OCR Text |
Show I GENERAL, i'ou'rv ronnii ('o.iiiii:ss. Vv':isliinton, 2. M-MilLm, pre-,-cnti d a riohnion of tiui Minnosuta lt'.;iaiUiry uskiug tho passage of an act for the re hid of settlers on certain pubiir laml.i in that otate. Rivm pic.-enud a p-lilim ot" the ciuz!is of Wo.il Virginia, in favor ol' ai 1 to the IVxtis I'm: i tie railway, providing pro-viding that the iron used in the construction con-struction of such road be of American iiianutairtiiro. Bills were introduc.d and referred as follows: Davis for completion of custom Iniuso at r.irkcrali'.irg and to furnish the .aim;. Wallace prscntetl ft petition of the merchants and business men of Pitts-bjrgh Pitts-bjrgh in favor of the repeal of the bankrupt law. Hiiaiiar petitions were presented by Loan and by Randolph. The resoiutiun for the admission of Pinchluck was resumed. Edmonds who was entitled to the fl'ior, said he was not well, and could nut go on with his remarks. He therelore asked that the Pinchback matter lay over with the understand ing that 't come upas unfinished business busi-ness to-morrow. Morton said he would not object, but he understood that several senators sena-tors were going away, and if they were, he to-morrow would ask a further fur-ther postponement of the matter. The request ot Edmonds was granted and the Pinchback resolution wps laid over. MeCreery called up the senate bill appropriating $l,U00 to remove the remains of Hon. E. Kumsey Wing, late minister to Eeudor, from Quito to the cemetery at Owensburg, l-iy. Passed. Withers called up tho senate bill granting pension to Elizabeth B. Thomas, widow ol" tho late General Lovengo Thomas. Passed, Tho joint resolution in regard to the CentcnuisI celebrations, which passed the house of representatives yesterday, was agreed to. The following bills on the calendar were passed: Senate bill to reduce the number and. increase the efficiency of the medical corps of the army. The bill for the admission of New Mexico was made the special order fur Wednesday of next week. The senate bill to extend the time for filing claims for additional bounty under the act of May 2Sth, 1SGG, was i passed. Adjourned. J lEOl'SE. Morrison, chairman of the committee commit-tee of ways and means presented the views oi the minority on the bill to carry into e fleet the Hawaiian treaty. : Ordered printed. I Eandall, chairman of the commit-1 teo on appropriations, reported a bill appropriating $lljo,(X)0 to provide for engraving, printing and other expenses ex-penses ol making and issuing United 1 Sta'.es notes, and directing the secretary secre-tary of the treasury to issue silver coins of the denominations of 10, 20, 2o'and 50 cents in redemption of an equal amount of fractional currency, and to provide for such redemption until the whole amount of the fractional frac-tional currency is redeemed. Saylor, Ohio, chairman of the committee com-mittee on public lands, reported a bill declining valid all suspended entries of public lands in which the commissioner commis-sioner of the general land office has decided that patenia shall issue and which have been confirmed by, the secretary of the inierior and attorney general, repealing section ol the revised statutes. Passed. Sayioralso repoited a bill to amend the act of the loth ot March, 1874, to encourage the growth of timber on the western prairies. It adds to the existing law a provision that whenever a parly holding a claim under that act snail prove that the trees plant'.d and growing have been destroyed by grasshoppers, the year or years in which such trees were destroyed shall not count as working any forfeiture o: rights and privileges. It also. provides that the proper planting of seeds and cuttings shall bo considered a compliance with the timber culture act. It also provides that it shail not be necessary to plant trees in one body, provided that the tracts planted not exceeding four shall aggregate the amount required re-quired and in the time required. Passed. Medill, from the committee- on public lands, reported a bill to extend the time for preemptions- of public lands. The bill extends tho time two caTs. I'a.-sed. 1 The houe went into committee of the whole, Saylor, Ohio, in the chair, on the bill to carry into effect the treaty with the Hawaiian islands. Wood discussed the bill at length, .