The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1873-02-27

and tho Blrtace tnQlCau0nS OF inc BEehl
system OF fraud by which there
had been turned into the pockets ol
private and official citizens Of this coun-
try the value Of two hundred millions o.
public lands, and over sixty millions o.
cash value OF lands, it being stated II
railroad circles to be not less than bill
lion Of dollars. Il was the most smam
moth fraud ever practiced on any govern
ment on the face of the earth, and how
had it been doneP Partly by the legisla'
tion OF Congress and State, but chiefly by
the Congressional lobby, which had beer
brought 10 bear. Members and eX.mem
bers had been interested, until there
seemed TO be o common apprehension
among the people that an auction room
had beon made Of this legislative hall; and
certain 1t was that more property had
passed under yonder (the Speaker's) ham
mer, than had passed under the hammer o.
any auctioneer In the..wOrld, and how had
this been carried not mainly by tho sup
preston Of the inquiry by Congress, u
certain corruption had been made sweep,
ing from Maine to California, and it had
succeeded, not that It was failure; II
was the grandest success ever achieved
by such demoniacal means among men
Mr.. Stevenson referred to the Congress
tonG2 GlO6S to show the action OF various
leading members Of the House, and
questions affecting the Union Pacific
Railroad Company. The hammer fell
before he had got out Of the labyrinths oi
the Cong ngreSSiondI Globe, and permission
to print what he would have said was re-
iected through the objection Of COnger.
Mr.. Whitehorn got the floor for come
minutes and expressed his views in favor
of the pending resolutions; he opposed
the report however, because 1t did not so
far enough; he was in favor OF expelling
all implicated.
Mr.. Niblack, a member of the Select
Committee, next took the floor, and made
an argument in defense Of the position
taken BY the committee. No partisan con.
siderstion had influenced the committee.
The question involved was outside OF and
beyond the range Of party politics. II
was question which related not only to
the integrity Of the House, but which az
tected the honor Of the government itself;
OIL .SOI6ASSS A4 ASASSh
executive would be ol little avail. l
Mir. Bingham took the floor and pre-
faced his remarks by saying that
he asked no pardon and rendered no
apology for entering on the discus
sion. Il was easy for any man to under
take 10 silence the voice Of the represent
alive OF free people by making false
and malicious accusations against him.
The man who undertook that task has
mistaken altogether the temper OF the
man with whom he has 10 deal Some
Of the journals, he did not speak Of the
general press OF the country, have dis
honored their great station before the
American people. Holding in trust
what had not been Inaptly called
in other days, the palladium of the
liberties of peacs, in undertaking by
their clamor to dictate to the representa-
tives of the people how they should dis
charge the duty enjoined on them by the
obligations of their oath he would re-
ply 10 them in the language Of the Prest'
dent OF the French Assembly to the mes:
senger Of Napoleon, who commanded
them to disperse: "Go tell your master
that the Assembly OF the people can re-
ceiye no order from him." lie would say
to those gentlemen who had undertaken to
control the action of the House under
the pretense,' he supposed, that they were
Wardens OF the public interest, and that
they were deprived Of the consclences as
representatives of free people. BE ask
ed no favors of such men. he did not
| live BY the breath of their mouth. The
representatives OF the people were, thank
God, as tree under the shield OF the Con.
stitution as the representative ol the press,
and knew Just as well how to discharge
their duty. Passing on to the question OF
the power OF the House to expel q mem
Der for acts done before his election, he
said that bad as the Credit Mobilier
might be, its guilt was covered with q
dark eclipse, in the presence OF an as
sumption made here that only the House
OF Representatives might usurp the
power TO strip the people OF their right
10 representation on this floor IN accord
ance with the expressed letter as well as
the spirit of their own Constitution and
laws. He Joined issue with the commit
tee; he ioined issue with the mob which
demanded the victim. he would have It
understood that he interposed the laws OF
his country not so much in the behalf Of
any single man accused here as in behalf
OF the rights of free people, thus at
tempted 10 be betrayed and overturned
BY two-thirds Of the House in the e1er.
else OF what they were pleased to call the
power Of publication. They had better
begin with those who were So pure that
they proposed that their neighbor should
be condemned in violation OF their Con.
stitution and State laws, and IN violation
Of all precedents. II there was anything
which made q man impure before God
and man: it was for him deliberately, not
having, In the words Of the old law "the
fear oi God before his eyes" but inshgat-
cd by the devil, to break through the re-
stricuons OF the oath and retrenchment
of the written Constitution to assert a
little petty power In the form Of what he
called publication. Referring to Brooks
he said that never In tho long years oi
his service with him had he heard
breath of suspicion against his good name
until this accusation was made, and as TO
the Representative from Massachusetts
(Ames) 1t would be said Of him.
whatever might be the determination
Of the House, that he had not lived In
vain and that he had contributed some
thing to the honor and glory OF his coun'
try, but whatever might be said Of either
Of them by way Of praise or censure, one
thing Is true, that Tho American people
would demand Of this House, that what
ever rights belonged to these men under
the Constitution and law, should be Rc-
corded them. In conclusion he prayed
the House to consider that the question
which il was trying was not SO much th'
right Of Ames and Brooks, but the righ
OF the whole people TO representation. III
trusted that whatever might be said BY
howl or mob, the moral ability Of thC
Constitution and the moral ability o.
right OF free people be represented &C