Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1876-03-10

Wy uloE repeated EIlat ne uaQ StaCe(
i to the court that he did not in
: tend to plead hi. privilege, 40 that il
might not be said that he intended
exclude nything which should b.
/ rightfuily known to the public.
Robbins of North Carolina, another
1 membt of the committee, made iikY
statement III ref"renca to his being
snhDpnaed &c j., snd a. cared 1T as his
! belief that the eff ct if not the d,-sig,
was to inuimidate witnesses and throt-
tie investigation.
Danforth of Ohio, another member OF
the committee said that he had had no
subpoena to go before the court but he
would like to know from the chairman
) whether any additional testimony had
been taken before the com nittee.
Lamar of Mississippi objected to that
> question.
blaine-The objection must come
from a most uncomfortable motive.
Lamar-It may be a motive that
you misccnceive but nevertheless it is
a motive which I have, aud that is the
preservation of parliamentary order.
IN 'lntain that no member has right
to reveal the ecrets of the committee
room.
Clymer said there had been no addi
tional testimony taken before commit
tee, but he repeated that the
attempt to drag forth what occurred
i'll Committee could result in nothing
but detriment to the public veal.
Blaine-There should be no division
or seeming division between the two
sides of the House in regard to the
rigorous prosecution of pablo crimi-
pals. What Was the object of this III
vestigation except to bring offenders
to criminal justice. Committees could
not punish any body. Every knows
that this was a frutuna fulnaen.
Clymer-I have stated the facts of
the case to the House, and if neces-
sarv imputation arises that some Que
in this District wishes to close TIL.
avenues of evidence all over the coun-
try. it is not who makes the charge
but the facts IF the Case.
Blair e-Tne gentleman closes the
| avenue himself
| Ciymer I will not permit the gen
tleman from Maine to impute to me.
which l do not understand, nor to put
inslnuations i'll my m nth which [
have not uttered.
Blackburn of Kentucky, another
member If the committee, said he was
not surprised at the uneasiness AID
her yousness manifested by the gentle
man from Maine. He (Blackburn) did
not intend to charge that it was tive
| purpose of the executive to iutimidate
| witnesses, to throttle investigation aud
to afford imu unity to criminals, but
he did say that unless the gag process
was stopped the country would believe
that that was the purpose and he
would believe it, too Applause on
! thu Democratic side.
Question by Blsine-What gag pro
cess
Biackburn-It had gone forth to the
country that the committee connived
at the absconding of an important vii.
ness against the protest of the Repub-
Iican members of the committee but it
was Ut edi,'ss for him to say that that
was fatty false, and he only wondered
that those Republican members had
allowed it to go out on their authority
| without contradiction. He went on to
argue that it would be utterly impossi-
bic even to convict the late Secretary
of War or any other Cabinet officer
except by the testimony of accomplish +,
aud yet the House was now to be
told that an accomplish should not
testify before n committee except at |
his own peril. It was against that he
protested.
He intimated that the phrase "let |
no guilty man escape" would be con
strued by the country to mean, "let no
man escape who dares to tell on those |
who are i. authority" He warned the
House that the voluminous Investiga-
tons that were now progre ssing would |
be stopped, and that it would BE-
utterly impossible to carry them
further, successfully, unless there was
4 hot $aCf e
Witnesses should not be used against
them.
Lamar said that there should not be
any exhibition OF party feeling or ex-
citemeat i'll tn. presence of such
solemn events as were throwing their
shadows over the House. IL seemed
to HIM that the voice of faction should
at last be hushed. He regarded this
mandate or summons or subDpna
sued to members of the co,nnlttee
by The Supreme Court CT the DIS
trlct Court as All on rage on
the privileges of the House. r
did not say that the object
of The court was to hush Or suppress
Investigations. The question was one
purely of parliamentary privilege. BE
regarded it as violation OF the priv
ileges of the House for court to issue
q summons TO a member and order hun
to bring alOug with him the records Of
the House aud to remain in court and
Mt to part until above by the court
or district attorney.
Baine-Does not the gentleman from
Mississippi see, and does not the whole
country see that having possession Of I
all the evidence On which an lnd:ct-
ment can be found, land having in it's
possession every paper III the case, the
House puts itself behind it's technical
priv ege and throws itself across the
Indictment of Belknap. and that to day
it stands as tue obstacle, and sole OBJ
stacle to the Indictment of the late
Secretary of Wal?
Lamar-Neither the gentleman from
Mississippi, nor the country, nor the
gentleman from Maine sees any such
thing.
Blaine-It is nothing but that.
Lamar-It is anything but thatl The
question Is simply whether this House
will permit it's records to be at the beg
and call of a District Court. There is
20 doubt but that when the inyestiga
ton is completed it will be within the
discretion of the House to permit the
courts of the country to come in and
get evidence, but not oendeaate lite while
the 1uFeSblSabiOu AS SoluS ons iIu0
while the committee is taking further
testimony such proposition was mon
strous and ridiculous.
Blaine said he agreed with Lamar
that whil., the affair Was ln Linai'ae it
would b, impossible for court to
10, erfere, but that Was not the case
here The question Was whether the
House would permit the testimony and
papers III the hands of it's committee
to be sent to the court The House
could refuse it or could send it, and
now said he impetuously Il dare
that side of the House to refuse it.
Applause on the Republican side and
great excitement.
Lamar continued his remarks which |
he closed by Offering resolution recit-
ing the history of the case. declaring |
- 4 I. -, i, al |