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1 Raising of Money to be Used in Impeachment: Mr. Butler, from the Select Committee of the Managers of Impeachments, Made the Following Report 1 (1868)

handle is hein.congrec/ramoip0001 and id is 1 raw text is: 40TH CONMEW, t ITOUSE- OF PLEPRESENTATIVES. { REPORT 2d Sesmuv'. No. 75. RAISING OF M4ONEY TO BE USED IN IMPEACHMENT. JULY 3, 1868.-Ordered to be printed and recommitted. Mr. BUTLER, from the Select Committee of the Managers of Impeachment, made the following REPORT. The Committee of the House, appointed under a resolution of May 16th, to ascertain if there is probable cause to believe that improper or corrupt means have been used to influence the determination of the Senate upon the articles of impeachment exhibited to the Senate by the House of Representatives against the President of the United States, with power to summon and examine wit- nesses under oath, and to send for persons and papers, beg leave in part to report: As most of the facts and circumstances to be investigated by the order of the House must of necessity lie in the possession solely of those who are bound by every motive, personal and political, to withhold them, your committee were not unaware of the difficulties opposing themselves to the elucidation of the truth. The very supposition of corruption upon which the inquiry was based neces- sadily presupposed such wickedness in the parties involved, either as actors or recipients, as substantially to take away all efficacy in an appeal to their con. sciences through the sanctity of an oath. Indeed a glance at the testimony will show so great a recklessness of statement, prevarication and evasion, and attempts on the part of many of the witnesses most nearly concerned in the transactions under examination, and such an evident desire in answer to the questions put to them-to disclose such facts only as the fear of being involved in a criminal prosecution for perjury forced upon them-as to render the taking of evidence necebsarily a close and oftentimes tedious cross-examination. In spite of all these hindrances to the discharge of their duties, your committee believe that they have been able to elicit facts and circumstances which carefully examined and maturely considered will develop the fact that there was sub- stantial ground for the inquiry ordered by the House. It is only by carefully collecting such isolated facts and acts as could not be covered or concealed, that a satisfactory conclusion can be reached. THE TELEGRAMS. Learning that many telegraphic messages relating to impeachment had been sent and received by the parties supposed to be implicated in fraudulent prac- tices, your committee issued a subpona duces tecum, in the usual form, to the managers of the several telegraphic companies in this city and Baltimore, to produce telegraphic despatches during a certain period; and then directed the witnesses, officers of the telegraph companies, to select such telegrams as were supposed would throw light upon the investigation. This exercise of an ordinary power, confided to every justice of the peace in the country who has a cause pending before him, was the only seizure of tele- grams made by your committee, which has been the subject of much senseless and useless vituperation.

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