The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-10-09

GALPHNIsM IN CONGRESS. The Special Commit
tee Of the House Of Representatives, charged with the
nvesti alton Of the Gardiner claim and Of Secretary
Corwin's connection Herewith, have at length com
pleted the business committed to them and rendered
their report which present to readers, in ano
Their portion Of our columns, this morning In this
they exOnerate Mr. Corwn from all culpabiity in the
matter, though they stigmatize the claim itself
fraud This is rather queer decision to arrive at,
and sufficiently paradoxical in its way. If Mr..
Corwin is entirely free from blame, and was not
cognxant of any evil intentions the part of his
client all whose secrets he must be supposed to
have known-then it follows that no fraud what
ever has been committed attempted upon the
government But when the investigating commit
tee explicitly charge the Gardiner claim fraud,
then the rational consequence is inevitable that
Secretary Corwin who prosecuted that claim, must,
in his capacity counsel, have been aware of its
fraudulency, and therefore particeps crin,,nis.
Either Mr.. COrwin is eulprit, or the Gardiner
claim is q legitimate and well founded one. There
is no other alternative, and the decision which the
Special Committee has arrived ut is, therefore,
simply absurd.
1t is quite possible, however, that when they ex-
press their conviction of the Gardiner claim being
fraud, they do not to intimate that there was
originally no legal cause Of action in, or no bosa tide
loss sustained by the claimant but rather that the
super. positions tackled on since the commencement
of the suit, for interest and imaginary damages,
were in themselves fraudulent. None of these Gal
phin claims, which have from time to time extracted
large sums from the treasury, have been entirely
devoid of foundation, however slight and aimsy
that foundation might chance to be, and We cannot
hat thaE az III
basis in the brains of its concocters There must
be some substratum for tito rest upon, which would
protect it from the charge Of being in its origin and
beginning, fraud.
But the committee, in their report, have shirked
the real ISSUE and left it completely untouched The
point which over all others interested the coun-
try was as to the propriety or improperly of the
public representatives dsposing Of their influence in
the House and in the Senate, under the mask Of
being retained private counsel to prosecute claims
Oh the treasury This Galphnsm is the real evil to be
exposed and put end to- and the special committee
have only very lame)y and Intellectually acquitted
themselves Of their trust, when they avoid
all reference to this delicate point. or course,
the reason Of this Sinking will be quite sbvi.
GUS and apparent to the public, who will very
naturally and properly attribute it to the dread en-
tertained by the committee lest in denouncng this
practice, themselves or their friends might be in
volved in the public obloquy their report would
entail The interests and honor Of the country aud
the character Of the administration for integrity
and fair dealing, require that this evil engrafted on
the body polite, should be probed to the quick,
cauterized, and utterly eradicated AMI since the
committee on the Gardiner claim have lodged this
most important of the points submitted to them,
the public has right to place the seal of their dis
appreciation, derision and contempt on the un.
meaning and contradictory report which has just
emanatei from that body Such report is mock
cry and delusion, Sinking Of the point of real
Importance. and an insult to the good sense of the
community.