The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1876-03-10
Clymer's Committee Summon
cd Before tho Grand Jury,
For tho Evident Purpose
Of Closing Witness
es' Mouths.
The Committee Ordered
I:y the House to Oisre-
gard the Order.


suurpmc court Of the District of Column
hin. sitting n Il criminal court. to appear
before that court. aud bring with him all
uoucrs. checks, documents, etc, and To
testify in regard to the charges lending
i'm thai court against the late secretary oi
war. Ills colleagues Robbins and Black
hurn1 had been similarly ,ubp~nacl..
He Itlymcrl had appeared before that
court, aud had stated that IN oht dicncc to
law he appeared az it, bar To obey its or
der but that, a a member Of the COM
mittcc of the hous2. he i9lt II would be
pr,iudicial to the highest interests oi the
country that his colleagues and himself
should he compelled 10 state what had
trauSpircd in their committee room. lie
believed that sn'h Il course would not
only close the mouths of all witnesses,
INT that Ia many eases II would drive
them from the land. lie had said, fur
lhermorc. that while not pleading their
privileges a. members of the house. they
must. nevertheless, protest against being
examined. and should only consent 10 be
80 examined after an order being made
specially TO that end by the court. The
court had taken time for dcllberalion ana
had determined that II it needed their at
tendance thereafter to send tor them. lie
had felt il his duty to bring the matter 10
tie attention OF the house in order that
lie house might take such action in the
matter rs might BE- right, just and neccs-
AIRY,
Nr. Blaine asked Mr.. Clymcr if the
court had asked or had desired TO ask
for Information that was not contained
| in the published report, and was npl
matter ofrecord and of general noloIlttN'
n =, .t well conceive ll.ll lllt
gentleman from PENNSYLVANIA might not
wish 10 be called upon in that court 10
testify of wha' was still Il committee Sc
cr,t but what point OF deliCacy could
arise as TO those matter, which We're Is
common a. history could make them, he
could not see.
Mr.. Clymcr replied that the court had
not proposed TO ask them any questions
nj all they were to be examined before
the grand jury. If questions were TO
have been asked by the court IN the pres.
cncc of the public he might not have 4,
as great an objection, but h. aud his coli
leagues had iclt that it they were ia 90
before Il grand Jury, whose proceedings
were uCCc ,,arily secret, that fact would
| strike terror everywhere throughout the
land and would close all avenues OF tcs-
timonv TO the house aul It's committee
Mr.. Blaine remind Il Mr.. Clymcr tina
hi, own privilege rs a member protcctet
him and there was no power to cOmpc
him To testify.
| Mr.. Clymcr repeated that lc had state,
| TO the court that hc did not intend t
| plead his priy!lcg, 50 that it might not b
| said that he intended To exclude any
| thing which should be rightlully know
! to the public.
| Mr.. Eobbins, another member OF Ia
| committee, made a like statement in re
ercnrc 10 his being subprnTl, and Il,
clared it rs his belief that the effect,
not the design, was to intimidatc wi
ncsSes and throttle investigation.
Mr. Danford. another member of I'll
| committee, said he had no, subpWna to .
before the court, but he would like
know from the chairman whether an
additional testimony had been taken b.
fore the committee.
Mr. Lamar objected to that question.
| MIR. BlaInc-Ihc objection must con
from most nconccivable motive.
Mr.. Lamar--lt may be a motive III
| YOU misconccive, but nevertheless, ii Is
motive which | have, and that l. the pr
Seryation of parliamentary order.
maintain that no member has the rig
| to reveal the secrets of the commit
room.
Mr.. Clymcr said that there had been
additional testimony before the comm
p tee. but he reported that an attempt
drag forth what occurred in the comm
tee could result in nothing else but Il,
riment 10 public veal.
I'll Mr.. Blaine There should he no div
ion or seeming division between the t
sides OF the house in regard to the Wig
II ous prosscution of public crlmlnG
T., What was tAe object OF this Investigate
:. except To- bring offenders to criminal ]
ticc; The committee could not pun
= anybody. Everybody knew that
was brutum iulmcn.
r. Mr.. Clvmcr-l have stated the facts
al the case TO the house. and II ncccsS'
imputation arises that some one In
'r district wishes to close the avenues OF
X idrncc all over the country. il is II
IT who makes the charge, but the fact
the ease.
Mr.. Bhiuc-rhc gentleman closes
, avenues himself.
hd Mr.. Clymrr-l will not permit the !
by tlcmnu from Maine 10 imputc To me
,oi. liNcs which do not understand, q
put in,iuuationS in my mouth Viii,
"" have not uttered
- Mr.. Blackburn, anOlllcr member oil
committee, said he was not surprise
a.. the unCa,incss and nervousness III
Tested by the gentleman from Maine.
''W blackburn did not intend to charge
to II was the purpose of the executive Il
is tlmidalc the witness, 10 throttle th'
am, vC>tigaton and To afford immunit
''"' criminals, but he did say that unless
H. gag process was stopped the con-
be, would believe that that was the purp
Irs. and hc would believe il, too. Appla
-, ON the Democratic side, and II qucS
" by Mr.. Blaine: "What gag process; Z"
Sht 1t had gone forth 10 the country
ter the committee had cOnniyed AT the
red ,conding of an important witness aga
IA the protest of the Republican meml
''"- of the committee; but it was needless
u a him To say the charge was false, aud
red only wondered that those Republi
iyv members had allowed ii to get out
~ their authority without contradiction
wv lie went on to argue that it wolld
ma utterly impossible ever TO convict
sci late secretary of war, or any other c.
nm. net officer except by the testimony of
~ completes, aud yet the house was now
~ be told that an accomplicc should
OF testify before the committee except at
IS own peril. Tie said that the plri
~ "Lct no guilty man escape" would
construed by the country TO mean, "lct
W. man escape who dare tell on those "
Il are in authority lie warned the no
that the Noluminous investigation. [
were now progressing would be stopp
and that it would be utterly impoSsl
10 carry them further successfully uni
-, | there WAS a declaration that the tc