some of which send
you to-day as collected from the records
and printed in the National Republican
this morning. You will observe that
these steals varied in amount from
81 93 to Sl22, 243, the largest being by
Democratic Vice President, and one of
them by man who was afterward the
Democratic candidate for President.
This virtuOus trio of commit teemen.
Clymer, Blackburn, and Robbins, are
shown to be, one of them, Black burn,
a confederate guerilla, and the brother
of the man who attempted to infect
the North with Yellow fever. another
Robbins has been convicted of taking
twenty dollar bribe while State Sena-
tor, and the other, Clymer, of endeav-