Year: 1870

The special committee appointed by
the House to examine the charges pro.
ferrsd against Judge NATHANIEL HARRI-


son by certain citizens of Greenbrier
county reported yesterday morning. Al
though the reports recommends that To-
tice be at once served on Judge HARRI-
SON to appear and answer to the charges
submitted, the chairman of the commit
tee, Mr.. PIERPoINT, took exceeding good
care in announcing the report to let it
be seen that he did not at all concur in


the recommendation.


Six days of the session having
elapsed, it was seen by every one that
delay must be fatal to the TRIAL. The
defendant must have twenty days no.
tice, and by the tirle the concurrence Of
the Senate could be bad and the notice
matured the session would be almost con-
sumed. If to this were added four or
five days for printing, it would amount
to entering a nOlle proseqai in the case.
Every body saw this at glance. CAR
PENTER's motion to table and print was
to be expected. "The OK knoweth his
owner and the ass his masters crib"
But it was hardly expected by decent
people that PIERPoINT and STURGIss,
claiming to represent RESPECTABLE con-
stituents in q respectable way, woald
take the lead in aiding NAT HARRISON
to escape that full examination which
any honest man similarly situated would
desire. These men knew as we'll as
they knew their own names that to
table that report meant to de
feat trial and to turn
HARRISON loose upon an out
ragged apd disgracea people, TO fol-
low his@cious instincts under the ad.
ded stimulus of special revenge. They
knew that to table that report meant
the contiS&ed disgrace Of the Judiciary,
the humiliation of the people, and the
dishOuor Of the State that it meant
the adding of tacit legislative sanction
to brutality, lust and crime. And
knowing this they stood mp to apollo
gize, to vancouver and to vote in behalf
of NAT HARRISON, committing not
merely themselves but the voice of re.
putable constituencies to the endorse
ment of his numberless infamies. 1t
was not their votes alone that made
them censurabIe. These might lot
have been criticised. But it was their
determined purpose, let shame follow
as il might, TO keep that eminent vii.
lain from the bar Of justice, if trick,
talk or work could accomplish it. They
failed completely and ignominiously,
but the odium they have earned, they
cannot escape.


The resolutions # the House have
gone To the Senate for concurrence.
The same sort of dilatory movements
thaV were attempted in the House will





has one or two particular friends there
as iu toe House. If some substantial
proofs we have lately seen mean any
thing, their record IS no better than his.
But we have hope that the same sense
of duty that animated the House will
control the Senate. 1t is rot to be de-
nied that outside Republican influence
is chiefly in his favor. Even the Intel
lgsaccr that used to slash at his abomi. |
Rssious while he was absent, has been
so overcome with sudden dumbness, |
and indifference to the demands of
decency, that it tacitly acquiesces in
the dirty bargaining now going on for
his acquittal. But knowing as we do
that the Republican party cannot carry
NAT HARRISON another year, and be
lieving besides that the popular demand
for investigation has been too clearly
not to be needed, We have
confidence that the Senate will not
shirk its responsibilities.