The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1876-03-10


or subpoena, issued to members of COM
mttccs. by the supreme court OF the Dis
trict OF Columbia a. an outrage on the
of the house. lie did not say
{ hat the object of the court was to hush
or suppress Investigation. The question
was one purely OF parliamentary privil-
cgc. lie regarded ii ~ violation of the
privileges of the house for the court to
s,uc q summons to y member and order
him to bring along win INN the records
of the house. and 70 remain IN court and
not TO depart until allowed by the court
or the district attorney
Mr.. Blaine-Docs not me gentleman
from Mississippi see. ana does not the
whole country see, tlllt haNing posses
sion of evidence on when an Indictment
can be found and having III It's possession
every papcr i'm the case. the house puts
itself behind its technical privilege aud |
throws itself across the indictment OF
Bclknap, and that to-day II stands ~ the |
obstacle and sole obstacle to the lndict-
mcnt of the secretary OF war.
MIR. Iamar-Npithpr the gentleman |
rom Mississippi. nor the country, nor |
the gentleman from Maine, secs any such |
thing.
Mr.. Blainc-It /, nothing but that.
MIR, Lamar-lt j. anything but that.
The question is simply whether tins
housc will hermit it, rccoNis to be mt the
beck and call Ola district judge. There
is no doubt but that when the invcstiea-
ton is complete IL will be within the dis
erection Of the house To permit the courts
of the county tu come In aud get cyi-
| dcncc. but pcuicntc lite. While the IN
ycstigation j. going on ana while the
| committee /. taking further testimony
such n proposition was monstrou' ah'
ridiculous.
| MIR. Blaine ,iil he agreed with Mr.. La
mar that while the affair was IN limini it
| would be- improper for n court to inter
lcre. but that was not the case here. The
| ,ucs,iou was whether the house would
hermit the testimony and papers III the
| hand. Of il, committee to be sent To the
court. The house could refuse II. or
| could send it, impctuously. 81 dare, |
| dare that side of the house to refuse II.
| TArplausc on the Republican side, and
| nreat cNcitcmcnt.l
MIR Lamar continued his remarks.
which he closed by Offering resolution.
rrciting the history OF the case. dcclar-
| inc tile mandate of the court 10 be- a
breach of the privileges of the house, ana
| directing the members OF committee 10
| Disregard such q mandate.
| Nj. kasson invited the house TO lo1k
cody al the situation developed this
morning. The question was raseI her,
| A. a question of privilege Oh the part OF
the members of the house who had re-
ccived judicial invitation TO aid In the
| indictment aud punishment of a criminal.
| IL was an extraordinary case, aud one
without spreccdCnt, and against pro
| ccdont he asked whether there had ever
been any such proposition a had been
| suggested TO the house, COudemnlng the
| sworn executions of the laws, be 'ausc hc
had directed his subOrdinates TO enforce
those laws. The grand jury was sworn
To the indictment guilty of crime within
their jurisdiction. and the house and
committee had no right to cmbdrra,- the
grand jury in the execution OF the iuw :
of the land.
Mr.. McCary reminded his colleague
that the committee had in it, possession
the contract which must be the tOunda.
ton of any proceedings for an Indictment
OF this offender, and that that contract
was the very thing that the grand jury
would get hold OF.
Mr.. Clymer remarked that that con
tract was between Caleb l.. Marsh ant
John :. Evans, and thlt the secretary q
war knew nothing of il when 1t wa
! made. nor for two years atterward.
Nr Kasson. in the course of some II
marks. referred TO the interview whlc
Blackburn had had with some of the par
ties implicated, and suggested that I'll
| grand Jury might have u desire to exam
, Inc him about it.
Mr.. Blackburn replied with some hca
I, of manner that if the gentleman frol
u Iowa said he had had u conversation wit
Mrs. Bcltuap, and at any great lcngtl
he would copy the remark OF Il senator
: and would authorize the gentleman lroI
" Iowa whenever he heard anybody NAL
" ing any such statement, to say that
, had his Blackburn authority for tel
ing that man that h lies. Great e.
cit cmcnt
Mr.. Kasson-Do understand the gc
II tleman to say that he had 10 convcrs
ton on the subject involved in this pre-
" ccution outside of the committee room
MIR. Blackburn have filed stat
e. mcnt on the subject, which neither I
i, gentleman from Iowa nor any other IN
oe can impugn.
" Mr.. kasson-Then will appeal 10 II
VERY statement, and ask if that is !
~ so. If the interview was not pcrtinC
TO the case, why was it reported q
" made public and If pertinent to the ga
~ why are not the criminal cOurt' of
y country entitled to it: Applause on I
:, Republican side.
IS MIR. Blackburn-Wil the gcntlen
w. from Iowa inform the house whether
!, newspaper report i true that Ia and
', colleagues waited in body un
w.. former secretary OF war:
ish MIR. Kasson--l will answer the Ql
his ton with more chccrlulncSs than the z
| tleman has answered mine.
of Mr.. Blackburn | trust the .
,ry tlrman will tell IL what occurred,
his | whether he is the depository for the {
cy- tcsSOn of guilt.
DtI Mr.. kasson-l will respond to the 8
OF pWua To give my statement OF the IA
in aid of the prosecution of crime. '
A., | the gentleman do So much, or will
plead his privilege and decline To aC
the prosecution. Before the COMM
gen had made its report there came rep
mo- to the entire Iowa delegation in b
! 10 houses, to call on the secretary of wal
II he wanted to see them that day.
went IN the evening, senators and IN
the bcrs, and we heard this statement 4
Il at him: "When sent for you, gcntlcn
ami | supposed there would be some op
lie tunity to be heard in the house Oh
that subject. have now learned that |
} in impcached. so that il j. useless for N
, in trouble you with what was goins
y to say aS to the evidence in this case
this we left him.
ilry Mr.. AinSworth asked why the Il
Dse' delegation had lett him ont. lmgl
use on Democratic side Of the house.
~" The debate continued amid great
~, element and with frequent demons
nh. tons of applause and laughter on ci
;', | side of tn G house,