-vnd without action the committee arose. Clymer presented a resolution of impeachment against Win. W. Belknap, late secretary of war, Jor high crimes .and misdemcanora in office. In the midst of great excitement, excite-ment, and with unusual stillness in the house, Ciymer arcae and said: I ask permission of the house to make a report from the committee on expenditures ex-penditures in tho war department ol so great importance that I am certain when it is heard the house will agree that I am justified in asking that permission per-mission at this time. . Permission was given, and Clymer, taking position at the clerk's desk, read the following report: The committee) luund at tho very threshold of ibs investigation such unquestionable un-questionable evidence of malfeasance ol' General W. W. Belknap, the secretary sec-retary of war, that they found it their rbi l v In lav thfl samo buforo tliB house. They further report that this day a letter of the president of the United States was presented to the committee accepting tho resignation of the secretary ol war, together with a copy of his letter of resignation, which the president informed the committee was accepted about 10.20 this morning. They thereforo unani mously report and demand that said Wm. V. Belknap, late nocretary of war, be dealt witii according lo the law of the land, and to that end submit sub-mit herewith the testimony in the case taken, together with several .statements thereto attached, and also a report of tho proceedings of the committee), had during the investigation investiga-tion of this subject, and submit the following reiolutHi;a ; licsUixd, That W. W. Belknap, late secretary of war, bo impeached ol hiph crimes and misdemeanors. fVWrf', That l'10 testimony of tho cae of Belknap be referred to the judiciary committee with instructions to prepare a report, without unnecessary unneces-sary delay, of suitable articles of impeachment im-peachment of the said Belknap. Jitn'itced, That a committee of five members of the huuso bo instructed proceid immediately to tho bar of the senate, and there impeach V, W. Uelkiiap, Into pecretary of war, of high crimes and miralemcunortt when ,n office, and to inlorm that liody that luruiul articles of impeachment, in due time, will be presented, and to ; n quest the senate to take s-uch orJer in tue premises as they dcjm appro-; priate. Clymer then prortedid to r--.id tne testimony of Caleb li. M.in-.i, taken yesterday before the? enniiuittec, show-iii',' show-iii',' thai ho had paai Secret try , Belknap about jJO.Cuu in considt ra-j lion ol nis .'ipi'uinlmOLit u$ post trader at Port Sill, Indian territory. The reading was listened to with inten.-c interest by members of the tiouse and by a large audience in Die alleriis-s At the close of tho reading, and alter many members who h;nl taken up pot-i lions near the cleric's de;k the heller to hear the le.itimony and ao-j com pa nying slatuiicnts, h::d re-1 turned to their ee.it.-, Clymer, i wiio had ai.-o yone to his seat, again arose and said with great emotion: Mr. Speak tr,- wuuiJ , not, if I could, and I c. md nut in my ; present condition it I wuuld, say any-1 thing to the facts just reported to lac hiHise. Another occasion may be 1 oilercd me to do so. They are so! piain that everywhere throughout this j hroad land, and throughout christen- j dom wherever the English language is read or spoken, ihey will lor long j years conslhuto a record of ollicial : corruption and crimes such as there-is there-is no parallel for in our own history or in that of any country that I know of. II in this hour one sentiment of j pity, one word ol sympathy could find, utterance from me, H would be he-cause he-cause 1 feel that the late secretary oi war is but a proper out-growth of the true exponent t)f corruption, extravagance, extrava-gance, the misgovernment that has; cursed this land lor years past. That! being my own. reflection I will dis-j charge my duly best to myself and to this houso by demanding the previous; question on the adoption of the reso-1 iution. Kasaon appealed to Clymei to give an opportunity for sonic suggestions to be made before asking the previous question on a matter of so grave iin portanco. Clymer regretted that lie could not oblige his friend, and lor tho reason that his colleagues on the committee desired to bo heard after the previous question was seconded. Xasson Allow me to say there will not be the slightest opposit on lo their being all heard. Clymer I decline to yield, and demand de-mand the previous question. Kasson Does the gentleman expect ex-pect the house to-night, after 5 o'clock, and without this report being printed, to vote on these resolutions, when even the impeachability of lue officer at present is a point to be considered- by the house ? Clymer After the previous ques tion has been ordered I will yield half I the hour to members of tho commit-1 :tee who are on the other side. Mr. Ilobbins pleadetl hi-j mental! and physical exhaustion from continuous con-tinuous service on the committee