1886. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-SENATE. 3861 By Mr. WHEELER: Petition of Margaret W. Roach, asking that her The scope of the investigation, as actually conducted by the com­ case, with evidence before the Southern Claims Commission, be referred mittee,· is stated in the majority report as follows: to the Court of Claims-to the Committee on War Claims. • Whenever our attention was called to anything which indicated the probable • By Mr. A. C. WHITE: Memorial of Grange No. 680, of Pennsylvania, employment of improper means to gain support, we followed the clews pre­ against the reduction oftariffon wool and other raw materials-to the sented on the theory t.llat we were not only authorized, but in duty bound, to pursue any matter that promised even remotely to show the ~se of such means Committee on Ways and Means. in connection with the election, because the discovery of one Important fact, al­ Also, memorial of the same, for the passage of bill to suppress the thoughhavingnoimmedia.tebearingup6nthechargeagai?-sttheperso~snam.ed manufacture and sale of all imitation dairy products--:-to the Committee in the resolution, might lead to the discovery of facts havmg such bearmg. And furthermore, and upon the same-theory, our i';lquiries'Yere ~ot confined on Agriculture. · to the technical rules of legal proof, but the committee availed 1tse1! c;>f any By Mr. MILO WHITE: Petition of citizens of Minnesota, for regu- source af information-admitted hearsay statements and even the opmions of lating imitation dairy products-to the same committee.. _ witnesses. By Mr. WILKf.NS: Petition of B. W. Brown, M. W., Knights of La­ I had hoped that the request put for~ard by the minority members bor, No. 1391, of Newark, Ohio, relative to public works and internal ofthe committee that the proceedings should be open and public would improvements-to the Committee on Railroads and Canals. have been acceded to, and that I might have been spared the misrep­ By Mr. WILLIS: Petition of Knights of Labor Local Assembly No. resentations of the testimony which for three months have been so stu­ 4140, of LouisVille Ky., against the passage of free-ship bill-to the diously circulated, and against which I have, of course, had no defense. Select Committee on American Ship-building and Ship-owning In­ THE RESULTS OF THE INVESTIGATION terests. are now here, embodied in the majority.. and min~rityrepqrts: The following petitions, praying Congress to place the coinage of silver First. No mention whatever is made in the majority report of. Mr. upon an equality with gold; that there be issued coin certifieates of one, Donavin, but in the report of the minority is found the following: '· two, and five dollars, the same being made a legal tender; that one and After weeks of delay Mr.Dona.vin appeared before the committee and testified two dollar legal-tender notes be issued, and that the-public debt be paid that he knew of no fact of bribery or no act on the part of any person toward as rapidly as possible by applyi.ng for this purpose the idle surplus _now any other person, either directly or indirectly, to improperly influence them as in the Treasury, were presented and severally refe.rred to the pomm1ttee members of the Sixty-sixth General Assemblr in their sut;>port.of He::uy B. Payne; he knew of himself of no facts upon which he based ~1d article, but gave on Coinage, Vteiglit<~, and Measures: ns his principal authority one William A. Taylor, who testified, when called, By Mr. LOWRY: Petition of 37 citizens of Allen County, Indiana. that he had no knowledge of any act of any person 'toward any member of the house or of the senate of the Sixt-y-sixth General Assembly of bribery or cor­ The following petitions, praying Congress for the ena{)tment of a law ruption used to induce that person or pe1·sons to give their support to Henry B. requiring scientific temperance instruction in the public schools of the Payne for United States Senator. District of Columbia, in the Territories, and in the Military and Naval Thns fell all that the investigation was originally based upon. Academies, the Indian and colored schools supported wholly or in part Second. The reports specifically, and in terms, exonerate fully and by money from t:qe national Treasury, were presented and severally completely the four members named in the resolution under which the 1·eferred to the Committee on Education: committee was appointed. By Mr. GEDDES: Of Rev. T. W. Browning and 139 others·, citizens Third. As to myself the record is one of absolute and specific exon­ of Lorain and Huron Counties, Ohio.