The Portland daily press., 1876-03-11

the WHOLE Cox in the chair, on the legislative
and judicial appropriation bill and was ad-
dressed by Mr.. Phillips of Kansas, ON the sub
lect of finance
Mr. Hoskins of New York, also addressed
the House on the currency question
Mr.. Willis Of New York, also addressed the
House and compared the course of the parties
in this House on the several appropriation bills
thus far reported. He held the Republicans
responsible for the present disasters which had
the effect of depressing ship building and other
industrial interests. They had also treated the
South with injustice, instead OF encouraging
the people of that section to recover from the
effects of the late war.
The committee rose without action, and Mr.
Bass of New York, a member of the commit
tee on expenditures in the War Department,
proceeded to make personal explanation in
reference to insnuations conveyed in two of
the speeches of his colleagues on the committee
that the Republican members of that commit
tee had taken no part in the Belknap investiga-
ton till the proof was all in, signed aud sealed
He showed that no notice whatever had been
given to the Republican members of the COM
mittee till after the testimony of Marsh had
been taken. He called attention to the fact
that although the meeting at which Marsh ties.
tilted was held on Tuesday, the regular day of
the meeting, il contained evidence that he had
been before the committee the previous Mon
day. He asked why the Republican members
of the committee had not been advised of that
Mondays meeting. He spoke of DIR. Tomlin-
fl up the matter, as having been the messen-
ger between Marsh and the committee. TWAS
after such secret proceedings as these that the
House had been dramatically told, not once
only, but several times, that certain me mbers
of the committee had not crossed the threshold
of the committee room till the proof was all in,
signed and sealed. If they had not, there was,
therefore, the greater reason why they should
have been notified of this special and important
case. The record of the committee showed
hlr hppn only mQpfInOg II N IN ho
time Of this investigation. Reverting to the
discharge of the witness Marsh, he (Bass) dis
scented distinctly and unequivocally from the
sta neHt of Bla3ktu that thew itne 81 had been
discouraged with the knowledge of the entire
committee. One of the Republican members
of the committee (meaning himself) had siren
uously opposed the discharge of the witness,
and had stated some reasons why. but witness
had been discharged at 1130 o'clock that same
day. The objections had been made in the
presence of the com mittee alone, after II clock
that day when the resignation of Secretary
Belknap had been notified TO the committee
The two subjects had been the matter of dis
cussion. The reasons he (Bass) had stated
against the discharge of Marsh were that
Marsh was the sole witness in the case, and
that his testimony was uncorroborated; that it
the Secretary of War should be witness be-
fore the committee and should contradict
Marsh's testimony it would be necessary to re-
call Marsh and further, that the safety of the
committee regarding its reputation would not
allow the discharge of witness pending these
proceedings. Discussion on these two ques-
tions-jurisdction after the resignation OF the
Secretary and the discharge of thu witness
had lasted several minutes Then single
question had been put to the witness by Blair,
counsel for Belknap, witness having been cali
ed in for that purpose, and thereupon without
any question having been asked of any member
of the committee, and on the sole request of
witness he was discharged by the chairman.
Witness had then stated that he desired to
leave for New York on the O'Clock train as he
expressed it, and the chairman offered to go
with him and get his fees, and said that if be
had not time to get them before train left he
would send them to him by mail. Marsh then
inquired as to the contract between himself and
Evans and the chairman stated he would send
| it to him by mail in few days. Witness then
left the room and be BASS had not seen him
since.
These wele the facts in the case. This man
Marsh had testified to most grave and serious
charges against a high officer of the govern
ment and those charges had been sufficiently
proved to justify demand for immediate i'm
parchment, but the charges were wholly and
| utterly uncorroborated Evidence had been
given by witness as to certain certificates OF
deposit that were sent to the Secretary of War.
Would it not have been judicious at least to
have detained the witness till the bank had
been applied to for corroborating evidence.
