Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1856-07-31
are Indebted to JOHN A. BrsG-

GFWe are indebted to JOHN A. BING-
HAM, Member of Congress from tie Harrison
District. for copy of his speech on the
Books investigation. 1t is a searching
argument, and the protectors of Brooks
writhed under its infiction. We can fpd
room for but short extract:
.Sir, notw outstanding this oath, notwith-
standing this constitutional inhibition of vi.
olence to the persons of all the citizens and
their representatives, Notwithstanding the
sacred presence of the people in their own
halls of legislation, the Senator's way OF
approach to the Capitol was beleaguered
and watched; and while in his place in the
Senate Chamber, armed with no weapon but
his pen-that peaceful weapon Of a Chris.
tian civilization-the member from South
Carolina Mr.. Brooks deliberately, and with
the advice Of another member of the House
proceeds to the Hall of the Senate, and there
with a bludgeon, in utter disregard of the
place, o f the life of the Senator from Mas
sachusetts, and of the sacred rights of the
people, whose representative he was, inflicts
upon that Senator repeated blows, staining
the place with blood, and profaning it with
crime. Why was that weapon selected
II is the rude weapon of barbarous age
With what horrid sacrifice, on what dread
fll altar has it not been consecrated! What
sacrilegions VOW impelled its use in this
great crime upon the peoples life! Was ii
selected because it was the weapon first
employed by man against his brother-the
weapon by which that horrid crime was
committed which first in sour world" covered
one manly brow with the wan paleness and
terrible beauty Of death, and another with
the damning blotch of fratricide! Whether
by accident or design, the weapon is in char
acter with the act! And the place! Was
the Senate Chamber, selected in humble i'm.
itation of that audacity which induced Verres
20 select the forum of the people for hi:
wanton and cruel assault upon Roman cit
izeni
In this transaction, sir, what is wanting
to make this atrocity the parallel in all res
poets of that atrocity of Ferr es, which sub.
Jected him to the burning invective Cf the
great Roman orator! What is the offence
of the Massachusetts Senator,.hat he, though
an American citizen, whose person by thu
Constitution is sacred, is subjected to this
outrage and indignitv! 1t is said of him, as
was said by Verres, Of the scourged Roman
citizen, :'He is sent hither spy by, the
Io,Jor, &c -,n,,,,,, eIovo- TIKI, S,,otor
sir, comes from Massachusetts, where are
Lexington, and Cone ord, and Bunker Hill
and the Rock OF the P Pllgrims-"w where every
sod's soldiers sepulchre are the
footprints of the apostles and myrtyrs o
Freedom-that State which allowed trem
bling fugitive, fleeing only for his LIBERTY
to lay his weary limbs to rest upon War
ren's grave-that State whose mighty heart
throbbed with human sympathy for the ayns
bondman, who, guilty Of no crime Under the
forms of law, but in violation of its fre,
spirit, walked in chains beneath the shade
of Faneuil Hal, where liuger the sacret
memories of the past ard the echoes of thost
burning words, DEATH OR DELIvERANCE.-
For this, that he represents this sentimen
of Massachusetts-say the endorsers ant
approvers of this assault-let the Senator
though an American citizen, be scourged
for this, like Verres, they cry, Let him bt
beaten with rods in the forum of the people
let him suffer not only in sight, but In th'
very presence of his country, of liberty, ant
the laws, and let America see her son die
by the miserable and painful punishment
commonly inflicted on slaves.