Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-04-08

q ANNNAA AftNNNNltiNlNE lNNNE4NNANNAiAH
until 1 see more than this committee
presents for our consideration | shall
never vote TO take away u mans honor
by such an eN parte statement. Talk
about not taking away honor 10y such
proceedingsl Why, his whole family aud
every principle Of honor are involved.
liable TO be swept away 10y one fell
swoop, even n the impeachment should
fail l say i am here to stump my foot
In protest aud urge every member to
consider and look well at this report
before casting his vote"
Remember this man was denied the
right of representation before the com
mittce and they ask this legislature whose
duty It is TO guard the right Of every
man to wipe away standing and honor
and responsibility Of one OF the greatest
servants Of tho state and the interests
of his family. Why are we denied the
right to look into the testimony and
why was the defendant not heard in the
cOmmittee2 III this committee proposes
60 make Itself a star chamber in its
proceedings ! shall demand that the com
mittee bring evidence here that the de
PENDANT may know specifically whit
charges. and by whom they are made aud
explain and show as | know he can that
ne had no intention to defraud the state
or anyone and that what he did Wa for
the interest of the state. Must he be
impcached for misconstructiOn of law Z
II so, then 20 back to the foundation of
such misconstrucuon aud let us arraign
every officer, though | DO not believe
any Of them have been guilty of wilful
interpretations IL may be there are
others In the Office who should be dis
charged As TO young McGnughey,
predict lac viii be proven innocent, the
trouble Is that faults Of parties who
cannot bc reached are too often charged
TO the commissioner. The legislature
should be careful not 60 further inlurc
those whose happiness is concerned Al
ready the wife Of the defendant Inns nj
most grown gray over these troubles
and rs | believe troubles without just
foundation
Al this iuncture Colonel McGaughcy
came up TO Mr. Rowell and made some
statement in his ear and Mr. Rowell con-
tiued. II have acted In appearing IN
this matter as | do on my own responsi-
bility but Colonel McGaughey asks me 10
say that he Is not afraid of the result Of
the investigation and that II the house
approves of the necessity of such proceed
ings he Is willing 10 20 into The inVestigu-
ton and let all the light be thrown ON the
matter
II don't believe under the law he can
be- impeachcd. Thon why truduce MN
| with this report
MIR. Henderson of Milan said the gen
| tlemau from Marion was under a wrong
! impression as 10 the issues presented by
| the action of the committee lhe matter
was not one for the committees discre-
| ton or final determination AZ 20 the
| question of rights. There Is no such is
sue. The house acts as body OF IN
| quest as TO presenting the questions TO
/ the senate The personality OK no mdi-
/ vidual is involved, nor any person or
his family. So far as the committee ~
| concerned this rs not an occasion Tor
| sentiment but for consideration of VIZ
! appcrtans TO the conduct of an officer OF
/ this state, chosen 10y the state ms
| guardian OF its interests. AZ 10 the
/ evidence | knew of no reason why II
/ should be exhibited here. The commit
| tee was formed 70 find out II there were
| grounds of impeachment, and believing
! they did their duty. have no apology TO
/ make. The question before the house
/ is, has the committee presented facts
upon which charges should be prescntedf
/ That Is the only question-nOt what may
be the final action of the senate, as
! higher court, before which all concerned
/ may be heard. so IL would be uuwlse
! TO exhibit here any matter of evidence
! that was before the committee. Again
| the committee considered IT'S duty done
! In presenting It's findings without nrgu-
ment, aud thought they should simply
/ state the facts. Then the house could
/ act as a body Of inquest 10 find or not
/ a bin of Indictment They were con-
i fronted with an anomily In the Texas
I CONSTITUTION not tNNutlNNluE utlH lot
/ which an official may be impeached,
/ so the right not being expressed IL was
/ concluded that il was intended TO be
/ left TO the discretion of this body o.
/ present such matters before the higLs
| tribunal the senate, and this right was
/ inherent. lie had heard the cry about
! It's being political necessity TO make this
! investigation. There was no politics In
| It and the committee was not swerved
! by such considerations or by any per
| sonal feeling in the matter As 90
| whether or not the facts In the report
| are sufficient basis for action before the
| senate, that ~ question each member
must determine for himself. Our only
! duty was TO present such facts az we
! deemed sufficient for trial of an official
on charges preferred.
Mr.. Peck--As / have signed the mi
/ nority report, If / believed Mr. McGau-
| ghey acted culpnbly 1 would vote 10
/ impeach him If il took the whole year.
/ but he was not a lawyer and the ques-
I tons involved were matters Of consiruc-
! ton Of the law. IL may have been mock
/ cry 10 have a man in the office who was
I not familiar with law, but the state
J having doTe this had no right to im-
/ peach him for constituting the laws as he
/ thought for the states own good Nor
/ should that gentleman be expected 10
/ anticipate the action Of the house or the
| house be expected to get him TO request
I Autht llhiftilANEHf M HiNl ~ kAUttAtl 10
90 before a jury and ask II 10 indict
I him, but he has done what must have
/ been wrung from him by desperation, he
| has discharged his own son. IL may be
| he should not have appointed 30 young
! man to so important q position II there
| are no just grounds here for mpeach.
| ment, why go any further 10 immediate
! the defendant before the senateI
Being interrupted by Mr. Pagan OF
/ lamar asking If be thought the section
/ Of the committees report Of the charac-
/ ter Of the notices Of sales as made by
! the commissioner was not true, Mr. Peck
! said The notice perhaps was not long
enough, and / admit he was wrong in
/ not giving longer time, but he felt IL
! was 20 the interest Of the state 10 sell
] these lands which had remained 80 long
! on Il state Unsold. As 10 the charges
on the matter they were such as might
! be handed down from his predecessors.
] He did NOT believe such an investigation
was demanded br that the Democratic
/ party would be hurt by IT, That party
/ was too great 20 be hurt IN such a way
or helped by the detraction OF any OIL
] cial
Mr.. Onion said: II fully agree with
| the other gentlemen as 10 the importance
| of this matter 10 the state as wen as
| 90 the commissioner and his family. n
| should be discussed sufficiently for the