AS to Mr.. Knott's proposition that the detel
| ton of his witness would have been an assault,
| he (Bass) regarded it as prosperous and alb.
surd. 1t had been charged by the gentleman
on the other side that other people were res
| ponsible for the cape of witness, end it has
been asked how they could detain him. The
answer was that he could have been detained,
as Re had been brought, by a subpoena. What
evidence was there that the subpoena had lost
its virtue at II 80 o'clock Thursday. Witness
would have remained in obedience to the SUBJ
p1na, or if he had escaped while under it, an
attachment could have be5n Immediately is
sued against him, and an officer sent in pursuit
| of him in the next train, who would have re-
| turned him to the custody of the House of
Representatives for incarceration.
Mr.. Clymer, chairman of the committee, re-
piled to Bass, pretacng his remark with
| statement that he would not have said word
on the subject were it not that the recollection
| of his colleague (Bass) differed essentially and
| thoroughly from the recollection of every other
| gentlemen on the committee so that his Cor
| league stood in Ithe attitude that one witness
| did against four. He proceeded to read ex-
| tracts from the statements of Danford, Black
| burn and himself, aud from the records of the
| committee in order to refute Bass statements,
| but he was interrupted By Danford, who as
| serted that there was a slight discrepancy De-
tween his (Danford's) and Bass statements.
| Mr. Clymer said he would leave the House
and the country to judge of that. IF the statement
of che gentleman from New York was correct
| then it was impossible for the statement made
| by the other four members of the committee to
| be correct. He wished to state once for all
/
ness (Marsh) lett the 70 pm had made the slight
| est suggestion that he should be retained Meth
| er himself nor any other member OF the
| committee would have made the slightest OBJ
lection. TO state he (Clymer) was responsible
| for MarshS discharge more than any other
| member of the committee, was to state what
| was not fair. He was willing to share the full
responsibility for it with every other member of
| the committee He repeated his belief that
| there was no legal power in the committee to
| have detained Marsh and that his detention by
the committee would have been an outrage and
| wrong.
| Mr.. Blackburn said he had no doubt the
| House was sick of the personal explanations
| growing out of the transactions, as the country
and the Republican party were sick of the
| transaction itself. He had no doubt the gentle
man from New York meant to tell the truth,
| and he was only sorry the gentleman's state
| mttee or the records. Mr.. Blackburn then
| proceeded to disprove from the records of the
committee Mr. Bass statement that the COM
mittee had only two meetings before Marsh
| was telegraphed for, and he repeated that
from The day Congress convened till Marsh's
| testimony had been completed and signed,
| neither of the Republican members of the COM
| mttee have crossed the threshold of the COM
mttee room, although having notice Of the
| regular meetings of the committee, and that
neither OF them would ever come doubtless if
| special messenger had been sent for them. The
| suggestion of the gentleman in regard to the
| retention of marsh had referenceiony to hold
| ing him until he was cross. exr mined, and he
dared that gentleman to deny the statement that
he did ever oppose the discharge of the witness
| after the cross-examinaton. He blackburn
denied that Marsh had made any such state
ment as that he was going TO leave on the one
| o'clock train.
Refersing to Bass having left the Committee
| room in order to have conference with the
| President, he suggested that he had entertained
the hope that the recently vacated war office
was about to be filled by member of the Com
mttee who had endorsed its late occupant.
| Whett or Bass had been sent for To be converted
into Secretary of War or to advise!the Presi-
| dent and the council in regard to the prosecu-
| ton of Marsh he (Blackburn) did not know.
The executive, the gentleman from New York
and the Lord only did know. If that gentle
man wanted Marsh detained, why had not he
suggested it to the President or to the Attorney
General to stop him. That gentleman (BassJ
had sat in the committee room asserting by
his silence to the discharge of Marsh as had
every other member of the Committee. Wheth.
| er he (Bass) had acted in good faith or had
illustrated his appreciation OF fair treatment he
blackburn was willing to leave the House
and country to determine, He repeated that
the gentleman (Bass) never did object to the
/ Al L r.