The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1876-06-15
Speaker Kerr's vindication.

On Monday last Mr.. Clymer from rle House
Committee on War expenditure, made re-
port in the case OF the charge against Speaker
Kerr, The report states that after II full in
qulry.i.to the facts. and after thorough OK
animation of Lawrence Harvey, the only wit
ness making the charge, also OF A. Is. Green,
and divers other witnesses, it appeared that in
1866, while y member OF the House OF Repre-
sehtatises OF the 3eth Congress, Mr.. Kerr did,
IN the exercise OF his right OF privilege, noIn-
nate Green for an appointment in the regular
army The committed however, had found
no difficulty in makinstle conclusion that the
charge as to the payment OF money to Mr..
Kerr was unqllalifedlNfa and that Mr.. Kerr
stood fully exonerated from all official intes-
rity. The committee had found nothing in
the whole progress bi the investigation to
impair or delract from the we'll established rep
uation of Mr.. Kerr fbr unquestioned personal
integrity and unsullidd purity.
Mr.. DaEforf, of Ohio, a republican member.
moved the adoption of the report. and said
that it afforded him real pleasure to he able to
subscribe to the report, not because of the un-
fortunate Illness OF Mr.. Kerr, but because it
was an act of simple Justice to that gentleman.
He spoke of the unfortunate circumstance
which presented itself at the threshold Of the
inquiry. as to Mr.. Kerr, a Democrat from In
daua, giving the nomination to Greene, Re-
publican, from New York, and said that had it
not been for that circumstance, the committee
would not have deemed it worth while to even
enter ON the investigation He was happy to
say. however. that he had no idea that, so far
as the corruption Of Mr.. Kerr WAS concerned,
there was single scintila of truth i'm Harnev's
! testimony. 1t was a falsehood taken advantage
of by a bad man for the purpose of attempting
to blacken the reputation Of a good man. Jap
p!ause.] He spoke of these investigations,
used by bad men like Harvey, as being the
very worst Instruments that can he used in a
country like this. The testimony of Hhrney
was but the natural outgrowth of these inves-
LEGATIONS. Committees OF the House had been
seen, this session, housing around, and drag
ging the public life and private correspondence
Of citizens into publicity, publishing even the
bank accounts of officials, without charges and
without specifications. He had though at
times that there was in some quarters gratiti-
cation when public official could be smirched.
He remembered the head lines of Il newspaper
some two months ago, in which it was an
nounced that "Grant is caught at last" and a
dispatch actually rejoicing in the prospect that
the President OF the United States had been
found in questionable transaction (referring
to the matter Of the expenditure of money in
regard to the New York election frauds). The
President was one whom all men should honor
and respect for the position which he occupied,
He was IL man who had been the leader of the
American army from Donaldson to Appomat-
fox and who now in the last year of his sec
ond term as President. He was the successor
of Washington and Jefferson and Lincoln. and
it was sal sight when any committee of the
House of Representatives, Or when any citi zen
of the United States could express gratitude at
catchin. the President in questionable trans
action. He also remembered another transac
ton Of another committee. in which witness
was brought to testify against the Presiden5 in
regard to the breaking up of the marital rela
tions of the witness.
That witness had come without single cor
roboritilig circumstance without single fact
to support his testimony. and yet though the
Presidents public character might be blasted
his reputation Smirchctl forever, and ais family
relations broken mp Gf that might beg, thai
committee felt called upon TO examine thai
witness until it was learned that he was
lunatic He had also in his mind a committee
, of the Hease which, by the process OF an of
ficer OF the House, had gone to the office o
one of the telegraph companies of tina country
and had seized several hundred pounds of tel
) egraph messages ndiscrimnatcly from cit
| zcns of all classes in regard to private an(
public affairs alike to be moused through by
committee of the House. Was ii wonderful
therefore that such conduct and such opera
tos should beget an occasional Harney III the
way of retaliations
He believed that that mann was corrupt, ant
that such men as he were the very worst elias
of men that could be found in the country
Efe was happy to say that after passing through
, all the testimony. and after hearing the clea
statement of Mr.. Kerr. who gave to the com
mittee Il satisfactory explanation OF his APP
pointment OF Greene-that he had no appi
cation from his own district, and tina
he had offered the nomination to two persona
friends who had declined it, &c.-the testi
mony was clear and conclusive us to the in
nocence OF Mr.. Kerr, in the tier. But thei'
was another thing that weighed on his Dan
, ford's) mind about all those circumstances
, that was the good name of Mr. Kerr nam
| that had been borne without reproach TO
many sessions of the House.
The strength of the political institutions o
the country was in the good and great mer
whom they had produced. and he should b.
loath to believe that any man occupying th
, high position which MIR. Kerr occupied befor
the country would be guilty of such charge
He hoped the vote on the report would b.
an unanimous one, without a dissent in voice
OIL heart, land that every gentleman on th'
floor, who knew the Speaker OF the House a
they all knew him, and should know him
would join in wiping out this attempted stair
on his reputation and on his character. ant
that thay would, by their action to day, enable
MIR. Kerr, to present to his cenntrymen an ev
idcnce that his name was as white to-day a
it had been before the breath Of scandal hat
touched it. 1t was the duty of the House t
Mr.. Kerr, as q good and upright man, to aa-
opt the report OF the committee without a dis
sertng voice, so that he might be in the fl
turc, as he had been in the past, an honor t.
his country, tower of strength to his col
leagues, and a comfort and consolation to hi
wife and children. [Applause.]
Other Republican members expressed thei
qualification at the vindication of Mr.. Kerr
and the report was adopted unanimously.
The Baltimore american OF yesterday ha;
the following:
/ The Board of Directors of the Virginia Val
ley Railroad will meet at Camden Station to
| daV for the nurnose of acting OH a proposition