- eration. Immediately' upon the appointment of the committee I ad­ By Mr. GROUT: Of citizens of Windsor and Orleans Counties, Ver­ dressed a letter to the chairman containing the following request: mont. For myself I invite and challenge the most tho~ough and rigid scruti~y; my By Mr. NEECE: Of citizens of the eleventh Congressional district of private correspondence an.d ~oks of acc;ou.nt ~111 be cheerfull.Y subm.1tte!I to illinois. your inspection, ii you desue .1t.' I only mslBt,m case any testimony IS g1v.en By Mr. PIRCE: Of citizens of Providence County, Rhode Island. which in the slightest degree mculpates me, I ma.y be afforded an opportumty By Mr. SESSIONS: Of citizens of Allegany and Chautauqua Coun­ of appearing before the committee. ties, New York. To which in due time I received a reply containing the following promise on the part of the committee: . If in the prosecution of this inquiry, any testimony tending to inculpate you in a'ny degree with any questionable transaction be received, I assure yon that your request to appear before the committee in such event will be most cor- SENATE. dially and fully acceded to. THOMAS .A. COWGILL, Chairman. TUESDAY, April 27, 188G. As the committee have never notified or requested me to appear be­ Prayer by the Chaplain, Rev. J. G. BUTLER, D. D. fore them, nor called for my books or private correspondence, the result The Journal of yesterday's proceedings was read and approved. of the investigation, except upon the hypothesis that the committee are _ OHIO S~ATORIAL INVESTIGATION. destitute of truth and honor, must be as to myself absolute exonera- tion. · The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Chair lays before the Senate a I refrain from any comment upon the facts stated in the minority re­ letter from th~ clerk of the house of representatives of the Legislature of port, that witnesses desired by the :mmority were not subpoonaed.; that Ohio, transmitting testimony taken by a select committee of the house respectable persons, whose names had been by some gossip implicated. of representative.•:; of Ohio and the report of that committee as to charges in alleged SGandal, were refused an opportunity of testifying; and, fur­ against the official integrity and character of certain members of said ther, that the maj01ity refused to meet as a committee for the purpose house of representatives in connection with the election of Hon. of discussing the evidence or applying any rule to the same whereby a HENRY B. PAYNE as a United States Senator. unanimous report conld be reached. · · Mr. PAYNE. Mr. President, no formal motion is required, I be­ Fourth. The committee after having exonerated, as it was obliged to lieve, to send these papers to the Committee on Privileges and Elec­ do, aU persons charged in the resolution and myself, transmits the hun­ tions. I desire to be considered as making such motion if it is required, dreds of pages of gossip to the Senate.without making any request of and to couple with it :the request that the minority report may take this body. · the same course, a copy of which I submit. The resolution says: . With this formal disposition of the matter I am at present content; For the information of the body of which Senator PAYNE is a member and for but desire to make a short statement to accompany the papers into the such action as it may deem advisable. · hands of the committee. Of course I have no knowledge of the contents of the testimony. The A Democratic caucus for nomination of a candidate for United States members of the house who voted to send it here bad no knowledge; it Senator was convened at Columbus on the evening of January 8, 1884~ having been all taken in secret session by the committee and the house I ·was not in attendance, but without doubt the contest was heated and having voted down the motion to have it printed or read. It must, bitter. The result of the first ballot was as follows: howeYer, be supposed to be fairly represented by the contents of the Booth ................................................................................................... .............. 1 majority report, which I have read-; and judging from that, I charac­ Pendleton ........................................................................................................ , 15 Ward .......... ...................................................................................................... 17 terize this proceeding-the transmission of the testimony here-as ·an Payne ............................................................................................................... 46 attempt to circulate and give currency to baseless gossip and scandal Being a majority for the successful candidate of 13 over all. after everything substantial in the way of a charge has been discredited The papers submitted embody the results of an investigation into and disproved. this ~nvass, conducted secretly for more than three months by a com­ . I am content to leave the matter with the Committee on Privileges mittee of the house of representatives of the State of Ohio. and Elections for such disposition of it as they may fiJ;ld to be in accord­ The resolution under which the committee was appointed provided ance wit~ dignity and justice.