as' the reason why ho should not address the house at any length. Ho epoke1 of the report as presenting a case of great shame and disgrace to all American citizens. As to the question ques-tion of the impeachability of an officer who had resigned he was not prepared to ppeak, except to suggest that it could not be true that an officer who was being investigated, and who had been found by evidence to be a criminal, could flee from justice. He alluded to what he called the unseemly acceptance of Secretary Belknap's resignation, and referred to tho English cases of Hastings and Lord Bacon, both of whom had been impeached after they ceased to hold the offices in which they committed the crimes and misdemeanors. Bass of New York, another member mem-ber of the committee, questioned the statement of the chairman, Clymer, as to this case having no parallel, and said he would not have to leave his own borders in order to find not only a parallel for it, but could find cas,s compared with which this case was1 as white as is the driven snow. Lie admitted that tho mere statement of this case, as presented by the testimony, testi-mony, was sufficient to justify every member to vote for the n solutions presented. Lamar inquired from Bas his opinion a3 to the impeachability of a resigned officer. Bass replied that the English authorities seemed to maintain to the jurisdiction of impeachment in such a case, but in this country it was an imadjudicated question, and one that was not free from doubt. His own bc-st judgment was in favor of the right to impeach, and to let the question be adjudicated by the senate. Hoar, Mass., in reference to a casual remark of fodqo member as to this beine a political question, entirely en-tirely disclaimed and repudiated such an idea. On the point of the impeachability im-peachability of a pei son not in office, be referred to the case of Wuitlemore of South Carolina, in which the house had determined that a formal, for-mal, actual renunciation of an officer i terminated the office and that any American citizen could lay down an office held by him without any acceptance accep-tance of his resignation. Judge Storey had laid down the doctrine that it could not bo done in England, but there any citizen could be impeached and therefore the English cases of Warren Hastings and Lord Bacon tlid not apply in America. No man could be impeached but a civil officer, and when he ceased to be a civil officer he ceased to be within the literal description of the constitution of this country. Tho only judgment that could bo rendered in an impeachment impeach-ment case was removal from office and future disqualification from holding hold-ing office, but by the statute! a per eon guilty of such ofienses could bo indicted, tried and sentenced by the criminal courts of the country. He protested against hot ha.-let in thia matter without having the testimony printed. He thought such haslo unworthy un-worthy the grave question, and if he stood alone he would still stand here to sav so. Blackburn, another member of the committee, expressed his satisfaction that the report which had been read by his colleague, Clymer, showed to the world that nothing had been left undone by the committee to shield and shelter from dishonor every person except thevjue whom il was the duty of the committee to investigate and report on. He would not consent' that the gentleman from Massachusetts Massachu-setts should nuike this a political or partisan question. He would not eminent that this ei.Io of the house should be placed In tho pofitlun ol a1 prosecution and the other bide should take up the position of defenders. It was ft question wnich addressed itaell aliko to every member of the house. Herertled the case as an unprecedented unprece-dented one in more respects limn one. The action of the president in accepting accept-ing Belknap's resignation under the circumstance was unprecedented, and this waij tho tirst instance in the history of the country where any man claiming manhood and holding an exalted position, has nought to uhclter himself from a legitimate investigation investiga-tion by interposing tho di'dionorol a wiso sensation. Pausing to the question ques-tion of the iinpeachibilily of Belknap he suggested that that question, as ! Judyo Storey had intimated, might properly bo .'eft to tho duciaiun of the scnato on such a eUlu ot facts. Would the house be asked 'to shrink fiom tho performance of its duly beciuso tbero might be 'mist or shadow of doubt on that1 point? lie quoted from the impeachment impeach-ment case oi Lord Bacon, in which it ; was statid the lord chancellor had j Kin-'. t to tave hiniseif by resignation , of his