Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-02-19
The House.
BULLION CLUB BLUFFED.

The House.
BULLION CLUB BLUFFED.
WAsHIsGroN, Feb. 1S.-Mr. Warner from the
committee On coinage, reported back adversely
tie Ietition of the Bullion club of New York
PRAYING for specie currency. Ordered printed
and recommended.
A bill was introduced by Mr.. Morton fixing
the duty on barley and malt at 25 cents per
bushel.
Mr. Boyd presented memorial of the MGR
chants aud importers of Chicaso fer the pas-
sage of the bill for the immediate Transports
ton of duiiable goods. Referred.
A resolution was adopted calling on the
secretary of the treasury for information as to
the custom house in Detroit.
ACKLEN.
Mr.. Cox, chairman Of the committee ON
foreign affairs, submitted an unanimous re-
port of the committee in regard to the charges
made against Mr.. Acklen. Mr.. Acklen de-
manded the reading of the report, and it was
accordingly read. The report recites the
charges made by the Detroit Post. The PER-
sonal explanation made in regard thereto by
Acklen and the resolution under which the
com mittee had been acting, that the resolu-
lions confined the inquiry OF the committee
solely as to the truth or falsity of the charges
made in the Detroit Post. Ackien had request
cd the committee to inquire into apd report as
to the motive of his act, which had been the
subject of criticism, but the committee had
not felt justified in SO doing With Acklen's
motive tie committee had nothing to do, nor
with the action to be taken by the
House TIE committee gives min
ute description of the position of
Acklen relative to the Nicaragua claim bill
during the Forty. fifth Congress during which
l,,I ,hor nf ha NIT aa nm
foreign affairs and during the present Congress.
The committee finds in conclusion that
Ackleu not being member of the committee
on foreign affairs, presented on the 18th OF
January, paper purportlng to be report or
that committee submitted by Mr. King relat-
ing to the claims of certain citizens against
the government of Nicaragua, which paper was
printed at his request; that that paper was not
a report of the committee on foreign affairs,
and had never been adopted or favorably con-
sidered by it; that that
was done in the absence of King,
whose absence was known to Acklen; that that
alleged report as represented consists of four
pages of manuscript, printed resolution and
printed report of AcAlcn to the Forty-hfth
Congress; that manuscript is in the form of a
report from the committee of foreign affairs
for the speedy passage of the resolution; that
the manuscript is in the handwriting Of Ack-
lens clerk and copied by HIM from a draft
made by Acklen; that the manuscript so pre-
pared vas handed by Acklen TO King during
the extra session. with desire he should adopt
that The committee didn't adopt it as their
report or favorably consider it and that it was
returned early in December to
Acklen and he was Informed that
the committee was probably adverse to it; that
Acklcn subsequently altered it by FASTING to it
printed copy of the resolution, asking for
special committee TO report on Nicaraguan
claims, and introduced it SO changed on Janu-
airy 23j. That Acklen being inquired of at the
time by the journal clerk, failed to convey to
him any other impression than that he had
presented the report for King. That 1t was
King and not the chairman of the committee,
who asked Acklen what the introduction of the
report meant, and who received an unsatisfac-
tory reply. That the entries made on the jour
nal ard In the record remained uncorrected un-
til January 20. All of which is respectfully
submitted aud the committee ask to be dis
cflared from further consideration of the sub
ject.
MIR. Acklen sent to the clerks desk and had
read letters Girec.ed by him to the chairman
of the committee on foreign affairs and the
chairman of the subcommittee, asking that
the scope of the investigation might be en-
largcd.
MIR. Cox stated that the committee had no
authority to go behind the simple inquiry as to
the truth or falsty of the charge in one
! ne sspaper, the Detroit Post. The committee
limited itself to the resolution. The investi-
cation delicate matter at best, and the
committee could certainly not have extended
ITS scope without authority.
Mr.. Frost offered a resolution recommitting
| to the committee on foreign affairs the report
! in regard to J. II. Ackleu, with instructions
| to report what action, if any, the House should
| take in he matter.
| This led to long debate, and finally Mr..
! Hawley offered The following amendment: That
the report and evidence presented by the COM
mittee on foreign affairs, in the case of Mr..
| Acklcn, be referred to the Judiciary committee,
which committee is hereby authorized to make
! further inquiry, if it should appear essential
to Just Judgment and is instructed to report
| what action, If necessary. is required on the
! part of the House.
| Mr.. Garfield coucurred il the amendment
| offered By the gentleman from Connecticut
| Primarily, he said the great question was the
constitutional right of the House over its
records. The charge against the gentleman
from Louisiana was an invasion of the privi-
| leges of the House in regard to its proceedings,
and of course that charge was very grave one.
| The charge also affected the rights of the COM
| mittee foreign affairs. In one sense that
committee was injured by it, and in an especial
sense one of its members was the in ured party.
Ga the other hand, the necessary witnesses
were first the member of the
committee on foreign affairs, King,
whose was concerned in the
paper presented by Acklen, and second
" all members of that committee who could
state the original facts better than anybody
else. That committee had reported the facts.
but had said nothing whatever about the ques-
ton of the motive, which question WAS of
course essential. In order to get at that another
committee not concerned in the matter at all,
ought to take it up, and the law committee of
the House was in his judgment the fitting COM
mittee. If select committee were appointed,