WRITINGS OF 5AM _HOUSTON, 1856
342
was one of the men who was willing and able to perform at sea an undue portion of service, because others bad froin disinclination refused to meet the detail made of them. As Mr. Bartlett bas been handed over to the tender mercies of the Senator from Louisiana, I will hand over to Mr. Bartlett's tender mercies Mr. Missroon and Mr. Jenkins, witnesses who ap- peared against him before the Committee on Naval Affairs. I think, by the time the Senator gets through with all of them, be will find it is troublesome business to nurse them all. To the tender mercies of Bartlett I commend these gentlemen. He was singled out of all the memorialists before the Naval Committee for the purpose of examination; and when he presented himself before that committee be asked to have the privilege of having counsel. Counsel was denied him; witnesses were brought for- ward and examined-I do not know whether they were sworn or not, but they were examined as to his general character, his char- acter for veracity-all pointing to this publication in the news- paper which has been indorsed, and which I consider of perfect .validity, because Commodore Perry in two months has never .controverted or denied a single word of it. I consider it indorsed by his silence, and deriving all the verity which it could have received from his absolute affirmative sanction. [Several Senators here entered the debate concerning the ac- curacy of Lieutenant Bartlett's quotation of Commodore Perry and concerning Perry's views of the action of the Naval Board.] Mr. Houston. I really thought that I was out of this triangular controversy; but the remarks of the gentleman who has just spoken appear to implicate me a little. I did not charge the gentleman with what he imagines; but I said that, judging from the cimcumstances and from the declarations of the Senator from Louisiana, it was clear to me that this publication in regard to Commodore Perry had stimulated the member from Louisiana in the course which he pursued in the arraignment of Mr. Bart- lett before the committee. I said that the questions which were put to the witnesses who were introduced were designed or cal- culated to invalidate his general credit and veracity. Am I right? [Mr. Mallory. No, sir; I do not think the Senator recollects precisely the point which he made. It was that the investigation as to the veracity of Mr. Bartlett was all directed to this letter in relation to Commodore Perry. That was the Senator's remark. I wish to say that he is misinformed as to that fact entirely.]
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