high otli-v. The attempt was vain, as lje king did not and could ! not intern--se. ':-.s tho house to be told that the m:m in power at the other end of the avenue was able tj rob an American congress ol the ri-ht . and power which the king .if Great! Britain could not lako from p.irlia- 1 ment '? It used to be the. tbcorv that i the king could do no wron-, biit no 1 man had ever ben found hold enough in tliis country to say the president coul.1 do no wrong. If the. man who had till, red the- memorable sentence, '"Let no guilly man escape," held it in his po.ver to rob the American congress of ite right to inflict punishment punish-ment or to pronounce censure on a public convict, where was the barrier lo be found beneath w'aosc shelter the libci lies of the public couid rest secure se-cure "i The republican members of the committee were as honest in the prosecution of this inquiry, and in the presentation of this report, as the members representing tho majority of this house. If fraud has been perpetrated, if criminality exists, if corruption has beep proved, let the representatives of the people in this house to declare it, and send the issue to the court where it may finally be tried, or il we are unable to punish where guilt is almost openly confessed, let the responsibility responsi-bility rest on other shoulders than The debate being closed, the house proceeded to vote on tho resolutions and they were unanimosly adopted. The speaker appointed as the committee com-mittee to notify the senate of the action ac-tion of the bouse, Messrs. Clymer, Bobbins, Blackburn, Bass and Dan-fort Dan-fort h, these members composing the committee on expenditures of the war department, making the report. The judiciary committee will tomorrow to-morrow draw up articles of impeachment impeach-ment and report them to the house. When adopted by the house, that body will (headed by its speaker and high officers) proceed to the scnato chamber and demand the impeachment impeach-ment ol Belknap. Then the senate will, in parliamentary phrase, "lake order for the impeachment." The house then atljourned. THE CONVICTING TALE. Following is tho testimony which Ciymer, alter obtaining the unanimous unani-mous consent of the committee, made before the house: Tuesday, February 20. The committee com-mittee met, present Mssrs. Clymer, Blackburn aud Eobbius. Caleb 1'. Marsh, one of the witnesses ordered . to be subpeonaed by the committee, being present, was deny sworn according accord-ing to lajv. Question by the chairman Were you or not appointed or tendered an appointment as post trader at Fort Sill, Indian territory, "in the fall of 1S70, by the secretary of war? II so, under what circumstances was said ap; -ointment secured to you? Slate, also, if you were commissioned as such post trader, or if not, wiio was so commissioned, aud if any other person per-son than yourself was so commissioned. commis-sioned. Give his name, the reasons .why ho wras commissioned. If any agreement was made between you and the appo'inte state it, or produce it if in writing, and was such agreement agree-ment made with the kt:u.v!cdsu of ' tiie secretary' of war, and state the i circumstances connected with the ! making of that agreement, and all transactions in detail thereunder, fully and particularly as if you were specially interrogated in regard to the several transactions, and so fully as to save the necessity ol repeated interrogative. inter-rogative. Answer Iu reply to your question I would say that in 1S7Q, myself and wife spent some weeks at Long Branch, and on our return to New York Mrs. Belknap .and Mrs. Bower, by our invitation, ej.me for a visit lo our house. Mrs. Belknap was ill dining the visit some three or four weeks, and I suppose in consequence of our kindness to her siie felt under some obligations, for she asked me one day in tho course of conversation why I did not apply for a post tradcrahip on the frontier. I asked what they were, and was told that many of them were verv lucrative lucra-tive offices; that if I wanted one she would ask tho secretary for one. Upon my replying that 1 though F.uch offices belonged to disabled soldiers, and besides that I was without political polit-ical influence, she answered that politicians got such places, etc. Do not remember saying "if I had a valuable post of that kind would ro-memberher." ro-memberher." I remember her saying say-ing something like this : "If I can prevail upon tho secretary of war to award you a post you 111113 1 be careful lo say nothing lo him about presents, for a man once ollered him $10,0(10 for a tradership ol that kind, and he told him that if he did not leave the office he would kick him down stairs." Remembering as I do this Btorv. I presume, the antecedent statement to be correct. Mrs. Belknap Belk-nap and Mrs. Power returned tn Washington, and in a few weeks thereafter Mrs. Bel kin p sent me word to come over. I (lid so. She then told me that the post tradernhip at Fort Sill was vacant; that it wim a valuable post as she, understood, and she had either asked for il for me or had prevailed upon the M'eretary of war to agree to give il to me. At all events 1 called upon tho secretary of w.