New-York tribune., 1876-03-11
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NESS ALL AROUND TO AVOID THE RksPoNsi-
Inr rKIEsEArH TO rHE IRIBuSE.l
w,surSGroN, March 10.-BOth the House oi
ponrssentatiyes and the criminal courts seem 10 De
,oaerless TO proceed with impeachment OF Secretary
po,Lran. in the absence of the witness Marsh AS
az fact becomes moro and more painfully apparent,
.ho 5es;re OF the representatives OF both poh'lcal
1le - the House TO fix upon the other The re-
oDsib,lity for this witnesses escape daily increases.
~ Ross 4 member of the Committee, who had
. obsert from the House several days
y a.oo,,,t of sickness made personal explanation
' -. :; which he asserted in most positive Ian
- .bo+ only a few minutes before Nr. Marsh W0s
e'5d Ia, the Chairman of the Committee he
D., r-tested against such action before the case
80 frolly disposed of, and warned the Committee
,hot as matter of protection 70 themselves they
mid NOT afford 10 allow the witness 10 go while 1t
uas nossble that his testimony might again De
ooodsd few minutes later he said the chairman
of the Committee, without consulting with the other
r,eubers ordered the discharge of the witness ana
a, tbe time he reported to the House on Thursday
last Mr. Marsh was already OH his way TO New-fork'
The speech was carefully prepared and very Iorcl-
bv delivered. OF course it stirred up the Demo
Gratis of the Committee, aud Mr.. Clymer ana MT
blackburn made an elaborate defense of their action
&
% escape the responsibility for Mr.. MaTshsdeparture
from this city and his flight TO Canada. The claim
Of the Democratic members of the Committee that
they had no power OF right TO hold him af-
ter the examination was closed, and that 10
have detained the witness further would have
been 10 commit an assault upon hm, is too prepos-
terously absurd 10 be soberly considered The Dem
ocrats ON the Committee, constituting the Tulng
majority are of course responsible for everything
which is done by it, and their discharge OF Mr.
Marsh was either due to their ignorance OF the law
in regard to impeachment, and based on tie DeHeI
that the written statement to which the witness had
sworn cOuld be used evidence in the impeach-
ment trial, or il blunder incident to the ex-
ctemcnt Of the occasion.
The latter is probably the true explanation, and
the best course for the Democrats to take IS TO
admit their mistake, and do whatever lies in their
power to correct it. The more they attempt to eX-
plan it away the more they call public attention to
this proof of their lack of common prudence, and
the heavier will be the load of responsibility for the
failnre of the Beknap Impeachment which they will
Intimately have to bear.
Al the regular Cabinet meeting to-day, the subject
of Mr.. Belknap's Impeachment was briefly consld-
cred Attorney General PierTepOnt gave it as his
opinon that no articles of impeachment can be sus-
famed. or criminal indictment found against Mr..
Belknap without the testimony of the witness
Marsh Possibly some of the documentary evidence,
such as bank accounts and express receipts may be
obtained which would corTobOTate Mr. Marshs tes-
timony if he were to come here (; but case can
hardly be made up on such evidence as this alone
GEN. GRANT on THE INVESTIGATIONS.
THEY LOOK TO HIM LIKE UNWORTHY PROCEEDINGS
-coNFEDERATEs INVESTIGATING TIE CONDUCT
OF THT WAR.
lBr TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIsUSEl
WASHINGTON, March 10.-The President, in
recent conversation with private gentleman, ex-
messed himself very freely and earnestly on the
subject of tho pending Investigations in Congress
and the party which is conducting them The Presl-
dent SAID in substance that most of the investiga-
tiOns are drag-nets without definite ends, and with
designs TO accomplish partisan purposes. The
patriotic people of the country, be be
lived, will soon discover that the investigations
instigated by those who sought TO dissolve the
Union, undertaken for the purpose OF destroying
instead Of reforming the Government. Comment
ing upon the Post Office investigation, the President
remarked that it is o significant fact that the COM
mtteeman who is most active in his assaults upon
the Government is the late POstmaster-General Of
the Confedeacy Mr. Reagan, and that the witness
upon whom the Committee has most relied is a clerk
for cause, aud who obtained position in the Post
Office Department under false pretenses.
"Why," added the President, they even try
ing to investigate the conduct of the war. A short
time before Mir. BekDaps downfall, the nvest-
gators sent 10 the War Department for all the records
in the important Mcdowell investigation, in the
Quartemaster's Department, in 1868. Mr.. BelBnap
sent back word to the Committee that there was not
clerical force enough at his disposal to copy the
records, aud that he could not permit the originals
account of their importance, to leave the custody
OF the Department" The President Significantly
added that he would himself have liked personally
to have answered that application. 1t is evident
that this is one of the Investigations which the
Military Committee has undertaken to conduct
secretly.
LARGE ORDER TO THE PRINTER.
TIE HOU,E AUTHORIZES THE PUBLICATION OF