New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-06-29

ives Brought AbOut-The InsoleDce Of
Monopolies- MIR. Blaine's Enemies
Urged on to Still Further Warfare.
WASHINGTON, June 20. 1876.
The unanimous report Of the Committee
on Expenditures in the War Department,
exonerating Speaker Kerr from the charge
Of having sold second ieutensncy in the
United States army in his gift, has charac-
teristics which show too plainly that the
Republican party contains Q dangerous
number OF eek.kneed men, men whose
political principles are vacillating, but more
constantly leaning toward sympathy With
their political opponents.
Mr.. Dantord. of Ohio, q member of this
committee, made speech in the House
upon this unanimous report, in which he
wert cut OF his way to attack the character
Of the witness Harney, thing which q
severe croes-examination could not do, and
which Mr.. Danford admitted did not do.
This particular member Of the committee,
claiming to be Republican and the only
member Of that party present at the sittings
of the committee on account of the illness
Mr.. Bass, sat as a committeeman day in
and day ou', and / allowed his witness
to be browbesten, insulted and put
under the yoke Of as contemplate
and indecent cross-examination as the
veriest police court shyster in the land ever
resorted to. When the witness Harney
saw that there was NO one on the commit
tee who would protect him he engaged 3
lawyer in this city to 60 before the commit
tee with him to see that he had his rights
upheld, and was told by the chairman that
such thing would not be allowed. And
Representative Danford never opened his
mouth to utter q word of protest, neither
did he interpose any objections to the in
The statement of Harvey was not CONTRA
dic.ed in any Of Its essential pointe; his
reputation In point Of character and
honesty was not broken down. The only
witness who was competent to speak from
actual knowledge of the transactions was
Green, the man who received the lieu
tenancy at the hands of Mr.. Kerr, and he
admitted that he received the Office through
Mr.. Kerr, paid $3.50 to Harvey for it, but
he did not think Harney paid it over to
Mr.. Kerr. The witness confessed he was
turned out Of the army because he WAS
drunk or temporarily insane, because of some
unobjectionatle orders from his superior Of
6cer which he did not zee fit to obey. There
lor IN av mi
self confessed weak minded individual. Mr..
Danford did not take it upon himself TO
lock into the standing and mode Of lite Of
this witness since he was turned ont of the
army, but he goes into the House of Repre-
sentatives and attacks his own witness il q
public speech, and takes occasion to lament
the fac: that men are found who are willing
10 swear away the character Of public men.
Congress has sat here for six months now
and the Democrats have made it special
point to secure the testimony of crazy men,
thieves and scoundrels of every hue against
the character of Republicans. But Mr..
Danford does not appear to have realized
this. He sees fit to wait until some one &C
cEses Democrat, and then he hastens into
the House in sore distress, crying and
amenting over the old stereotyped fiug of
this detraction of public men,"
Danford's duty was to have stood up and
protected his witness as did Representative
Conger, q Republican from Michigan, when
the Democrats on the Committee on Ex-
penditures in the Department of Justice
undertook to browbeat little Johny
and not content with that
falsify the minutes of the committee in so
far as omitting from the record motions
Of Mr.. Conger. Mr.. Dsnford should have
borne in mind the fairness and msnliness ~
Of Mr.. Proctor Knott. Democratic leader,
in suppressing telegram exonerating one
who was on trial before his committee But
no; he deems it in good taste to 20 down in
his committee room among his Democratic
colleagues and read over and ridicule, and
in an insinuating manner comment on the |
Blaine Fisher letters read by Mr.. Blaine to
The House and published IN the congress
sional record. These are the kind of men
who 60 in for reform within the party in
order that the enemies Of the Republican
party, the advocates of secession and the |
ex-rebeirous host may take possession Of |
the reins of government.
For downright audacity, cool presump.
lion, and in vulgar but expressive parlance
Cheek the Pacific railroad companies
should be commended. There is lobby
aere now in the interest of these roads |
lighting against Lawrence's bill before the |
Judiciary Committee, providing for sink
ng fund to pay the United States s6i,623,-
5l2 of subsidy bonds loaned to them under |
he act of 1864, besides interest thereon |
,aid out by the government. The modus |
,perandi of the lobby just now to defeat |
his bill is to win over one or two of the |
The bill has been before |
subcommittee of the judiciary, consist
ng of Eppa Hunton, chairman, Judge Law
ence, author of the bill, and Mr.. Ashe. |
The first step of the lobby is to fix this CON-
nittee all right. For this purpose promi-
tent lawyer from Virginia, the State from
which Chairman Hunton halls, has been
and q prominent lawyer from
North Carolina, from which State Mr..
Ashe halls, has also been engaged to
make arguments, and outside propo-
itions if the opportunity offers as we'll.
These roads will never pay this money
downright, but in order to assume that the
companies do not mean to deal unfairly
With the government and hence be shut off
rom further subsidies, they propose to take