-ir and made application for the position, on a regular printed form. Tue secretary said he won it 1 appoint me if I could bring proper letters and recommendations, and this I said I could do. Either -Mrs. Belknap or the Becretary told mo lh.it the present I trader at the post, John S. lOvans, was an applicant lor rn-appointment, and that I bad belter see him, ho being iu the city, as it would not be fair to turn him out of office without sonic notice, as he woidd lose largely on his buildings, mcrc.iumdiae, etc., il the office was taken from hhu, and it would bo proper and judt for inu to make home arrangements with him the post myself. I saw Evans and funnel him alarmed at the pmpo;t of losing the place; remember he raid that a linn of western post traders, who claimed a good deal of inlhieucc with the secretary of war, promised lo have him appointed, but he luund on coming to Washington thia firm to be wuhout iullueiu'o. Evans first propositi a partnership which I declined, and then a bomiB of certain p-irtsof profits if I would allow him the position and continue the business. We finally agreed upon ?.j,OOJ per year. Evans and myself went on to New York together, where the. contract was mude and exueuud. During our trip over, Evans aw fc-omotiiing in tho Army mid ,-tr Journal which led him to think that some of tho troopj were tube romoved from the fort, aud that he had ollered too large u cum, and befurn the eon-tract eon-tract was drawn it wns ruluued by agreement lo $12,000, the same being payable quarterly in advance. When tho first remittance came tn me, say probably in November, 1S7H, 1 sent one-lmlf thereof to -Airs. Iklknap, either, I presume, by eettdicale ol deposit or bank notes by expresH. IJemg in Washington at a funeral some weeks after this I had a conversation con-versation with Mrs. Bowers to the following purpoit : 1 went up stairs in tho numeiy with Mis. Buwers lo Iseclho baby. I Baid to her, "This ebi'.d will have money cjming to it beforo a gr.-al while!" She' said, "Vis, the muthei gave the child tome aud told nie th.'.l the money coming from you she must Like and keep for it." I said, "All right," and ill seems to me-1 said that, 1 erhaus the father ought to be ensured. I say it teems to, and yet i can give no na-on f.-r it, f..r as far as I kui.w the father !:;:ew nothing ol any money tiansaciion between the mother aud myself. I have a faint recollection of a remark of Mrs. Bowers' that if I sent the money to the father, that it belonged to her and she would get it anyway, I certainly had some understanding then or sub-scqumily, sub-scqumily, with her or him, for when the next payment became due and came I sr-nt one half lo the secretary of war and have continued substantially substan-tially from that day forward to the present lime to Co tho same. About, I should say, one and one-half to two years after the commencement of these paymentel reduced the amount to tf-j,0J0 per year. The reason of this reduction was partly because of combrntd complaints on the part o( Evans and his partner, and partly, bo far as I now remember, in consequence conse-quence of an article in the newspapers about that time reflecting on the in-juttiee in-juttiee done lo soldiers at this fort, caused by exhorbitaut charges, made necessary on the part of the trader by rens.m ol ihe payment ol this bonus. To the best of my knowledge and belief, the above is a true statement of all the facts in the case, add as complete as I can remember the occurrences oc-currences of so many years ago. The money was sent according to the instructions in-structions of the secretary of war, sometimes in banknotes by Adams' express; on one or more occasions by certificates of deposits on the National Na-tional Bank of America in New York, sometimes I have paid him in New York in person. The payments made by Evans would aggregate about $40, 000. When I sent money by express I would send him the receipt ot the company which he would either return re-turn marked "O. K." or otherwise acknowledge the receipt of the same. U hen sent by express I always deposited de-posited the money personally and took a receipt for it. I showed him a