The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1876-04-27
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENCE.

ANOTHER SENSATION EXPLoDED-SoBER
SECOND TuoUGHT OF THE HoUsE-Kn.-
BOURNE BEFORE THE CoURT-U HLoAD-
ING-IMPRA CIIIENT-BLA AND Tuck
ER-LIyELY PERsoNALITIEs-BURG
TO THE FRONT.
WASHINGTON, ID. c., April Gath, '76.
EDS. HERAID.-Whitley the ex-detect-
i've and champion putter up of jobs seems
determined to keep his name before the
public. On Wednesday last he appeared
before the committee on expenditures in
the Department of Justice and stated that
while he was Chief of the Government
secret service detectives. 1885 900, taken
from the secret service fund, were paid
by him to Jno. /. Davenport to be used as
an election fund in New York Whitley
claimed to be acting in the matter under
authority from Washington and strongly
intimated that the President directed the
payment of the money. The committee
thought they had struck big thing and
ioyfully spread the glad tidings all over
the land They hoped now to excel in no.
toriety and overshadow in importance the
Clymer committee which had so long been
monopolizing all the glory of the smelling
committees of Congress. But, alas, their
Joy was short-lived No sooner had the
report reached the ears of Mr.. Davenport,
who, be it understood, was a United
States commissioner and chief supervisor
of elections, than he telegraphed to the
committee that he had vouchers for all
the money disbursed by him, that it was
used to prosecute frauds against the
United States, and he asked to be sum
moned before the committee to show un.
der oath that he had performed his duty
according to law. 1t appears that com
missioner Davenport undertook to make
complete registration of voters in the
city of New York for the purpose of pre-
venting frauds. 1t was his sworn duty tc
do this. All the funds placed in his hand:
were for the purpose of carrying on the
work of registration and were sent to hin
under authority of the law by the attor
ney general. Sc the great sensation has
exploded and the committee on expendi
lures in the department of justice ha!
gone back to the obscurity from which i
emerged and its brief notoricty of Il day
has been squelched.
The House having taken sober seconG
thought and adopted the minority report
of the judiciary committee in the Hallet
Kilbourn case, the sergeant alarms of thu
House produced the body of the prisoner
before the district court, in obedience tC
the writ of ha6eGs corpus. Acting undel
the instructions of the House, the ser
geant-at-arms protested that as the pris
Oner was lawfully held by him in pur
suance of the order of the house, the VIII
of ha6eas corpus should be dismissed a!
improvidently issued, and the prisoner re
manded to his custody. The court or
dered Kilbourn into the custody OF thu
marshal of the district until a decision il
| the case shall be rendered. The court ha
been hearing the arguments in the CASE
for two or three days and the matter ha
not yet been disposed of.
The House is unloading some of its bour
bon employees, who have commenced too
soon to use their positions for persona
profit. The journal clerk, who tried t
get up a corner in bounty claims, has beer
allowed to resign TO keep up appearances
Shell, the big deputy door-keeper, who de
lighted in ordering correspondents oil TIT
floor of the House, has been presented
with his walking papers, and will no more
brighten the little page boys from thei
propriety by his frightful frown. He wa:
an unmitigated nuisance, and the most
arrogant piece of pomposity that has
spread itself on the floor of the House this
session.
The Senate chamber was packed and
damned on Monday last by large crowd
of people anxious to witness the opening
of the Belknap impeachment case. Long
before twelve o'clock the galleries were
filled to their utmost capacity, the soft
er sex being in the majority by about ten
to one. The House of Representatives re-
solved itself into Il committee OF the
whole and were present in Il body occupy
ing rows of chair back of the desks of
the Senators. General Belknap appeared
with his counsel, Mess. Blair, Black, and
Carpenter. He locked well and seemed
to be in excellent spirits and not at all
abashed by his position or surroundings
Once, and once only did he show sign OF
feeling. When the Sergeant at arms made
proclamation, saying: "William w. Bel
KNAPP, William w. Belknap, William w
Belknap, appear and answer the AZ
ticles of impeachment exhibited against
you by the House of Representatives" the
eX-secretary colOred up and looked abash
ed, but he rallied Immediately as Mr.. Car
penter quickly arose and interposed plea
which he desired should be read by the
secretary of the court. The plea claimed
that General Belknap was a private Citi
zen and could not be impeached. The
court then adjourned until Wednesday
when the managers on the part of the
House presented their reply to the plea
of General Belknap, and the net result OF
the discussion was that the Senate adjourn
ed as a court of impeachment until Thurs
day, April 9th to give time to both side:
to prepare their arguments. 1t is under
stood that the first argument will come
on the complaint of Gen. Belknap's coun
sci that the Senate has no jurisdiction; il
fact, that is all the point to be argued now
If the Senate will override it, then the
case will have to be tried upon its OWL
merits.
During debate in the House on Mon
day on the Kilbourn hd6GdS corpus writ
Blaine and Tucker of Va, got into an
acrimonious and heated personal discus
sion. Tucker is one of those impUlitiC
Southern statesmen of the Ben Hill stamI
that can't open his mouth without putting
his foot in it. During the course of hi:
speech Tucker took occasion to sneeringly
remark that Blaine had demonstrated or
several occasions in the House that III
was no lawyer. Blaine replied that ht
thanked God that he was not such law
yer as Tucker, who, when Attorney Gen
cral of Virginia, delivered an opinion tina
State had right to supervise the United
States mails and throw out letters anG
documents at will. Whercupon Tucke
| said that Blaine was "Pharisee" thank
| ing God that he was not like other men
He admitted, however, that he had deliv
| cred such an opinion and that he still
stuck to it. Both parties were very mucl
excited. Blaine especially, seemed to b.
more stirred up than l had yet seen hin
| during the present session.
Miles, the burglar, who is serving
| fourteen year sentence in the Vernon
penitentiary, has written to j. Procto
| Knott, chairman of the judiciary commit
| tee, giving some details of the safe bur
glary, and limiting that he could tell
great deal more, which is supposed to b.
| bid on the part of Mr.. Miles for par
don, and the opportunity to turn State
evidence. This seems to be the popula
method now of cheating the penitentiar,
of its due. MAHAsKA.