Year: 1872

Louisiana Affairs Discussed Exciting


Debate in the House.


. WASHINGTON. January 22.-Ho,sc.-Mr.
Garfield, from the committee on appropria-
tions. reported resolution Instructing the
clerk of the House to furnish funds to the
select committee going to New Orleans.


The Speaker. in connection with that
subject. announced that he had appointed
Archer. of Maryland and Speer, of Penn
svlvania members of that committee in-
stead of Voorhees, and Marshall, excused
from service.


Farnsworth inquired of Garfield as to the
prOpriety of the committee going to New
Orleans.


Garfield replied that that was matter
for which he was not responsible. The
House had ordered the subject committed,
and if the House took back that order he
should be very glad to take back the resO-
luton.


Mr. Farnsworth said that the adoption of
the resolution would be taken as an order of
instruction to the committee to go to New
Orleans. 1t seemed to him that the difficulty
there was so far accommodating itself as to
render it unnecessary to send the commit
tee: besides he did not quite see what Con
gress was going to do about it. 1t seemed
to him that Congress might possess itself
of the facts pretty nearly as well without
sending a committee there as by sending
one. He knew that the committee did not
want to 60 to New Orleans, but if the House
desired it to 90 it might SO intimate its
desire by adopting resolution.


Mr. Garfield said he should be very glad
to hear from the committee itself ON the
subject.


Mr. ScOfield. chairman of the committee,
said that as to the point of the committee
going to New Orleans, the committee had
no voice in the matter. The House directed
it to make the investigation in Wash
ington or elsewhere. and if the resolution
stood in that way, the committee, although
at great inconvenience to all its members,
would go to New Orleans and execute
the duty assigned to it. He believed that
every member of the committee preferred
not to 90, and two of them had, on that
account, declined to serve on it. If the
House changed its mind, and thought it
we'll for the committee not to go, he sup
posed thai the facts could be got at in
Washington without any considerable ex-
pense, and the vote upon the resolution
would, of course, determine whether OF not
the House desired it to 60.


Mr.. Hale inquired of Mr.. scoIelG
whether or not in his opinion affairs had
been changed so much since the passage OF
the recent resolution as to obvlate the
necessity of the committee gong 10 new
Orleans. He saw by the newspapers that
what was called the Warmoth faction had
possession II that was so, he should like
TO know from Mr. Scofield what the COM
mittee could do when it go there, either i'll
confirming the possession by the Warmoth
faction or in cOntrOverting it. In his
oninion it could do nothing but recite the
facts and he did not know what the House
could do afterward.


Mr.. Scotield replied that some aspects of
the case had changed for the better, while
others were quite as bad or worse than
they had been before.


Mr.. Sheldon said that his opinion all the
time had been adverse to sending any com
mttee to Louisiana, or to the appointment
OF a committee to remain in Washington
and investigate the matter; he was aware,
of course, that matters ther' were
in very disgraceful condition. 1t
was, however, a thing with which
Congress had no right to meddle, or
if it had right, its meddling would not
accomplish any other result than to pro-
long that disgraceful condition of thin IS.
There could be no question now but that