Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-06-06

and he trusted that he would do it calmly, dis.
passonately and fairly. The House had wit
messed TINS morning a remarkable, not to say an
unexampled scene during this session. Two reso-
lutIons that had been adopted by the House, each
of which ordered an investigation, each of which
had been referred to the Judiciary Committee by
the House, and each of which had been Inferred
to a subcommittee consisting of Mr.. Ashe Of n
c., Mr.. Lawrence of Ohio, and himself; before
that committee had reached any conclusion, or had
finished taking testimony, an effort was made by
the gentleman supposed to be most deeply con-
cerned in those Investigations, to take the consd
Grafton of these questions from the organ of the
House, aud to report upon them in person; he
need not remind the House what sort of report
would come from that committe if the gentleman
from Maine were allowed to make it. After the
House had ordered an investigation it was not
only uneXampled, but entirely against legislative
practice for a gentleman to rise and undertake to
anticipate the conclusions of the committee, or to
state what the action of the committee had been
when the sub committee was organized. The
gentleman from Maine had expressed himself not
only satisfied but pleased with its personnel, and
now that gentleman complained that two members
OF the subcommittee were ex-confederates. AT
the instance of the gentleman from Maine day
had been appointed on which the subcommittee
was to enter upon its duties, and now the gentle
man told the House that he had learned first from
the subcommittee that he was the party to be in
vestgated, and not the Union Pacific Il. r. Co.. /;
so far from that being so, the first that he (tiun-
tom had heard from any member of the House
or of the committee the subject, was from
Blaine himself, to the effect that the resolution
offered by Tarbox attached to him, and that he
wanted the investigation commenced on giver
day; the very day fixed the investigation had
begun, and from that day to this every hour that
the committee could devote to it had been devoted
to it, except when the gentleman himself pre-
vented it.
More than two weeks had been lost to the com
mttee because Of the conduct of the gentleman
from Maine, and now that gentleman tried to
make the impression that it was the purpose Of the
committee 10 prolong the investigation for some
sinister purpose. He might just as well have
postpone it until after the 18th of June. Every
member of the committee would bear him wit
ness that the committee had worked in season and
out of season, sitting on one occasion nearly the
entire day, in order to get through with the in
vestigaton prior to the l4th of June. Every de-
lay which had occurred had been either because
the gentleman from Maine had been absent, or
had requested an adjournment.
In regard to the Northern Pacific and Kansas
Pacific railroad Investigation, he had told MIR.
Blaine that the committee would take up first the
matters which touched him, if he desired. Mr.
Blaine had desired the committee to do so, and
yet he seemed very much surprised now to find
that an investigation was to BE- undertaken by the
committee that involved examination into
the Pacific railroads, and it prolonged and
prolonged and prolonged, while the committee
had agreed, for his sake ami for his purpose, to
skipp all other inquiry under Mr.. Luttrells reso-
luton until the committee disposed Of that which
seemed attached to Mr.. Blaine.
The remainder came too late for this issue.