The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1876-03-03

ii Mr.. DAnfortb, Of Ohio, another member Z
3 the committe, expressed it e. his judgmer
! | that the acceptance Of MI. Belknsps's resigns
/ ton in no manner changed the position Of tbs
!. officer to the country. He disagreed, however
3 with the statement Of the chairman, Nj
Clymer that the conduct of this officer We
I the legitimate outgrowth Of the principles
, the party in power. and he expressed th
. hope that there could not be q single vote o
] the Republican side of the House against th
resolutions.
/ Mr. Kasson, of Iowa, said that q few year
ago there had gone from his seat younf
/ we'll educated and gallant gentleman. to fgk
, the battles of his country. He had gon
through the war, and the President had after
wards called him to q seat in his Cabinet
| placing him at the head of that army of whic
! he had beeu an humble, but somewhat dir
tinouished member.
J This morning, for the first time, the dele
CATION from Iowa had heard that that gentle
man, who had been SO much respected in hi
lown State, and SO much honored by the ma
ton, had been found guilty of receiving
compensation for some act of official duty
and that compensation had been continued.
The House would judge of the emotion
with which the members from that State hac
had never heard anything read with greater
interest than that report, and when at the
close of the reading he had made an appea
to his friend from Pennsylvania Mr.. Clymer)
not for himself alone, but for his colleagues
whose pride and honor were so touched by
the character Of the report, for q moments
delay, that they might find whether. there
might not be in the evidence one extenuat.
ing circumstance. he had been met by the de-
mand for the previous question.
He did not desire to claim any exemption
for Mr.. Belknap from all the penalties to
which his acts entitled him, but found the
most painful feature disclosed by the evidence
| to be the fact that not one word of it touched
the Office in question until the death which
broke q heart had occurred. [Sensation.
Was he to be blamed that he and his col
leagues wanted night to ascertain the ex.
tent of that officers guilt by reading the evil
dence in print? Was he to be blamed that
when he found the most delicate relations in
human life involved in this proceedings re.
lation SO delicate that he cared not allude to it
in detail-if he asked an opportunity to con-
slider whether there was anything to be said
in extenuation Of SO high and SO great q mis-
demeanor?
But it was too late to 60 back to that now:
he and his colleagues had bsen refused that
opportunity, and now he only asked the at
tention of the House to the question whether
the House did not need more time to ascer-
tain whether this officer was Improbable.
After quoting from Judge Story on this point
he argued that the powers of Congress were
limited by the Constitution, and that if Mr..
Belknap be impeached the Senate could not
execute the constitutional provision which
declares that he shall be relieved from Office.
II he were liable to impeachment, let it be
understood that they were all, without excep.
ton, for impeachment, but if the House was
establishing precedent which did not rest
on the Constitution, and which was danger
GUS for the future, he thought it right that
the House should pause, and consider by
report from its judiciary committee, the
question of its right to make this impeach-
ment. ii the House could impeach q man
not in Office, it might go back and impeach
Jefferson Davis and John B. Floyd for con-
spiracy.
Mr.. Robbins suggested that there was
q great difference between conviction on
and conviction on Indictment;
in the latter case the man might be pardoned
be the Executive, but in the former case it
could not be- As to the suggestion of ina.
parchment of Jefferson Davis, he replied
that it had been decided that Senator could
not be impeached, not being an officer of the
United States.
The debate being closed the House pro-
ceeded to vote on the resolutions. They were
adopted.
The Speaker appointed as the committee to
notify the Senate of the action of the House
Messrs. Clymer, Robbins, Blackburn, Bass
and Danforth, these members composing the
Committee on the Expenditures Of the War
making the report.
Thus ended the most bitterly painful scene
that ever took place in this hall-the theater
Of 80 many exciting events.
The proceedings not being anticipated, nor
The facts which led to them generally known,
there was at first no very large attendance in
the galleries. Mr.. Wood was speaking on the
Hawaiian treaty in Committee of the Whole,
but on an intimation of what was about to
lake place. he left his speech unfinished, and
gave way for q motion that the committee
rise.
Mr.. Clymer in making his preliminary re-
marks to the House, and in subsequently
reading from the clerks desk the testimony
which told in such q plain and convincing
manner the guilt of the man who had been SO
rusted and honored, was visibly affected and |
1ad to exercise q strong mastery over his feel |
ngs to suppress the public display of his
,mOtions.
He was particularly affected when he came
o read that portion it which described the |
Icene between the witness, Marsh, Mrs. |
3elknap, and Mrs Bowers, the sister of the |
hen Mrs. Belknap, and now herself holding |
hat name in the nursery, when the pecuniary |
prospects of the innocent child were alluded |
o.; and the other portion which describes |
he efforts made by the wife to screen the |
husband. and the mental anguish of the wit |
less, struggling between the desire to save |
10 "a pot In n ot ha
Expense Of his own soul.
Mr.. Clymer had to pause several times |
vhen he came to these passages, and his |
trong emotion won favor for him from all |
pectators During the proceedings Mr. Kerr |
occupied the Speakers chair, and beneath
i'm, at the clerks desk. sat his predecessor,
Or. Blaine, evincing painful interest in the
tory Is told in the testimony of Marsh.
Many members, whose seats are in re-
note part of the hall, took up positions in
he area in front of the Clerks desk, and all