The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1873-03-06
CONGRESS Mildly Censures

scene OF the farce. lhat which was be-
gun in sorrow, and continued with quak-
ing and apprehension, ends IN a universal
shout of derision. The triplet of mice
born of all this labor are ridiculous in
deed
Our telegraphic report of last week left
Mr., Ames suffused with sympathetic tears
at the moving power and pathos Of his
own defence, as read by the Clerk He
was followed by Mr.. Farnsworth, of Hi
nois, in defence of Brooks and Ames. He
was ingenious, if rot forcible. Mr.. F.
said
He could not so understand the law ofbribery
In the first place one man could not commit
bribery any more than ono man could commit
conspiracy, or any more than one person could
commit matrimony. Laughter. IT required
two parties. Again. there could moi be bribery
unless the person bribed was to DO or to abstain
from doing something. Besides, a man did not
bribe his friends. A man never went to his
friend already committed to his side of the ease
and in favor of his interest 10 bride him
Brides were offered to men to convert them
They were offered to those who were lsin-
clined, to prevail upon them TO do, what the
briber desired them TO do. Passing TO the case
of Mr.. Brooks, Mr.. Famsworth called attention
to the fact that the matter charged against him
took place during time when Mr.. Brooks was
not Il member OF Congress, and when he was
under no greater obligation of duty in regard
to the matter than were MessrS. Durant, Dillon
or any of those gentlemen who were engaged
in the enterprise. 1t was then that Mr.. Brooks
first made the negotiation OF Credit MObilier
stock. The subsequent transfer Of this stock by
Mr. Brooks to his sGn-n-laW, Mr.. Nelson, was
only proof OF his extreme dehcacy in not
wishing to be connected personally with the
matter while he was 4 government director.
Besides, it wa the most natural thing in the
world for a man TO look after the interest of his
own kIth and kin, the people mad been told so
very often, within the past year, in respect
to persons higher in Office than Mr.. Brooks.
Laughter. 4 IF this transfer to Nelson had been
an attempt on the part of Mr. Brooks TO cover
up bad transaction, he never would have
selected his son-inaW. No man, he was going
to say, with sense necessary to be a member of
Congress,-that was not putting it very high
LLaughterl-but with sense enough to be q
county justice of the peace,-that was better
Laughter would ever have resorted to so
f1msv dodge a4 to select his son-in-law in
order to cover M a bad transaction. To his
mind, on the face Of it, it was not a badge of
fraud, but badge of far dealing, and it would
be so regarded by every sensible judicial tri-
bunal in the land.
He was followed by Mr.. Merrick, of
Maryland, a Democratic member of the
Committee, who argued in support Of the
report Gen. Hawloy, OF Conn. followed
on the same side, and so used up the day,
On Wednesday, Mr.. Beck Of Kentucky
while condemning the whole bribery bust
ness, did not believe members could be
expelled for offences committed when not
members OF the present Congress. Noor
hees made a powerful speech against
expulsion. Mr.. Stevens, the member who
endeavored to catch the speaker in the
bribery business, made a speech sustain
tanning the resolution, as did also Mr..
Niblack. Bingham, Of Ohio, who had
found his fingers in the trap, spoke at
length, and of course against expulsion
Gen. Banks supported the resolution for
expulsion in a carefully prepared and able
speech. Ben. Butler consumed the re-
mander Of the day in the characteristic
argument of criminal lawyer for his
client.
On the 9th, the debate was closed by
MI Poland, chairman OF the Committee,
at the conclusion Of whose speech the
house was brought face to face with the
question. Mr. Farnsworth moved to table
the whole matter, and the question was
taken in a perfect hush of silence The
house refused to table Mr. Sargent moved
to substitute . vote Of censure, as fol-
lows
Resolved, That the House absolutely con
dennis the conduct of Cakes Ames, a member
of this House from Massachusetts in seeking
to procure congressional attention to the affairs
of corporation III which he was interested,
and whose interest directly depended on the
legislation of Congress by inducing members
of Congress to invest in the stock of said c. T.
poration.
The resolution was adopted-yeas 1S1,
nays So
Mr.. Brooks voted in the negative.
The next resolution Of Mr. Sargent was
then voted on. 1t is as follows
Resolved, That the House absolutely con.
dennis the conduct OF James Brooks a member
Of this House from New York, for the use OF
his position of government director of the Union
Pacific Railroad and Of member of this House,
to procure the assignment to himself or family
of stock in the Credit Moblier OF America a
corporation having a contract with the Union
Pacific Railroad, and whose interests depended
directly upon the legislation of Congress.
The resolution was adopted-yeas ~,
nays 80.
The House being now in a censuring
mood, considered similar resolution re-
speeding Mr.. Kelley of Pennsy lvania, but
tabled it, and then dismissed the whole
matter.
And thus ends the much talked of in
vestigation. That justice has been de-
feated, no impartial observer can doubt
That rank corruption fourishes and lifts
its head, not even abashed by this mildest
of all possible punishment, Is apparent to
all. How many voted to allow these men
to remain in Congress because of the fear
of those terrible memorandum books of
Ames, no one can know. Whether the
quality of Congressional mercy is honestly
strained to this extraordinary extent, or
whether the stronger motive of slavish
fear operates, will probably never be
known.
Congressional investigation being at an
end, we are left 10 view the undisputed
facts that two hundred and forty million
dollars in public lands, public securities,
and capital stock of the Union Pacific
Railroad, have been swallowed by the
Credit Mobilier anaconda. OF the CAPT
tai stock Of the railroad, the treasury has
never seen dollar, when the law re-
quired that it should all be paid in. As a
consequence of all this, there is shown, in
physical results, a railroad which cost not
over fifty millions to build This is not a