Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-02-27


patent for any eyes to discredit, the very
moment of its concession to him, be-
cause he was government director and
could not take it in his own name
Mr.. Shellabarger, in abiding to the
statement that Ames had contrived this
thing with satanic skill and kept back
from the parties with whom he dealt the
information which should have repealed
them, if they knew what he did, he ask
ed whether the committee had any proof
before it to show that the statement,
contained in Cakes Ames' letter of JAN
uary 25th, 1868, was not true, namely,
that "a part of the purchasers here are
poor and want their bonds to sell to en-
able them to make up their payment on
their stock of the Credit Mobilier. /
have told them what they would get as
dividends, and they expect it.
Mr.. Merrick replied that there was no
evidence before the committee that
Ames had made any such statement.
There was no evidence as to what com
munication had taken place between
them, except the statement of Mr.. Ames
and themselves. Mr.. Merrick went on to
quote the evidence bearing on the point
of the guilty knowledge of Mr.. Brooks,
and then asked whether the committee
was not justified in saying that the pre-
! text of Messrs. Brooks and Nelson was
a mere blind, and that, in point of fact,
Mr.. Nelson was but the fgure-head of
the ownership of Mr. Brooks, the man
who derived the fruits of the contract
and continued to enjoy them through
out, and enjoyed them to the present
day. He was sorry, from the depths of
his heart, to be obliged to make this
statement and this exposition of the tes-
| timony, but where duty called him,
neither friend nor foe must expect him
! to depart from his obligation of disclos-
| ing the whole truth and letting the con-
sequences fall where they might. There
were murmurs of applause when the
hammer fell and Merrick went to his
| seat.
The Speaker then laid before the
! House a message from the President on
| Louisiana affairs, which. after consider
able debate, was referred to the judiciary
committee, with leave to sit during the
session of the House and report at any
time.
Mr. Poland then moved for a recess
until 7.30 o'clock in the evening, with
the statement that he should not call for
a vote tonight, but that the session
should be for debate only. Adjourned.
EVENING SESSION.
The House reassembleda at 7:30oclock,
Tuesday evening. There was rather a
slim attendance of members, but the ga
leries were packed
Mr. Wakeman argued against the reso-
lutions, and declared he was not even
satisfied that any offense had been CON-
mitted.
| Mr.. McCrary, member of the special
! committee, made an argument in favor
/ of the resolution.
! Mr. Hawley thought the report of the
committee was entitled to respect and be
| should support it. 1t would be unfortu-
nate for the country if the House should
! pass over without punishment the two
! gentlemen named in the resolution
| Mr.. Blair made a legal argument
! against the resolutions.
Mr.. Richie described himself as be-
| grit by doubts on all points involved.
Mr.. Conger assailed the committee it
self for having outstepped its power and
! lost sight of its duties.
The House at lilo adjourned.
WASHINGTON, Feb. %.
After the reading of the journal, Mr.
Poland rose and suggested that there
should be a time fixed for closing the de
bate. So far as the committee was con-
cerned, it had no wish to hurry up de-
bate, but was willing TO let it run for
the rest of the session if desired, but at
a conference of the committee, this
morning, it was deemed best to let the
house have an opportunity Of determin-
ing that question, and he would there
fore test the sense of the House on amo-
ton to close debate at p. m. to-day.
The Speaker cut short other sugges-
tions and propositions by stating that
they were a mere waste of time, mas
much as it was matter within the con-
troll of the majority and the chairman
of the committee Mr. Poland could
test the sense of the House at any time.
Mr.. Voorhees, of Indiana took the floor.
but yielded in order that Mr. Richie Of
Maryland might suggest substitute,
which he wished to offer for thepending
resolution.
The substitute was than read. 1t de-
clares that while there is no evidence of
criminality in the purchase of Credit
Mobilier stock by Messrs. Amcs, Brooks,
Dawes, Scofield, Bingham, Kelly and
Garfield, yet the circumstances showed
a case calling for emphatic condemna-
ton, and declaring as the sense of the
body that the transaction was corrupt
ing in tendency and pernicious in ex-
ample, and grossly improper. and that
the members concerned in it deserve the
severe censure of the House.
Mr. Bingham of Ohio took the floor
and prefaced his remarks by saying that
he asked no pardon and rendered nc
apology for entering on the discussion.
1t was easy for any man to undertake
TO silence the voice Of a representative
of the people by making false and mali,
cious accusations against him. The mer
who undertook that had mistaken, al
together, the temper of the man with
whom they dealt. Some of the jour.
nails Che did not speak of the general
press of the country had dishonored
their great station before the American
people holding in trust what had, not
inaptly, been called, in other days, the
palladium of the liberties of the people,
in undertaking, by clamor, TO dictate the
representatives of the people how they
should discharge the duty enjoined or
them by the obligations of their oath.
He would reply to them, in the language
of the President of the French Assem-.