The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-03-03

uleCuaiBc huy uuly DcSt W IuybtlL ana 10
this house by demanding the previous qucs-
ton on the adoption of the resolution.
MIR. Kasson of Iowa appealed to Mr..
Clymer to give an opportunity tor some
suggestions to be made before asking the
previous question on matter OF 50 grave
Importance.
| Mr.. Clymer regretted that he could not
| obligc his friend and for the reason that his
colleagues on the committee desired to he
heard after the previous question was sec
onded.
MIR. Kasson-Allow me to say that there
will not he the slightect opposition to their
being all heard.
Mr.. Clymer--I decline TO yiel and de-
mand the previous question.
Mr.. Kasson-Does the gentleman expect
the house tonight, after 3 o'clock and
without this report being printed TO vote
on these resolutions when even the i'm
peechibilty of the officer at present is to
considered by the house?
Mr.. Clymer-After the previous ques-
ton has been ordered will yield half the
| hour to the members of the committee, who
are on the other side of the house.
| After some further discussion the piovi-
| Gus question was seconded and Mr.. Clymer
yielded the floor to his colleague on the
committee, MIR. Robbins of North Carolina
Mr. Robbins pleaded his mental and
physical exhaustion from his continual ser
vice on the committee as a reason why he
should not address the house at any length.
He spoke OF the report as presenting case
of great shame and disgrace to all Ameri-
can citizens. AS TO the question of the
impeachabiliy of an officer who had re-
signed, he was not prepared to speak
worthily, except to suggest that it could
not be true that an officer who was being
investigated, and who had been found by
the evidence to bs a criminal, could flee
from justice. lie alluded to what he
called the unseemly acceptance of Secre-
tary Belknap's resignation, and referred TO
the English cases of Warren Hastings and
Lord Francis Bacon, both of whom had
been impeached after they had ceased to
hold the office in which they committed
crimes and misdemeanors
Mr.. Bass OF New Jersey, another men,
Der of the committee, questioned the state
ment of the clairman. Cymer, as to this
case having no parallel and said that he
would not have to leave his own borders in
order to find not only parallel for it, but
tina, lie could find cases compared with
which this Gaze was as white as driven
snow. He admitted that a mere statement
of this csoe as presented by the testimony
was sufficient to justify every member TO
vote for the resolutions presented.
Mr.. Lamar OF Mississippi, inquired from
Mr. Bass his opinion rs TO impeachibility
OF resigned officer. .
Mr. Bass replied that English authorities
seemed to maintain the classification of i'm
parchment in such cases, but that in this
country IT was an unadjudicated question,
and one that was not free from doubt, but
his own best judgment was in favor of the
right to impeach and to let the question he
adjudcated by the senate.
Mr. Hoar Of Massachusetts,, in reference
to the casual remark of some member as TO
this being Il political question, entirely dis
claimed and repudiated such al idea. On
the point of the impeachabiity OF person
not in Office, he referred to the case of
Whittemore OF South Carolina, in which
the house had determined that a formal
| actual remuneration of an Office terminated
the office, and that any American
citizen could lay down an Office held
| BY him without any acceptance OF his
resignation. Judge Story bad laid
down the doctrine that it could not be done
in England, but there any citizen could-be
impeached, and therefore the English cases
OF Warren Hastings and Lord Bacon did
not apply. In America no man could be
impeached but civil officer, and when he
ceased to be civil officer he ceased to be
within the literal description of the consti
tuition. In this country the only judgment
that could be rendered in an impeachment
case was removal from Office and
future disqualification from holding office,
but by the statutes person guilty
OF such offenses could be indicted, tried
and sentenced by the criminal courts of
the country. He protested against hot
haste in this matter, without having the
testimony printed. He thought such haste
unworthy of this grave question, and If he
| .tooI a1ano ho would Gill stand hara and
say 80.
Mr.. Blackburn of Kentucky, another
member of the committee, expressed his
satisfaction that the report which had been
read by his colleague, Clymer, showed to
the world that nothing had been left I'M
done by the commit &c to shield and shell
ter from dishonor, every person except the
one whom it was the duty of the commit
tee to investigate and report upon. Mr.
Clymer after submitting the unanimous re-
port of the committee read the following
testimony
Caleb p. Marsh said in reply to ques-
tons / would state that in the summer
of 1870 myself and wife spent some weeks
at Long Branch, and on our return 10 New
York Mrs. Belknap and Mrs. Bower, by
our invitation, came for visit to our
house. Mrs. Belknap was i'll dur
during this visit some three or four weeks,
and suppose in consequence of our Xxi d.
ness to her, she felt under some obligation,
for she asked me one day in course of con.
versation, why did net apply for the post
leadership on the frontier. l asked what
, they were and was told there were many
of them very lucrative offices or posts in
the gift of the secretary of war, and that il
, wanted one she would ask for one
, upon my replying that thought such
: offices belonged to disabled soldiers, ant