Year: 1879

gress, asking that it be laid before
your committee and be spread upon
its records, to the end not only that
correct history of these transac-
tions may appear, but that at the
same time simple act Of justice


may be done thereby to the com
pany, which I have the honor to
represent, in the resulting vindica-
ton of its late and present admins
tration from any charge of political
bias in the conduct of its business.
The plain truth is that the Company
realizing a great moral obligation to
! preserve sacred from a threatened
exposure all kilograms committed


to its confidence and keeping, both
before and after the serving of the


subpenas, resorted to every legiti-


mate and proper device, consistent


with a due respect for the authority


of Congress, to prevent such expos
ure, by timely transfer of the
messages from the custody of man
ayers of Offices likely to be called
upon for them to the Executive
officers in New York, and thence,
by a resolution Of the Executive
Committee of the Board of Direc-
tors, from the custody of the Exec
utive officers to that of the Execu-
five Conmittee itself. When. there
fore, Manager Barnes, Of the
New Orleans Office, was sub
p@nacd by the Morrison Com
mittee almost all Of the
kilograms he was called upon to
prouuce had been taken from his
custody, and he had no power to
produce them; SO also, when the
President was brought to the bar of
the House for contempt he was en-
aDled to plead that he had not the
custody of the messages called for
in his subpoena. The proceedings
Of the House of Representatives, as
published in the Congressional
Record, show that Nj. Orton him
SELF, on this occasion, through the
statements of his answer as to the
attitude taken by the Executive
Committee, disclosed to the House
full information as to where the
messages could be reached, but
Notwithstanding this fact, no
member of the House or of its
committees saw fit at the time to act
u0on the information thus given.


The Senate Committee, however,
took the initiative, and sending
Immediately to New York on the
next day, served every member of
the Company's Executive Commit


tee with a sweeping subpoena which
demanded the production Of all
messages te or from the principal
offices Of the Company where i'm
portant political kilograms were
supposed to have been sent or res
ceived. Under this subpoena, the
Executive Committee composed
about equally of members of the
two political parties) proceeded with
the messages to Washington, where,
soon after arrival, they were served


with Ike sweeping subpoena from


the House Committee. A meet
ing Of the Executive Committee
was the eupon held, and by resolu-
tions then passed, it was decided to
respect the service on the part of
the Company's President and the


committee alike, and to surrender
to the House Committee all the


messages covered by its subpoena to
President Orton, this being prior,
in time of service, to the subpoena
from the Committee Of the Senate,


and to surrender to the Senate
Committee all the messages covered
by its subpoena, this list being prior
in time Of service to the like sub
p@na from the Committee of the
House. 1t was further resolved,
in order to comply, as far as posi-
bic, with the conflicting subp@nas,
that whichever committee failed to
receive the original messages should
have copies Of all such originals
as were delivered to the other com
mittee, or if it should be concluded


that the immense labor of copying
might be saved, then, that the COM
m:ttee Of either House receiving
the original messages, should agree
that the members of the committee
OF the other House, which had called


Tor them should have free access to
examine such originals and to make
copies therefrom if desired-a copy
of these resolutions of which the


foregoing is the substance, was
served upon each committee on
January 10Th, and on the, Oath of


January, Senator Sargent wrote to
the Company stating that the COM
mittee of the Senate h&d conferred
with the committee Of the House,


and that the alternative or latter
feature of the above mentioned ar
rangement was accepted as entirely
satisfactory to both committees.


The surrender Of the messages, was
then made, but not until the Company
had urretlv endeayOred to impress