]: " 



,t!KESS, I SITED STATES. 



The bill was read and ordered to be printed. 



In the House, on the same day, Mr. Blaine, of 

 Maine, said : " Mr. Speaker. 1 rise to a quest ion 

 of the highest privilege. t<> ' nc that concerns 

 the integrity of members of this House and the 

 honor of the House itself. It is quite generally 

 known to the members of this House that 

 during the recent presidential compaign there 

 wo* a wide-spread accusation of bribery of 

 iiii-iiibers; that members of this House were 

 bribed to perform curtain legislative acts for 

 the benefit, if the t'nion Pacific Railroad Com- 

 pany by present* of stock in a corporation 

 known aa the 'Credit Mobilier.' Without 

 obtruding myself as one of eminent station, I 

 may say that the charge struck in high places. 

 It included tlio Vice- President of the United 

 States, the Vice-President-elect of the United 

 State*: it included thro- Senators of the Uni- 

 ted States, two of them ex-Senators from Ten- 

 nessee and Delaware, and a present Senator 

 from N. Hampshire; it included the Secre- 

 tary of the Treasury of the. United States ; it 

 included honorable and prominent members 

 of this House my friend the chairman of 

 the Ways and Means (Mr. Dawes) ; my friend 

 the chairman of the Appropriations Commit- 

 tee (Mr. Garfield); the gentleman from Penn- 

 sylvania (Mr. Kelley), the chairman of the 

 t m 'ininittee; the gentleman from 



< >lii'> (Mr. MiiiL'haini. the chairman of the 

 Judiciary Committee; the gentleman from 

 Pennsylvania (Mr. Scofield), the chairman 

 >f the Naval Committee ; on the other side of 

 tliu II.niH.-. i!i.- prominent and distinguished 

 member of the Wars and Means Committee 

 from N. York (Mr, Brooks), and a member 

 from Pennsylvania (Mr. Boyer) not now in this 

 Iloase; and besides these, a gentleman from 

 Massachusetts (Mr. Eliot) no longer among 

 the livimr. but sleeping in what was considered 

 an honored grave. These accusations are that 

 tin- several persons received bribes from the 

 hands of a Representative from Massacln. 

 (Mr. Ame). A charge of bribery of members 

 i the gravest that can be made in a legisla- 

 tive body. It teems to me. sir, that this 

 charge demands prompt, thorough, ami im- 

 partial investigation, and I have taken the 

 floor for the purpose of moving that investi- 

 gation. l'n illing, of course, to appoint any 

 commit t> >iiu> into a 



charge in whii-h I wa* my.-clf included, I have 

 called you, -ir. to the chair, an honored mem- 

 ber of the House, honored here and honored 

 In the country; and when on Saturday lost I 

 called upon von and advised you of this ser- 

 vice, I placed npon yon no other restriction in 

 M of n committee than that it 

 should not contain a majority of my political 

 friend- I th.-refore send to the Clerk's desk, 

 for adoption by the House, a preamble and 

 MOttpanying rraolir 



The Clerk read aa folio wt: 



Wlmu, AoenaarioBi hav bn mdc In the pub- 



lic press, founded on the alleged letters of Oaken 

 Amen, a Representative from Massachusetts, and 

 ui i "ii the alleged affidavit of Henry 8. McComus, 

 citizen of Wilmington, in the State of Delaware, to 

 tin- effect that " '>>* House were bribed 



kcs Ames to perform certain legislative acts 

 !'<>r the benefit of the Union Pacific Railway 

 i 'uny by presents of stock in the Credit Mobilier of 

 America, or by presents of a valuable character 

 derived therefrom : therefore 



fktulrai, That a special committee of five mem- 

 bers be appointed by the Speaker pro temport, 

 whose duty it shall he to investigate and ascertain 

 whether any member of this House was bribed by 

 (Jakes Ames in any matter touching his legislative 

 dutv. 



RttolttJ further, That the committee have tho 

 right to employ s stenographer, and that they be 

 empowered to send for persons and papers. 



The question was upon the adoption of the 

 preamble and resolutions. 



Mr. Butler, of Massachusetts: l; I -wonld 

 suggest to the mover of the resolution to mod- 

 ify it, or I will move to amend it, so that it 

 will read 'bribed by Oate Ama or any other 

 person.' " 



Mr. Blnine : " I will modify the resolution 

 so that it will read, ' bribed by Oakes Ames, 

 or any other person or corporation.' " 



The Speaker pro tempore, Mr. Cox: "The 

 ion is upon the adoption of the preamble 

 and resolutions, which have been lead.'' 



Mr. Randall, of Pennsylvania, said: "I 

 hope that this resolution will be adopted. I 

 had hoped that it would be adopted with 

 unanimity. I trust that, in the language of 

 the Speaker, this investigation will be full, 

 thorough, and searching. Less than that will 

 not meet the expectation or the requirements 

 of the people of the country. There hus been 

 a dark cloud of scandal raised over this House. 

 It is due to such members as have not in any 

 manner whatever been involved in any such 

 proceedings that their characters should be 

 lifted above suspicion ; and, further, that the 

 heavy thunder-bolt of public opinion should 

 fall upon those few, if any, who are implicated 

 in voting for bills in which they were directly 

 or indirectly interested." 



Mr. llolman. of Indiana, said: " It seems to 

 me very proper that this resolution should be 

 adopted and this committee raised. It seems 

 to me that the House, without dissent, with 

 that unanimity which will arrest the attention 

 of the country, should adopt this resolution. 

 I think the House owes this to itself, to the 

 individual members composing this body, and 

 to the country. I trust this resolution will he 

 adopted without a dissenting voice." 



The preamble and resolutions, as modified, 

 were agreed to. 



The Speaker pro trmporr: "The present 

 occupant of the chair having been advised 

 beforehand that he would he called upon to 

 act on this matter, has bad time enough to 

 select a committee, which ho submits as tho 

 result of his best judgment, having in view 

 tho securing of a fair and impartial investiga- 

 tion, as follows : Luke P. Poland, of Vermont, 



