Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1873-02-24
A. AND B.
The Members Of the House that Are
70 be Expelled on Tuesday.
The Scene In the House when the
Report of the Committee was
Read.

.
Read.
From the New York Worlds report
Of the scene in the House when the
Credit Mobilier report was read We ex-
tract as follows: "Speaker Blaine called
Mr.. Cox, Of New York, TO the chair,
and took a seat on the floor side by side
with his fidus Achates, Mr.. Hale, of
Maine. Mr.. Poland had simply pro-
posed that the report should be printed
and a day named for its consideration.
The House was, however, not to be de-
prived Of It's sensation. "Let it be
readu' "Let il be read," shouted
half dozen, and without n moments
delay pro TEN. Speaker Cox ordered
Clerk Mcpherson to read it. Every ear
was wide open. The inculpated Con-
! gTessmen saw nobody but the Clerk.
Their eyes were intent upon him, and
| their ears caught every word. When
the report took up the list of names and
/ disposed of each member in order, the
! interest became intensified. And yet
each one sat in his seat as immovable
and as rigid as if held in place by
/ sheathing of mail Not one seemed TO
I betray any nervous vigor, unless it
| family crept out from the self-contrOl OF
/ Mr.. Brooks, who sat st0lidly in his seat.
| Name after name was passed 5y till
the account Of Messrs. Bingham, Sco-
field, Dawes and Kelley had been rem
dered by the Committee. Then came
their final judgment; and necessarily
the House bristled with surprise as the
Clerk read this paragraph: 1.-The Com
mittee do not find that either Of the
abOve-named gentlemen in contracting
with Mr.. Ames had a corrupt motive or
purpose himself, or was aware that Mr..
Ames had any, nor did either Of them
suppose he was guilty of any imprO-
priety or indelicacy in becoming pur-
chaser of his stock. Had it appeared
that these gentlemen were aware Of the
enormous dividends upon the stock, and
how they were to be earned, we
could not then acquit them.n
And also soon after, when
the sClerk read these lines: "The
Committee find nothing in the con-
duct or motives of either of these mem
bers in taking this stock that calls fcT
any recommendation by the Commit
tee" the whole House looked at Messrs.
Dawes, Garfield and company, aud
Messrs. Dawes, Garfield and company
moved more easily in their seats. The
profile of Dawes's face was turned clear
around: Garfield threw his big head
back and breathed deeper and longer;
but Kelley and Bingham looked as sui |
len and rabid as ever, while the good-na-
tured face of Judge SchOfield
had not from the start changed its
pleasant expression. But the attention
was quickly diverted again to the read |
ing. The Clerk had already COM
menced on Ames's case, and when he |
came to the part that indicated severe /
conclusions, Ames lifted his bushy /
head, settled his face into that rigidity !
which is its wont,I and carelessly FUN |
bled a piece Of paper on his desk. When |
the report alluded to his buying and |
selling votes, the old mans face relaxed /
into derisive grin. 1t, however, soon .
became fixed enough and solemn |
enough, when the Clerk read for the |
first time, amid silence as quiescent 1
as death itself: "ReSolued, That /
Oakes Ames be, and he hereby is, /
expelled as a member Of this House.n
But in all this time Mr. Brooks had not |
smiled IL Mr.. Ames had smiled. The .
New York member opened a law book |
and laid it before him, and then leaning |
his left arm on the desk and resting his 4
head on his left hand, calmly awaited /
the sentence that followed. 1t came .
soon enough. "ResOlued, " read the Clerk, /
''Thst James Brooks be, and be herebyis,
expelled as r member of the House. 1
This was the last line of the report. The /
Clerk sat down. The stiffness that was 1
upon the house was broken. Mr.. Brooks 1
arose. MIR. Poland arose. General 1
Farnsworth went across the aisle and /
spoke to Mr.. Brooks. Mr.. Voorhees, I
came down and also said something 10 /
him. There was evidently kindly SYM |
pathy for the man who had passed the |
meridian OF his public life, and was SO /
fast Fastening to its setting. But |
Mr.. Poland spoke first. He made 1
the customary motion to print and /
to name the day TO consider the report. 1
Before the motion to print was put Mr.. 4
Brooks asked leave to make some re- /
marks after this "unjust, partial, and
prosecuting report, as he called il. Mr. /
Poland, of course, had no objection. |
Nearly half the House rose to their 1
trepidation and in a calm, clear voice to |
say:
'I desire to submit TO the House, in |
reply to Whist seems 10 me a most |
partial, unjust, and prosecuting report, |
two documents which have not been |
noticed at all by the Committee. The /
first of these documents is the DrOces 1
verbal of an action instituted by Me /
Comb in the Supreme Court of Pennsyl- /
Vania against the Credit MObilier, in /
December, 1867, containing a list of
stockholders as long ago as December, |
1867.
Mr.. Poland said that the list was
printed at length in the testimony.
Mr.. BrOoks-But il is not alluded to !
in the report.
Mr.. Poland-We had no occasion to |
allude to it in the report. If il has any
bearing on the case il will be before the |
House, because 1t is a part of the testi- |
mony. l do not design to be led into |
the discussion now.
The list was read, the point of it being |
that Mr.. BrOoks's name did not appear /
as a stOckhOlder at that time of the /
Credit MObilieT, and that Charles y. /
Nelson's name did appear as a stock
holder Of hundred and fifty shares, /
and that this was before Mr.. Brooks |
was appointed as Government Director. |
Mr.. Brooks also presented the process |
Uerbdl OF another suit in Pennsylvania /
between the same parties, showing the 1
same state Of facts in respect to Nelson l
holding the stock, and as to Brooks not /
holding any.