Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-03-13
NE RUTLAND HERALD
MONDAY, MARCH 10, 1873.
James Brooks.

during the entire sesSiOii -
congress filed the columns OF many d
,ewspaper, day after day and week al
.r peat afforded fruit full theme for
,oste Of sermons, lectures and addresses;
and having. in the end, received SO rldi-
p lions and farcical a disposition at the
hands of Congress, would be allowed to
sIeep 8 sleep that knows no waking, at
least until called upon to do service once,
more in a political campaign, where, as
IN the last, it could be used against those
,rbo had, or could have had, no part or
,ot IN the matter. Started, originally, to
iniure and defeat General Grant and
Sneaker Blaine, its development left
them untouched and unscathed but, in
ia rebound, caught Mr.. James Brooks,
of New York, in its meshes. Now this |
was very unfortunate, for two especial
reasons. Because the whole object, end |
and design of the wide publicity given |
10 the matter was to encompass the de- |
feat Of Republicans, and James Brooks |
was not only a Democrat, but one of |
their demigods and their leader on the |
floor Of Congress. The other peculiar
misfortune Of his position arises from |
tbs .4c., that he was the responsible |
EDITOR of particularly Democratic news
7aper, the New York Erpress. The |
EqDrsss, during the late summer and
early fall, made this Credit Mobilier
bribery and corruption" do valient ser
vice. and he was returned to Congress
srain. The investigation was ordered
and was conducted with closed doors,
but whispers began to creep out that, in
some uuaccountable way, mixed up
Brooks in the unsavory broth that was
being stewed. This was more than was
asked for or even expected by those who
had, or imagined they had, discovered
such a mine of political ammunition III
the discreditable story, as they told it.
The flying rumors and gossiping guesses
were, however a sufficient text for Mr..
Brooks to make a direct, positive, COM
nrehcnsive and, at the same time, bitter
and yiudictiye denial of all completely
In the affair. We all rememember with
what torrent of eloquent and vindic-
tive vituperation and point-blank denial
he met the charge. With what a glow
If satisfaction he resumed his seat on
The floor of the House, feeling conscious,
as he did, that he had cleared his skirts,
stamped out the charge and totally an
his accusers. That speech,
these SCIENCES and his conscious look and
feeling Of triumph and exultation were
sent forth on the wings of the lightning,
by the associated press, and scattered
broad cast over the land, the next morn
ing, as important news by every
daily newspaper in the country, to be
followed, in day or two, with rein
forcement to the distributing corps in
the aid furnished by almost the entire
weekly press of the nation. We need
not speak of the result of the investiga-
ton, nor Of its tame ending by rea-
son Of the contemplate quibbling of Con-
PRESS. Suffice it to say that so far, at
least, as James Brooks was concerned,
never was the verdict of a jury, the
Judgment of a court or the report of
committee received with a more hearty
and unanimous endorsement and ac-
by the press and people of the
whole country, without distinction of
party. Having escaped expulsion by
real or pretended doubt of power on the
part of, what proved to be, a majority
of Congress, he can not brook the idea
that he, brand plucked with difficulty
from the burning, should rest quietly
upon the laurels of an easy, if it was a
narrow, escape, so he makes haste to
rush into print. He appeals to his con-
sttuents, and again by the agency of
the telegraph and daily press, his de-
Tense, smoking hot from his hands, is
placed not only before his constituents
but the country. 1t is evident that his
intention is, not so much to vindicatc
himself before his constituents, as to
illuminate his wrath against the commit
tee before a larger auditory. His constitu-
rnts, probably, would not care much about
It one way or the other, and, even if they
did, 1t would be extremely difficult for
many, if not the most, of them to either
read or understand his address. Their
innate hate of fraud and their capacity
for reading and understanding may be
accurately estimated by simple refer
ence to the report on the election frauds
Of 1868, and the late census returns.
With reference to his TRADE against indi-
Vidual members of the committee, we
have nothing to say. 1t certainly was
not a partisan committee, so far as
Brooks is concerned, except in his favor
His insinuation against Judge Poland
will fall harmless to the ground where
ever the Judge is known, and it would
trouble the people of Vermont some
what to know what his "antecedents in
railroads at home" are. Aside from
these personal filings, which show the
animus of the whole, the address in
mere idle bombast, without reason, force
or argument We only refer to it, at
this time, to show the manner in which
detected wrong doing will blind the
Judgment and blight the reasoning pow
ers of a man of really fine mind and in
tellect. What is the purport of the adj
dress, aside from the personalities ? The
opening sentences are completely and
unanswerably refuted by the closing
paragraph. One portion Of the address
answers and refutes the others, and be-
tween the two, it falls to the ground a
harmless, futile piece of gasconade.
He opens by the statement that his
enemies have taken advantage of his
condition to offer up Cakes Ames and
himself as sacrifices to public clamor,
in which two Yice-P Presidents, several
Senators and eight other members of the
House were more involved than himself
That il was indispensable to sacrifice 6