The Republican journal., 1876-03-09
The Committees A ction.

The remarkable story Of the discovery and
proof of Secretary Belknap's venal crime was
told in the House of Representatives this after
noon by the chairman OF the Committee on the
Expenditures OF the War Department. 1t is
true That the statement lacked in that absolute
fulnesS of detail concerning the melancholy and
striking incidents of which the committee room
during the past two days has been the scene,
nor did Ii give any account Of the first develop
ment of the facts in the case which put the
members OF the investigating committee on
their straight and sure path to the fatal verdict
which they have pronounced upon the late
Secretary of War But these were things
which could not properly be embodied in their
official report to the House.
THE NARRATIVE OF TIE WITNESS MARSH
was so wonderfully well told in lis deposition
TO the committee, and the utter impossibiliy of
either avoiding or meeting evidence so complete
was made to appear with such clearness that it
needed no picture of the dismay, the pallor and
the fearful pleadngs of the incriminated Secre-
tary In the committee room yesterday, or any
fuller statement of the means by which the COM
mttee had first acquired its information of his
guilt, to add to the interest or the impressive
ness of the proceedings in the House this after
noon. The committee of investigation had
scarcely assembled in its room at the Capitol
TINS morning, to complete the arrangement of
the facts of which it had obtained proof yester-
day, when it was informed that
THE RESIGNATION OF SECRETARY nrIKx.p
had been sent to the President, and that if had
been accepted. The committee had fully de-
termined to present to the House to-day arti-
Giles OF impeachment against the Secretary, but
this decision was at once unsettled by the an
nouncement of the acceptance of the resigna-
ton. The question raised by this state of
things was whether it lay in the power of Con-
gress to impeach public officer subsequent to
his resignation and the acceptance of the resis-
nation by the President. This is a question of
the highest Importance, which will inevitably
have determination, now that case has arts
ell which demands it.
THE POSITION TAKEN BY THE COMMITTEE
finally was that its functions were similar to
those OF grand jury; that, whatever the pow
er OF the Senate might be in the case nothing
remained for the committee but to present the
indictment and let the questions raised by the
acceptance of the resignation in advance of the
presentation of articles be settled in the high
est court known to American institutions, The
committee had given Secretary Belknap an op-
portunlty to appear during the day, which he
failed to make use of, and at o'clock the mat
ter was brought up in the House.
The Case in the House.
Although the transaction of legislative bust
ness proceeded in the usual way during the
four hours that preceded the entrance upon the
hoor OF the Committee on the Expenditures of
me war department, it was perfectly evident
that the members took no interest whatever in
the various matters which come up in the
course of business. 1t was very difficult for
Speaker Kerr to keep down the ssbuzz-buzz',
of conversation all over the hall, and which he
very properly characterized as "a chatter.v
Some of the time less than half the members
were in their seats, and there was an unusual
crowd of outsiders on the floor. One question
after another was disposed of, and