Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-01-02
Brooks, Attack on Colonel sIonomb.


The vigorous but Legitimate attack by Mr..
Brooks in the House of Representations upon
the character of Colonel McOomb does not
seem TO have produced the desired effect. 1t
was made in the wrong place and by the wrong
party in the wrong place because the floor OF
the House Of Representatives il not the foru IN
in which TO arraign, pending an investigation, q
witness who Is giving his testimony before
committee of Congress; and by the wrong party
because the name of that party is connected
with the matter under investigation. Thereis
probably not a judioious person who heard or
has read the afusion of MIR. Brooks who did not
feel that the spirit by which it was prompted
was in the interest of something else than truth
and Justice, and that the position OF the parties
In behalf of whom it wastuttered was rather in
jured than benefited thereby. Disnterested
mankind are under the influence Of q natural
love Of equity, which, when wrong has been
committed, provokes them to inquire into, and
leads them to understand the motive for its per-
petraton and the pretty unanimous judgment
Of such in respect to the case in hand is that il
Mr. Brooks and his counselors had not been
afraid of the truth which might be developed
through the testimony OF Colonel McComb, there
would have been no assault made upon his char
acter. 1t needs no very profound degree OF sa-
gacity to comprehend that itIwas the influence OF
a common panic and not the Indignation of out
ragged virtue by which Mr.. Brooks was inspired
on the occasion.
In the abstract, member of the Congress of
u
above suspicion. His word, uttered in his place
in the councils of the nation, is to be taken as
true beyond question, because 1t is understood
to be spoken under sense OF high personal
honor and supreme official responsibilities
IhiApresumption, while it binds the public to
accept as infallible the utterances of political
parsonage, imposes also an obligation upon the
latter to put forth nothing by which, directly
or indirectly, the truth, III the matter OF general
concernment shall be in any wayHdisguised or
oh I'M rul n haIiaf
strued strictly; that is to say, it appears only
to those utterances which are in the line Of
public duty and in the prosecution Of some ne
cessary business of legislation. AS the 06lter
dicta of judge are nor necessarily binding as
law, SO the declarations of member Of Con-
gress in a matter which he may Improperly
thrust upon the body to which he belongs, have
no absolute claim to acceptance as truth. la
fact the presumption is the other way and for
an lille climate act to infer a dishonest motive
ia strictly in accordance with the maxims of
reason and the principles of sound construction
1t is unfortunate in this connection; that
while, in the abstract, mombers OF Congress are
entitled to demand implicit credence in their
words and unlimited confidence in their tntan-
tions, there are facts enough known to render
it more doubtful whether, in the case OF
the members of the Forty-second Congress Of
the United States, this credence and confidence
are practically deserved. The evidence that many
| of them have permitted themselves to accept of
profitable interests in various enterprises, and
this, with the understanding that their legisla-
tive conduct wss to be directed with view to
consume or to increase the value OF SUCH inter
ests, is too direct and circumstantial to permit
doubt of its substantial correctness. The pos
ition of members of Congress, therefore, is not
AZ strong practically as it is Theoretically and
this is 80 far understood that it is questionable
/ whether, under any circumstances, the dlsclalm-
| ers Of the suspected will be accepted as such
settlements as preclude doubt or further exam
/ ination.
Moral disturbance unsettles the mental equi-
/ librium and impels to injudicious acts. Under
/ this impulson men neglect to consider the ln-
direct effects of their doipgs, and thereby lay
/ themselves open to the very consequences which
they are laboring to avert. The object Of Mr..
| Brooks was utterly TO demolish and extinguish