Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-02-20
Report of Credit Mobilier Conn
mittee.

mittee.
WASHINGTON, Feb. Is.
At half-past one o'clock, the report OF
the Poland committee was presented ana
read in full by the clerk Of the House.
1t began by giving brief statement OF
the circumstances attending the opera
ton of the Credit Mobilier at the time
and after Cakes Ames and his friends
began to build the Union Pacific rail-
road. They then gave history of the
| Alley contract and the manipulation OF
| Credit Mobilier stock, and then proceed
ed tosdiscuss Mr.. Ames' conduct in de-
tail. During the reading of the report,
the galleries were quite full and all the
members of the House paid close atten-
| ton to the document. Mr.. Ames Occu-
pied his seat directly in front of the
chair, holding his hand overh his face and
listening intently. James Brooks, as
well as nearly every other member OF
| the House, was in his seat
In discussing Mr.. Ames motives in
allowing members of the House to take
stock at par, when it was really worth
much more, the committee say that a
! doubt cannot be entertained that he was
| doubtless honest in saying that he did
not expect any further legislation, but
! that what he desired was to enlist friends,
who would resist any encroachments
upon any rights already secured, and
whose aggregate interest would be iden-
| teal with his own. They are also salts
| fed that he feared that when the true
relation between the Credit Mobilier and
! the Union Pacific became known, there
was danger of hostile Congressional ac-
ton. The committee believe that in his
| distribution of stock, he had an especial
purpose to offset the hostility of General
Washburn, of Wisconsin, and his broth
er, who were openly hostile to the Credit
| Mobilier.
The committee then took up the tes-
timony in detail and alluded first to the
Senators, simply saying that the evil
dence taken had been transmitted to the
Senate. Concerning the members of
the House, the committee say that the
evidence is in some cases painfully con-
Trajectory \ brief history of the evil
dence in each case is given by the COM
mittee. beginning with Mr.. Blaine and
followed by Dawes and Scho6eld, of
PENNSYLVANIA. neither of whom received
any profit from the stock. Messrs.
Kelley and Garfield were next reviewed,
and in summing up the committee say
that Mr.. Ames had good reason for with
holding the dividends on account of the
McComb suit They do not feel like
charging corruption against the gentle
men who did not pay down their money
for the stock, but the members must
have felt it was a suspicious investment,
on account of the remarkable profits
promised and accruing. They do not
discover that any member has been af-
fected in his congressional action by the
ownership of this stock or corruptly in
f1uenced in any way. hut the committee
do not agree to the doctrine that a mem
Der has the right to own stock in corpo-
rations which are likely to he at any
time before Congress for legislation.
The only criticism they made upon
these gentlemen Is that they We're not
sufficiently careful to ascertain what
kind Of stock they were getting and
that, in their judgment, the assurance
that they were getting a good stock was
all the assurance they needed.
The committee discussed James Brooks
case at some length They say he had
no claim for the fifty additional shares,
and that these shares We're ostensibly
owned by Brooks. All the circumstances
seem to point in the direction of the
truthfulness of Mr.. McCombs state
ment concerning the conversation be-
tween Brooks and Alley, and that
Brooks got his stock for his services to
the road. in considering the facts and
the evidence, the committee are entirely
agreed. The committee are unanimous
in believing that the House has juris-
diction of the case of Messrs. Ames and
Brooks, and can declare a member unfit
to hold his seat on account of his con-
duct in previous Congress. The power
to cxpel is founded on the same grounds
as the cause to impeach.
The report of the committee concludes
as follows: The committee submit to
the House and recommend the adoption
of the following resolutions:
WHEREAS, Mr.. Cakes Amcs, Repre-
sentative in this House from the State OF
Massachusetts, has been found guilty OF
selling to members of Congress shares
of stock in the Credit Mobilier of Amer
lea for prices much below the true value
of such stock, with intent thereby to in
lluence the votes and decisions of such
members in matters to be brought before
Congress for action. Therefore,
Res0LUed, That Mr.. Cakes Ames be
and is hereby expelled from his seat as
member of this House.
WHEREAS, Mr.. James Brooks, Re
preventative in this House from the State
of New York, did cause the Credit Mo
bilier company to issue and deliver to
Mr.. Chas Fl. Nelson, for the use and
benefit of said Brooks, fifty shares of
stock of said company at a price much
below its real value, well knowing that
the same was so issued and delivered
with intent to influence the vote and de-
cision of said Brooks, as amember of the
House, on matters to be brought before
Congress for action also to influence the
action of said Brooks as a government
director in the Union Pacific railroad
company. Therefore,
Resol6ed, That Mr. James Brooks be
and is hereby expelled from his seat as
member of this House.