The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1876-03-08

0mCo1, exC0pb Oy tu0 to1umOuy VI eOOoas
piices, and yet the House was nov to b tol
that any accomplish should not testify 6eio1
q committee except at his own peril 1t va
against that, that he protested he lntima
ted that the phrase, "Let no guilty ma
escape" would be construed By the countr
to mean, "Let no man escape who dares .
tell ON those who are in authority.
He warned the House that the voluminou
Investigations that were now progrees1nl
would be stopped, and that 1t would b
utterly impossi Jle to cafry them further sue
cessfully unless there vas declaration tina
the testimony of witnesses should not b.
used against them.
Lamar, of Mississippi. said there shoult
be NO exhibition Of party feeling or excite
ment in the presence of such solemn event
al we're throwing their shadows over tn
House. 1t seemed to him that the voice o
faction should at last be hushed He regarded
this mandate, or summons, or subpoena, is
4 sued TO members of committees by the Su
nreme Court Of the District as an outrage OF
the privileges of this House.
He did not say that the object Of the cour
was to hush OF to suppress investigations
The question was one purely Of parliament
sry privilege. He regarded it as violation
OF the privileges Of the House for court t.
issue summons to o member and order hin
| to bring along with him the records Of thu
House, and to remain in court and not to de
part until allowed by the Court or District
Attorney.
| Mr.. Blaine-Does not the gentleman from
Mississippi see, and does not the whole coun-
try see, that, having possession of ell the evil
dence on which an indictment can be found,
and having in its possession every paper in
the case, the House puts itself behind its
technical privilege and throws itself across
the indictment Of Belknsp. and that to-day
it stands al the obstacle, and sole obstacle, to
the indictment of the late Secretary of War
Mr. Lamar-Neither the gentleman from
Mississippi, nor the country, nor the gentle
man from Maine sees any such thing.
Mr.. Blain-It is nothing but that.
Mr. Lamar-It is anything bat that. The
question is simply whether this House will
permit its records to be at the beck and call
of District Court. There is no doubt but
that when the investigation is completed it
will be within the discretion of the House to
permit the courts of the county to come in
and get evidence, but not pendente lite, while
the investigation is going on and while the
committee is taking further testimony. Such
q proposition was monstrous and ridiculous.
Mr.. Blaine said he agreed with Mr.. Lamar,
that while the affair was in Hmine j. would be
improper for court to interfere, but that was
not the case here. The question was whether
the House would permit the testimony and
papers in the hands Of the committee to be
sent to the court. The House could refuse it
or could send it. and now, said he impetu-
ously, dare, l dare that 81 De of the House to
refuse it. [Applause on the Republican side
and great excitement
Mr.. Lamar continued his remarks, which
he closed by offsring resolution reciting the
r Al H. H. A~~A -
the Court to be q breach of the privileges of
committee to disregard such mandate.
Mr.. Kasson, of Iowa, invited the House to
look cooler at the situation developed this
morning The question was raised here as
question of privilege on the part of mem
Der of the House who had received q judicial
invitation to aid in the indictment and pun
ishment of criminal It was an extraor-
binary case and one without precedent, and
against precedent he asked whether there had
ever been any such proposition as had been
suggested to the House, condemning the
sworn executor of the laws because he had
directed his subordinates to enforce those
laws The Grand Jury vas sworn to indict
men guilty of crime within their Jurisdiction,
and the House and the committee had no
right to embsrrass tho Grand Jury in execu-
ton of the laws of the land.
Mr.. McCrary, Of Iowa, reminded his COL
league that the committee had in its posses
sion the contract which must be the founda-
ton Of any proceeding for an indictment of
this officer, and that that contract was prob
ably the very thing that the Grand Jury
would get hold Of
Mr.. Clymer remarked that that contract
vas between Caleb P. Marsh and John S.
Evans, and that the Secretary of War knew
nothing of it when it was made, nor for two
years afterwards.
remarks, referred to the interview which
Blackburn, of Kentucky, had with some of
the parties implicated, and suggested that the
Grand Jury might have o desire to examine
him about it.
Mr.. Blackburn replied with some heat of
manner that if the gentleman from Iowa said
that he had had conversations with Mrs. Bel
KNAPP, and at great length, he would copy the
remark of Senator, and would authorize the
gentleman from Iowa, whenever he heard any
body making any such statement to say that
he had his, (Blackburn's) authority for telling
that man he lies. [Great excitement.l
Mr.. Kasson-Do understand the gentle
man to say that he had no conversation on
the subject involved in this prosecution-in-
voived in this criminality outside of tho COM
mittee room?
Mr.. Blackburn-I have filed q statement
on the subject which neither the gentleman
from Iowa, nor any other man can impugn.
Mr.. IKasson-Then appeal to that state
ment, and ask if that is not so. If the in
terview was not pertinent to the case, why was
it reported and made public? And if pertinent
to the case, why are not the criminal courts Of
the country entitled to it? Applause on Be
publican side
Mr. Blackburn-Will the gentleman from
Iowa inform the House whether the newspaper
report is true that he and his colleague waited
in body on the former Secretary of War?
Kasson-I will answer the question with
more cheerfulness than the gentleman has
answered mine.
Blackburn trust the gentleman will tell
us what occurred and whether he is the repo-
STORY of the confession of guilt
Kasson-I will respond to a subpoena to
give any statement of fact in aid of the pro-
secution of crime; will the gentleman do as
much or will he plead his privilege and de-
cline to aid in the prosecution?
Before the committee made its report there