telegraph aubpeona and asked him what it meant. He said he supposed sup-posed it was to state before the committee com-mittee what I knew about our transactions trans-actions together. I said I did not like to appear, because I thought my testimony would be damaging to, or would 'implicate him. or give him trouble. Ho said he thought not, and advised me to stay and meet the committee. During that evening my conversation, was cmeny witu his wifo, he being present part ol Ihe time, and understanding the general tenor of our conversation. She suggested that I could make a statement which would satisfy the commilteo and exculpate the secretary. secre-tary. She wanted me logo before the committee, and represent that she and I had had business transactions together for many years, and that all this money 1 had sent to t e secretary was money she had from time to time deposited with me, as a kind of banker, and that she bad instructed me to send it to the secretary for her. I told her tho statement would not hold water belore the committee, and I could not make it. At the same time I was so wrought up and had such an anxiety, sue pressing and pressing me about it, and having slept little bince the receipt of the suhpeena, and sympathising with their condition, I did not give them a positive answer that night. They paid they would breakfast about 9 o'clock, ' I came down and met the secretary alone; told him I thought I had better leave the country, fori would not perjure myself for anyone; that I could allbrd lo have my throat cut, but not to perjure myself. He paid. bo did not wish me to do that. We could fix it up anme other way. I paid I think I had better leave the country. The secretary said I would ruin him if I left. I said il I go before the committee' I will ruin you, for I will tell ihe truth. Ho was greatly excited. When I came down stairs to leave he followed and asked me into the parlor and said: "I want to make a last appeal to you to stay longer." He said if I went ho would be ruined. I said I would ruin him if I went before the committee and I left and took the limited express fur New York. On reaching home I consulted my attorney, asking him if the committee-could reach me by a subpoena if I left the country. I stated the case to turn, Mr. Bartlett. He asked if I was subpienacd. I told him I had had a telegraphic dispatch calling me to Washington. Ho said if a subpoena sub-poena had been duly served they could give me considerable trouble. The deposition was Bigucd by Marsh. BELKNAP NOTES AND CHANGES. The president has appointed Secretary Secre-tary liobeaon acting secretary ol war. Tho president says the first intimation intima-tion ho had of Belknap's malfeasauce was from Belknap himself. Tnere was a rumor in tho capital in tho afternoon that Belknap remarked remark-ed to the president this lorenoon that when he heard that M ush was hound to testify he exclaimed "1 wish 1 had killed myself," to which the president presi-dent replied, "I wish you had." Il wiib afterwards rumored thai ho had killed himself, but ho hasn't. G. O. Armcs, real estate aent at Washington, has the glory fur exposing expos-ing Belknap, and it all occurred through revenge, he having been dismissed dis-missed from the army by Belknap. Belknap will make no statement until lie can do so beforo tho senate in an official form. the president's story. The president, in conversation with frionds to-night, stated emphatically that ho was not awaro of the enormity enor-mity of the charges against Belknap at the timo he tendered hii resignation resigna-tion aud tho president accepted it. From the hurried and incoherent manner of Belknap's communication to him, tho president drew tho conclusion con-clusion that Mrs. Belknap, and not her husband, was the guilly party, and that the general assumed all responsibility and censure in order to .shield his wife. Although he did not inlorm tho president that hi; was actually. guilly himself, ho confessed ho was not freo from blame. Tho president says if lie had known the full measure of Belknap's guilt he would not have yieldtd so readily tj Belknap's appeal in weepling 'the rchignaliou iu tho mild terms ho did, hut would have demanded that tho ollicial relations between them should immediately cease, and that Belknap should at oueo vaoate hia office, and take all tho consequences of his ollicial misconduct. The president had no suspicion, up to 10 o'clock today, to-day, that Belknap's oillci d conduct was Iho subject of investigation, and nothing could have occasioned him mure surpmo than the communication communica-tion made to him by Belknap himself at tho timo he presented his written resignation. |