Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-02-27


their own constitution and Law,
He Joined issue with the COMMITTEE
He Joined issue with the mob, wbjcE
demanded victim. He would have !,
understood that he interposed the law.
of his country, not so much in behalf NJ
any single man accused here, as in h
half of the rights of a free people. 3,
tempted to be betrayed and overturnas
by two-thirds Of the House, in the exc,
else of what they were pleased to csp
the power of publication. They bs5
better begin with those who were 50 pp,s
that they proposed their neighbor should
be condemned in violation of their oath
in violation of the constitution and STAT
ute laws, and in violation of all prsos.
dents. If there was any thing which
made man impure before God and man
it was for him deliberately, not havi1p
in the words of the old law, the fear n
God before his eyes, but instigated blythe
devil, to break through the restrictions
Of an oath and the retrenchments Of =
written constitution, to assert q little
petty power in the form of what hs
called publication. Referring to Brook,
he said that never, in the long years ofhB
service with him, had he heard the breath
of suspicion against his good name Unit
this accusation was made; and as to tbs
representative from Massacbusea
CAmes) it would be said Of him, wbsteTa.
might betbe determination Of the Housa
that he had not lived In vain, and that b.
had contributed something to the h01Q
and glory of his country. But whateve
might be said Of either Of them, by fl
way of praise or censure, one thing w,
true, that the American people would
demand of this House that whateTa
rights belonged to these gentlemenunde,
the constitution and laws, should be &C.
corded them. In conclusion he pra7e5
the House to consider that the question
it was trying. 1t was not so much IT,
right of Ames and Brooks, but the right
of the whole people to a representa-
He trusted that whatever might be said
by the howl of a mob, the moral ability
of the constitution and the moral ability
and right of a free people, to be repre-
sented, according to their choice. would
be respected. For himsalf he was ready
to record his vote and, by his vote, TO III.
tify all Americans that he would oaar
no victim to the mob through lis 10.
lated oath and the violated constitute
of his country
Mr.. Banks, of Massachusetts,, ls-
rose and Immediately enlistedthe closes
attention of members and the auditors
He opened his remarks by an allusiol Q.
the all absorbing importance Of the
pending question, which was evidence
in the crowded galleries and overfloEn-
hall. There was also present in The Ia.
a hand which all could not see, a voice
they could not hear, a spirit invisible
resistless, that paralyzed the conscienca
that clouded the intellect, that deale1e.
the hearts of men here ard elsewhele
He alluded to the concentration q.
wealth, represented by the gigal,io
monied corporations of the country
which seemed TO grasp without resist
ance, all power Of every character her
and elsewhere, and which threatened III
destruction of the liberties and instltl
tions of the country. 1t went from o.
ject to object and from power to powa
with remorseless will. It controlled IL
press, it swallowed up legislative Assem-
blies, it dictated its will and its purpos-
in public assemblies and. wherever i
appeared, it seemed to be, and inleel
was. without a rival in power and with
out a limit in its purpose. Like tn
I Pontic sea, it knew not retiring eba
but kept prone on TO tho PropOutic All
HellespOnt. It was here now. For liz
first time in its history, it had met
check here, and the question for tLs
| House TO decide was whether that cbers
should be temporary, evanescent, with
out consequence, or whether il sh0gt
be a permanent check, that should lim.'
and control and, perhaps, ultimately DE-
stroy the objects Of power Of that graa,
interest. He did not entirely concur il
the reasonings of the report of the con.
mittee, because he was in favor OF DE
simple assertion of the right of til
House to protect it. That was a wi
versal right, attaching TO everything arl
to everybody. If that right of self
protection were stricken down here a1-
the House were 10 declare before the
world that the gigantic moneyei
! corporations Of the country can
come in here and control Legislation
and buy the vote of members on every
4 question in which they are interested
then the House betrayed the liberties Of
the country and the rights Of the people
The House must protect itself, al leas,
so far as TO maintain its character Tor
decency. for wisdom and for purity
/ which seemed so offensive to the honor
able gentleman from Ohio bingham
\ If il were understood that members Of
the House were robbers, murderer
blasphemers, and men without virtue
would not the influence and power o'
the House be gone, and would not thc-
laws sink and fail with the failure OF
the influence and power of the House
1t was therefore necessary that the
House should protect its character III
order to preserve its influence as a law
maing power. Was it possible tlal
men of Infamous character could be se1i
to this House and that other members
of the House were obliged TO ASSOCIATE
with them No, there was no such Oh
legation in them. His honorable CO.
league, Mr.. Ames, of whom he spoke
only with emotion, had placed him in &
position where it was necessary for him
to speak otherwise than he would Ike 10
speak. His colleague had said beiorr
the committee that he desired so 10 ID
terest the members of the House in