The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1873-02-26

by his course Of conduct TO provide him
self with them. He had done 80 Tor the
very purpose, and with intent, TO iDfu'
enCe their action as members Of Congress
on matters TO come before them. That
was an act Of bribery In Ames for which
he might have been sent TO the peniten.
tiary, even although every member had
received stock from him In entire lnno
cence. The law didn't require the intent
to be known, and the person 10 whom the
present was made. Il was the insidious
attempt to undertake 10 bind man over
in grautude-that constituted bribery. II
would not do for AmeS to plead the ignor-
ance of the law; that plea was not per
mitted to the most debased and Ignorant
criminal, and was the House TO I6erallze
that rule OF the law for the benefit Of
millionaire, and OF q ten year member OF
Congressg Was that man to stand up In
such presence, or anybody for him, and
say he didn't know what the law was,
and didn't know he was violating ~ Ii
mans moral sense saw no wrong in that
which his predecessors have declared d
penitentiary offence, and should forever
disqualily man from holding the mean
est office, was such man ri to SIT here
as one OF the lawmakers OF the nation !
Mr.. Poland submitted whether even In
most. the facts and the evidence justih-
ed the resolution reported for the expul.
sion of Mr.. Brooks. He dwelt somewhat
on the fact, that at the time Of Oakes
Ames contract, Brooks was thoroughly
familiar with the whole subject. First as
agent OF Durant for placing shares OF the
Credit Mobilier stock among the capital
lists oil New York, and second, asEthe
Government Director oi tho Northern Pa.
cIfic Railroad Company.
Mr.. Brooks interrupted and corrected
Poland's statement as to his being Q
Government Director at the time oi
Oakes Ames contract; that contract was
dated August, 1857, and was assigned IN
October, 1867, and he Brooks was not
nominated till October, 1867, and had
not accepted the office till January 1868.
Mr.. Poland protested that he would
not Tor his right hand misrepresent
the case, all that Mr.. Brooks had
said, had not the slightest degree
in copflic. with what he (PolRnd)
had said. Ames' contract had been ex'
eCuted In August, 1867, but II had been
found that the trap was not properly set,
and under the advice OF cunning counsel
new machinery had to be devised In or.
der to runlit successfully, SO as to cheat
the United States Government, to cheat
the State Of Pennsylvania, and to cheat
the Union Pacific Railroad Company.
The matter was not completed until the
middle Of October, and Brooks had be-
come director on the lst Of October.
There was not the slightest evidence that
Brooks ever considered himself as any.
thing but q full'Aedged government di'
rector. There was no evidence that he
had performed any official act before
January, 1868, but It had never been sug.
gested that he had no accepted office,
and that all lis duties were incumbent
on him.
Mr.. Eldridge asked Poland whether
he meant that Brooks should be treated
different from any other member because
he had been government director.
Mr.. Poland had no doubt that the acts
Of MIR. Brooks as q Government director
would furnish cause for his expulsion as
a member of the House. Mr.. Brooks
must have been perfectly familiar with
the whole scheme oil fraud from his inti-
mate acquaintance with Durant, and
from his official relations as a Govern.
ment Director. 1t could not be supposed
that while he was employed by Durant
10 place his Credit Mobilier stock among
the New York capitalists he was not we'll
informed as TO the reasons why that stock
was valuable or not valuable.
At the expiration Of the hour allowed
for each member in the debate, Mr.. Pot
ter moved that Mr. Poland's time be ex-
tended for half an hour, which was
agreed to unanimously, and he proceeded
with his argument Analysing the testi-
mony referring to Mr.. Brooks and TO the
relations OF his son.in.law, Nelson,
with the Credit Mobilier stock as
It's ostensible owner, he declared
that Brooks knowing the whole fraud had
deliberately put himself In q position TO
share in the profits. The committee held
that the facts proved sbundsntly the of1.
cial misconduct on tho part ot Brooks, and
they also held that as a matter Of law that
was good and sufficient grounds for his
expulsion as o member OF Congress. II
had been argued yesterday in something
called report OF the judiciary Commit
tee, that Congress had no jurisdiction over
matters OF this kind; had no right TO ex-
pei man for something done prior TO his
official term. AS member, with the
committee, l differ entirely with that gen
lleman, and the few endorsers he had got
and whom he called members Of the Ju'
dietary Committee. Laughter. The
Select Committee differed In toto with
these gentlemen in regard TO the law on
that subject. 1t never had been the
law, and he trusted in God that
that Il never would be or that It was ever
to DO had In this country, that the vtlsst
criminal, q murderer even, who has con-
cealed his crimes from the pubic and who
had been elected member Of the House,
was TO come here and be allowed to sit
beside such Christian gentlemen as was
here from Massachusetts, Laughter and
that the House had no power to expel
such man but that the members must
take him to their bosomS as an associate.
To say that was law was mockery, he
believed that no such absurGity and no
such ingenuity on the part Of the gentle
man from Massachusetts, Mr.. Butler or
any other body else, could make intelli-
gent people Of the country believe II
needs man who was inventor OF the
Credit Mobilier machine, to have devised
such doctrine, Laughter and Applause
Mr. Beck here interrupt ed Mr.. Poland,
and said that he wanted to ask him ques.
tion Us the point he was discussing was
the point Of difficulty with him. They
had both been members Of the Fortieth
Congress when Mr.. Bowen, ol South
Carolina, presented himself TO be sworn
!; - . r,D,,nhnr Me MnlIan nf Tan.