The Portland daily press., 1876-03-03
PROCEEDINGS I'm CONGRESS.
Impeachment Resolutions Submitted.

Woods speech on the Hawaiian treaty, Mr.
C.ymer of Pennsylvania presented resolutions
of impeachment against VIM. w. Belknap,
late Secretary Of War, for high crimes and mis-
excitement, and with an unusual stiffness in
the House, Mr.. Clymer rose and said:
81 ask permission of the House to make a
report from the Committee on Expenditures in
the War Department of SO grave an import
anoe that am quite sure that when it is heard
this House will agree that l am justified in
asking that permission at this time"
Permission was given and Mr.. Clymer, TAX
ing his position at the Clerks desk, read the
report.
The committee found at the very threshold
of its investigation such unquestioned evidence
then Secretary of War, that they found it their
duty to lay the same before the House. They
further report that this day at IL o'clock let
ter of the President of the Uuited States was
presented to the committee, accepting the
resignationiof the Secretary OF War. together
with a copy of his letter of resignation, which
the President informed the committee was
accepted about 20 this morning. They there
fore unanimously report and demand that the
said VIM. w. Belknap, late Secretary of War,
be dealt with according to the law of the land,
and to that end submit herewith the testimony
ia the case, taken together with the several
statements and exhibits thereto attached; and
also report of the proceedings of the COM
mittee had during the investigation of this
subject and submit the following resolutions:
Resolued, That VIM. w. Belknap. late Secre-
tary of War, be impeached of high crimes and
misdemeanors.
ResolUed, That the testimony in the case of
W. W. Belknap, late Secretary of War, he re-
ferred to the Judiciary Committee, with in
structions to prepare and report without
parchment Of said VIM. W. Belknap, late
Secretary of War.
ReSotUed That a committee of five members
of the House be appointed and instructed to
proceed Immediately to the bar of the Senate
and there impeach William W. Belknap, late
Secretary of War, in the name of the people of
the United States, of high crimes and INSIDE
meanors when in Office, and to inform that
body that formal articles of impeachment will
in due time be presented, and request tie Sen
ate to take such order in the premises as they
may deem appropriate.
The Testimony Against the Secretary.
Clymer then proceeded to read the testimony
of Caleb Marsh, taken yesterday before the
committee, showing that be had paid Secretary
Belknap about $4,000 in consideration of his
appointment as post trader at Fort Sill, Indian
Territory.
The reading was listened to with intense in
terest by the members of the House and by a
large audience in the galleries. In the more
pathetic portions of the narrative Mr.. Clymer
was frequently forced by his feelings to pause
until his voice recovered from Its tremulousness
and himself from agitation.
MR.. Clymer Moves the Previous Question.
At the close of the reading and after the
many members who had taken up positions
near the clerks desk (the better to hear the
testimony and accompanying statements) had
returned to their proper seats, Mr.. Clymer, who
had also gone to his seat, again arose and said
with great emotion:
Mr.. Speaker would not if could, and I
could not in my present condition if l would,
add anything to facts just reported to the House.
They are so plain that everywhere throughout
this broad land and throughout ChristendOm
wherever the English language is read or spok-
en- they will for long years constitute record
of official corruption and crime, such as there
is no parallel of in our own history or in that
of any other country that know of. If in
this hour one sentiment of pity. one word of
sympathy could find utteraDcs from me, it
would be because feel that the late Secretary
OF War is but the proper outgrowth, the true
exponent of the corruption and extravaganza,
the msgovernment that have cursed this land
for years past. That being my own reflection,
will discharge my duty best to myself and to
this House by demanding the previous question
on adoption of the resolutions.
Mr.. Kasson of Iowa, appealed to Mr.. Clymer
to give an opportunity for some suggestions to
be made before asking the previous question on
d mdttcT VI 81 grave lLupOTtduCo.
Mr.. Clymer regretted that he could not oblge
his friend, several Democratic members, ''yes,
yes'') and for the reason that his colleagues on
the committee desired to be heard after the
previous question was seconded.
Kasson of 1owa-A.low me to say that there
will not be the slightest opposition to their be-
ing all heard.
Clymer-I decline to yield and demand the
previous question.
Kassan-Does the gentleman expect the
House tonight, after five O clock and without
this report being printed, to vote on these reso-
lutions, when even the impeachability of the
officer at present is a point to be considered by
the House?
Mr. Clymer-After the prevons question has
been ordered L will yield half the bour to mem.
bers of the committee who are on the other
side of the House.
A Speech by Mr.. Robbins.
After some further discussion the previous
the floor to his colleague, Mr.. Robbins of North
Carolina Mr. Robbins pleaded his mental
and physical exhaustion from his continuous
service on the committee as the 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 American cltl-
zens. As to the question of the impeachability
of an officer who had resigned, he was not pre-
pared 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 evidence to be criminal, could flee from JUS
tice. He alluded to what he called the un-
seemly acceptance of Secretary Belknap's res
ignation, 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 had
committed crimes and misdemeanors.
MIR. BASIS Remarks.
Mr.. Bass of New York, another member of
the committee, questioned the statement of the
chairman (Clymer) as to the case having no
parallel, and said he would not have to leave
his own borders in order to find not only a
parallel Tor it, but he could find cases compared
with which this case was as white as the driven
snow. He admitted that mere statement of
this case 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 as to the impeachability of a
resigned officer
MT. Bass replied that the English authorities
seemed to maintain the jurisdiction of i'm
peachment in such cases, but in this country it
was an unadjudicated question and one that
was not free from doubt, but his own best judg-
ment was liz favor of the right to impeach and
to let the question be adjudicated by the Sem
ate.