Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1856-08-01
The Debate on the Expulsion
of Brooks.

The full report Of the debate in
the House on the resolution to ex-
pei Mr.. Brooks, has not come to
hand, bat we have some lnkllngs OF
the spirit exhibited by the Northern
members IN newspaper letters. Sat
urday was the great day of the de-
bate, the session having continued
until 9 o'clock p. m. Twenty
speeches were made under the fifteen
minute rule. OF the speech OF Mr..
Knapp, of the SIh District, the Wash
ington correspondent of the New
York Tribune says:
MIR. Knapp of Massachusetts oc-
cupied his fifteen minutes 10 the de-
livery Of portion of his maiden
speech. 1t was production worthy
Of men Of wider fame, and at once
marked its author as mun of re
search and finished scholarship He
had not spoken to the iumultuous
House full minute when every eye
was fixed upon hlm, aud every ear
was captlvated. His manner was
easy, his voice pleasant Every one
seemed TO regret when he closed,
that the rule precluded his delivery
of the whole speech. He obta ined
permission to prlni the whole, how
ever He did not hesitate to char
acteuze the blow struck 10y Brooks
as cowardly, On his ludcrsenen, of
the resolutions of the Massachusetts
Legislature as an outrage unparal
leled in our annals that there was
but one response swelling up from
the wounded and beating hearts Of
million of people ir Massachusetts,
and that may be told in the single
word ltETRBUTIoN," "RETRI-
BUTTON !"
In reply to the remarks of Mr..
Bocock of Virginia, who spoke yes
lerday and referred 10 Massachusetts,
Mr.. Knapp sud
The Hon, gentleman from Virginia
(Mr. Bocock )ln his speech yesler-
day was pleased to refer TO the rep
resenlauves OF Massachusetts on this
floor as doubtless valorous men, who
we're qalte competent of themselves
TO iyenge any wrongs or lndlgnIlles
toward Massachusetts or her sons. --
sir, as | understand Massachusetts,
she neither needs nor asks voucher
Tor her valor from any quarter
Thanks TO Heaven, she mas hIslo
~ Her lmpershable record IS open
10 the inspection of manNlnd, her
towering monuments sui CLEAN ia
the glorious hight of that liberty
whose achievements they comme-
morale. AS IN the days of her Web
sIer, Lexington, Concord aud Bunk
er Hill nre there. Dorchester and
Acton are there also. Around them
all, her multiplled haunls of intel
llgence aud industry teen with men,
instinct with devotion to liberty and
law. No ! Massachusetts, though
stuug by the wrong and insult, is no
backsider from the faith OF the ialh.
ers. But, SIR, while smarung under
outrage unavenged, she will not lake
counsel of her fears, much less Ol
her foes. TO her 1t belongs to lu-
dicate the time aud mode of redress.
She scorns the code of the cudgel,
now boldly sought TO be inauguTaled
for the Congress oil the United Suites.
She stands, now as ever, by the com
mon Constitution. She holds, now
us ever, 10 the supremacy Of The
laws, and trusts to the peaceful re-
medies which they proiier for all our
wrongs. She trusts sIlll IN the pow
er OF that weapon, pictured by her
poet, which
-" Comes down as ss.ill
AZ snow-aakes on the sod,
Bu, executes tho Freeman's will
Az lightning does tho will of God"
A word more, sir, in response 10