Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-05-24

| was to be no more testimony taken by the
! committee the gentleman had no request to
make.
! Mr.. Kellogg appealed to the sense of JUS
| tce and right of the House to permit him to
have an investigation authorized.
! Mr.. blanchard, of Louisiana, said that
| some time in April 1883, an indictment
/ against his colleague was found. About three
| weeks ago, under technical pleas urged by
! his counsel, the prosecution against the gem
/ tleman was dismissed. Since that
! time he had been waiting and
/ hoping that the gentleman would ask that
| the committee be authorized to investigate
/ the charges affecting HIM as a member of the
/ House. Yesterday he informed Mr.. Kellogg
! that unless he offered such resolution he
| would himself rise in his place and do it, He
! held then, as he held now, that the resolution
! presented question of privilege. The
charges not only affected the dignity of the
| House, but they affected the honor and Dig
nifty of the sovereign state of Louisiana.
Mr.. kellogg demanded the previous ques-
| ton, but II was voted down.
Mr.. Hammond Of Georgia, was 10th to re-
| Iuse to any gentleman an opportunity to re-
| ply to any attack made upon him, but he did
not THINK that the House had authority to in
! quIre INTO Ofienses committed by a member of
| Congress prior to the time of his election.
Even though all the charges against the gen.
tleman from Louisiana might be proved to be
true the committee would be obliged to re-
port to the House that nothing could be done
to him. The House was not in
position, perhaps. to investigate
the facts as they should be Investigated. The
gentleman's own statement indicated that his
testimony was in his own hand while the gov
crnments evidence might not be prOcurable.
1t was at the instance Of the genteman's
counsel that that evidence was not produced
ana acted upon at the recent trial. He knew
that there had been no plea Of the statute of
limitations, for there could not have been one
in criminal case, but the gentleman could
have said, '.My honor is at stake and l waive
the statute"
f. b. Taylor inquired whether party in
a criminal case could waive the statute of
limitations.
Mr.. Hammond replied in the affirmative.
Mr.. Kellogg stood against the lnterpOs-
tion of any plea Of that Kind, and my counsel
will bear me out in this statement.
referring to Mr.. kellOgg's statement that
the statute which he had been charged with
violating had been violated a thousand times,
Mr.. Hammond said that never before had he
heard that any member of Congress had ever
violated the statute. If there was a man
anywhere who had violated that statute, and
the gentleman from Louisiana knew it, it
was his duty as a good citizen to disclose the
fact. 1t was humiliating confession for a
member Of Congress to say that he knew of
$50 men who had represented the people here,
and who had committed felOhies, and yet to
admit he never mentioned the fact until it
was necessary TO screen himself. lie dId not
believe that the gentleman knew anything of
the kind He moved to lay the resolution on
the table
Mr.. Kasson of Iowa, hoped that that would
not be done. If the gentleman from LOuisi-
ana had been guilty of bribery, as the public
mind had been influenced to believe, he did
not want to SIT with nm IN the House. If on
the other hand the charges arose from malice
andfalsehood and were untrue, in fact, to deny
to the gentleman this investigation was to
| deny the fundamental principles Of justice.
Messrs. Laird, of Nebraska, and Hunt and
King, OF Louisiana, briefly spoke IN favor of
aceeding to Mr.. kellOggs request for an in
| vestigatiOu.
Mr.. Hammond OF Georgia, withdrew his
motion to table the resolution, and moved to
| refer the resolution TO the Committee on Ju
| dietary, with leave to report it back at any
| time Tor consideration. II that committee
| should report that, under the circumstances
of this case, it was one which the House could
| legally investigate he would withdraw his
opposition. Mr.. Hammonds motion was
rhe House then went into committee of
| The whole on the private calendar. The bill
| providing for the retirement of Col. Henry j.
Hunt as Major General gave rise to q great
! deal of discussion.
In opposing the measure Mr.. Springer took
| occasion to speak in strong condemnation of
| the bill to retire Gen. Grant and to give him
| pension of $l0,l25 year. simply because he
| had been unfortunate in Wall street. 1t was
| said that Gen. Grant had not been aware of
| the dealings OF his partner, but the fact re-
NAMED that he had associated himself with
| spectators, who were involved in
! the most disreputable practices which
| had ever been heard of in this
| country, and were only paralleled in
other countries by the South Sea bubble and
John Laws Mississippi scheme. This
| was not the time nor were the circum-
| stances such as called upon Congress to 20 to
! Cen Grants relief. The bill was finally laid
| aside with a favorable recommendation.
On motion of Mr.. Mcmillan. of Tennessee
the bill reported from the Committee on War
Claims for the payment Of Quartermasters'
claims, known as the Fourth of July claims,
was taken up out of its regular order, con-
sidercd and laid aside with a favorable re-
commentator. 1t appropEates 100000,
about One-half of which goes to citizens of
Tennessee.
Several other private measures were con-
sidered and at 4:20 O'Clock the committee
rose and reported the action on the Fourth
Of July CLAIMS" The bill was passed. The
House at $40 took recess until s O'Clock,
the evening session to be for consideration of
pension bills.
The House at its evening session passed
forty-siX pension bills, including one granting
pension of $50 4 month to the widow OF
Gen. Il. o. G. Ord, and then at 10 o'clock ad