Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-03-05
The siObiIier Debate.

nIzant OF 1t as grossly terelct in their duty
tanning Mr. Hooper and Mr.. Bingham, who
held that stock and were not implicated IL
these Proceedings, and also Damlrg Mr.. But
Ter of Massachusetts. who, according TO his
own testimony before the wilson committee,
was the counsel who connected the scheme.
As to the power OF expulsion OF membt Is
or past fences. lie could not subscribe to
that doctrine. Ii such a doctrine was to pre-
vail, that mans past mIsdeeds were always
10 operate against him, Paul would never
nave been an Apostle, and there would be no
chance Tor men ~ the world.
Mr. Voorhees,, hen took the floor and made
,r argument against the resolution Tor the
, xpulsion Of Mir. Brooks.
lie lhtimated that the committee had not
been v,ry liberal towards Mr.. Brooks OF gwen
him time 10 explain away certain matters
which SEE med to bear heavily against HIM
lie thought that il there was one case which
aIpea ed more tn another TO every seuti-
ntrt ot lIberality and kindness, 1t Was the
case f Mr.. BrookS-a man sick and broken
n health since his voyage around the wCr d
MT broken by sense of guilt, as be
Y oorhe, y knew, but by the Increase Of bis
nalady uud, r tile nervous excitement natur-
ally produced by his surroundings.
In conclusion Mr. Nourhets declared
solemn ly that he never was Upheld by Fl mel
auth ID anything than that WI ich he now
had that Mr. Brooks had told the truth Oh
his suit ect lie did not believe that he had
een corrupt 20 elm ent director. There
Aas not a word OF pro fto show that he hau
{ mInitted ma leasance III Cthce. lie made
II, sIng appeal to the House, not Tor mercy,
ut or justice.
Mr.. Stevenson sustained the report of the
committee, which, he said, had been e4tori ed
by Ill Questionable facts from a reluctant
crmmItI,e; aid well that committee might
ave been eut mt, for W hat was the charge?
Il involved the VIC, President elect, and We
p, sdent sitting, the Speaker OF the House,
he chairmen OF all the important committees
.: the House, the House itself, It's very exist
ice and Organization He was nc disposed
to blame that committee that, when II
caught all these levIathans Of the great deep
IA lis net, it was not quite able to haul them
all into its little tub. lie quoted the testi-
mony Of the " ison Committee to show the
tnormlty Of the fraud perpetrated on the
public, and said that even this was but part
Of great system OF fraud; the outcropplng
and SUI face indications OF a great system OF
Jaud, by which there bad been turned into
the pockets OF private official citizens of this
millions of pubic lanu and over sixty millions
al cash the value OF the land having been
given 10 railroad Cir culars is not less than a
| billion OF dollars.
IL was the most mammoth fraud ever
practlced on any government on the face OF
earth, and how had 1t been done? Partly by
| l,gieIation, congressional and state, and
| chiefly congressional. The lobby had been
| brought to bear, members had been inter
| tstCd, ex-members and members elect bad
| leen interested, until a common thought
was among the PEOPLE that an auction room
| had been made OF this legislative hall, and
certain it was that more property had passed
under yonder (the Speaker's) hammer than
! had ever passed under the hammer of an
auctoneer, in all the world. And how had
this been carried out? Mainly by the sup
preston of inquiry by Congress. Gordon
OF corruption had been laid, sweeping from
Maine to California, and it had succeeded.
Tell III not that it was failure. 1t was
the grapdest Success ever achieved by such
demoniacal means among men.
Mr.. Whitthorne expressed his views ID
favor OF the pending resolution. He opposed
| the report, however, because 1t die not go
Tar enough.
Mr.. Bingham took the floor, ard prefaced
his remarks by saying that lie asked no par
don and t, ndered no apology for entering on
the discussion.
Passing t. the question of the power of the
! House to tXpel a tmber Tor acts done before
his election, Ae SAID that bad as the Credit
MObI eli might lie its guilt was covered with
dark eclipse III presence IT the assumption
made here that any House Of RepI esentatves
might usurp the power to strip the people OF
JheIr right 10 representation On this floor, in
sccoEdarce with the expressed letter as well
| is The spirit OF their own Constitution and
AVS He lOlDed issue with the committee
lie Joined Issue with The mob, which de-
nandt d victim. lie would have it under
stood that be lnierpused the laws o! his
country. not SO much In fehaf OF any single
man accused here, as in behalf OF the rights
ii lice people, thus attempted to be be-
| ray ed and he overturned by two thirds of
lie House In the exercise OF what they ere
p.eaeed TO Call the power OF a purifcatlon
Ih,y lad hett,r begin with tbo,e who were
- pune that they proposed that their neigh
| Dor ehUnld be conoemntd IN violation of the
Constitution and laws, and in violation of all
pre- cedenIs.
Mr.. Banks took The floor in defence Of
the Poland Committee
The debate IN the evening session was
opentd by Mr.. Butler, who made a telling
etch Ill defence of Cakes Ames, who, be
cid, ad done DO wrong In acting as be had
doLe, but was deserving of credit for his
honesty Def re the committee.
Mr.. ohellabarger replied to Mr. Butler
Oth,r 81 eech,s Were made by Messrs.
Wilson, Guodi ich, Eldridge and Young.
Tie House met at 10 O'Clock Thursday,
and MIR. Bird expressed views IN favor IF the
power Of expulsion.
Mir. Holman took similar grounds, and
regarded this as the first great contest be-
tween the representative government and the
great moneys corporations OF the country
Mr. 1ownshend declared himself as against
tie rig BIT OF expulsion for offences commute
before election. lie agreed somewhat with
tie views expressed by MIR. Holman as to the
danger from great moneyed corporations, as
IN this Capitol itself proofs of the decay OF
moral virtue had found exhibition, but the
remedy was not to be found IN the expulsion
! OF some oil its most honored members
Mr. Wood, MIR. Potter and MIR. Speer con
tlnued the debate
Mr.. Sargent offered an amendment to tie
, resolutions, recItng the parliamentary
doubts in the case, aud condemning the con,
duct OF Oakes Ames and James Brooks.
MIR. Hoar suggested that the amendment
OF the gentleman from California would
tstatlish a parliamentary precedent worse
than any that has been proposed.
MIR. Poland rose to c.ose the debate He
began by saying that he did not expect to
entertain or amuse the House and the large
audience that he saw before him. He knew
nothing about stage tricks. He knew moth
ins about playing the buffoop or the barrie
gum. lie neyes nau had any gilt for eaylDy