Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1853-02-11
Bribery and corruptionI

Bribery and CorruptionI
We copy from the Baltimore papers very re-
markable document from Mr.. A. ]. Marshall:
It appears that Mr.. Marshall was the hired agent
ofthe Baltimore and Ohio Company in '46-'47, to
obtain from the Legislature of Virginia the right of
way for that Companyto the Ohio River. The
Company promised to give him $50, 900 tcsprocure
Led, it refused to pay thefse, MI. Marshall brought
sait-and wassmet by q plea That the contract was
airandnlent one, which a court Of justice should
not enfotce: The plea was sussained-and the
laGorer has seen deprived of the fruits of his toi
MI notwithstanding guile feelinglythe diff.
cultles he encountered in the consumniatioGof his
task: %TheAgeney the says to aehieue these great
results comb m7ued by no petty consideration"
He also refers to tnumerOus and in uent1l dgen-
ey," which he employed at "great individual cost"
We are not given to understand, however, who
5 composed this numerous and influential gency,4
and in what wise it was source of "great indi 2
vidual cost' But from the threats held out to the
Company that unlessit paid his fee, lis charter
at the of the Virginia Legislature, the inter-
ference seernsto be implied, that the passage of
the bill was procured by the bribery of the men,
meaning to those threats. rr Marshall, or any
other mautwho cam may be privileged 10 bride the
members of the Legislature. We known not what
the statute is in that case, made and provided
nor is it material to our present purpose. The mat
ter OF most consequence is, whether theirepresen-
tatlves of the people were so bribed-if so, who
/ they were. A knowledge Of these facts is of i'm
portance not merely for the past but for the press
ont and tho future,y Strange, vulture- looking men
are still heard Of now and then lowering around
the Legislature, and they may be employed in the,
same patriotic labors. Stepsshould be Immediately
adopted to arrest the systeni-anl none more eff
fective could lie devised than to bring past dein-
quents to Justice, and show them no mercy ugftl ',
, We do not know. whether, consistently with
sound ethics, we are permitted to sympathize with
Mr.. MARSHALL in the loss OF his splendid fee 1t
was formerly question in casuistry, and may be,
undetermined still, whether man who received a
bribe 10 betray his country, for example, was NOR.
ally permitted toreceive the money AID then be !,
tray Ibis briber.''A question equally nice arises
here, whether the bribers, after having prohted by
the treason, may be ALLOW cd to disregarthe prom
Uses. Mr.i Marshall, by,way of saivo to his con-
science, he needs any, may resort TO the plea OF
Demoslhenes-wlo having received brides from
Phillip, Justified himself on the ground that he was
only paid to do what he considered beneficial to his
county But Mr.. NJ. does not appear to have been
as shrewd as most persons under similar circum
stances, and TO have exacted pny in advance
That ai al omission places him at the mercy of the
Baltimoreans w hose morality seems to be squared
by the old ruleove the treason but not the trail
!itor.EU - - -l.Yegi-.g1rA 7i1-iH .,g.
But if the developments, which it is in the pow
err fMr. Marshall 10 make. will, he gives us 10
understand, place that souless corporation at the
feet of the Virginia Legislature, he may be able TO
do much i'll atonement of any wrong he may have
done his native State, The Baltimore, Company
once proposed for the right way, pay the State
of Virginia so cents for every passenger and to per
init the State to tap its road at any point it might
desire. These were considerations which the State
never should have, relinquished-and if she were
induced to do itby secret and illegal agencies, act
ing by undue methods upon her Representatives
and that can be shown-itis not too late for her to
insist upon them now. 'li. s. :luE 3 vfah
. The Alexandra Telegraph, in the annexed ar.
ticle, calls loudly fora thorough investigation of
Tie BALrIMoRE AND ONO RAILROAD COMPANY
lMPoRTANF REvELArioNs.-1n printed pamphlet.
prepared and published by Alexa nder J. Marshall
containing his memorial to the City Council Bal
tlmore, together with a correspondence between
himself and Thomas Swami, President of the Bal
tlmore and Ohio Railroad Company, some mpor-1
tant disclosures are made TO the public, which, in
our opinion, demand Investigation and action by
the Legislature of Virginia. -.fr.s.I -.,-
The mere private controversy between Mr.. Mar
shall and Maryland Corporal ton, in relation to a
pecuniary demand, is not matter of sufficient pub
lie Importance to claim at our hands its investiga-
ton. But the disclosures contained in the PAM
phet above referred TO, if sustained by the record
as we feel assured they will be, effect important
interests of the State generally and OF this city
pecially, IN manner too weightY to permit us to-
refrain from proper comment. r-.oE-l..E I'll.
The facts presented are briefly these: In the
winter of 1S46-'47, the Baltimore and Ohio Rail
road Company, for the purpose of influencing the
Legislature of Virs inia, and of procuring Fright
OF way'' through her territory to the Ohio, on such
.
acceptable to the Stockholders, employed Alexan-
der J. Marshall, distinguished and talented gem
tleman of Virginia, to become their advocate in
Richmond, with the promise of fee of fifty thou
sand dollars, in the event of success on his part
Through his active, energetic, and unweared exer-
tons, aided by numerous and influential agency
enlisted in the cause by HIM, the law of 1S47 was
obtained. - q. !..-as.-. ~
subsequently, Mr.. Marshall demanded of the
Company his stipulated compenSation-it was de-
MED him. A long and tedious negotiation followed,
until, deSpairing of success through any other
means, a suit was instituted 10 test the matter, in
the Circuit Court of the United States, held i'll Bal
timore. PSI u ..-. s1r.5-rl Nd l-ssi s-5 .7i 4
Here begins course of conduct, on the part OF
the Baltimore Company, marked by degree oftur-
ptude rarely to be found i'll the records of judicial
controversy. course of conduct, the mGauress
of which is only equaied by its fatuity, and one
which, as we think, places the charter OF that
Company completely in thepower, and at the mer-
cy of the action of the Virginia Legislature, and
lustlfes her in the exercise of that power to It's
fullest extent. '.t. sitl Il
This company had obtained from the Legisla-
ture of Virginia rights and privileges, by which
they are enabled, with Briarian arms, grasp from
this old Common wealth. and divert from her ci-
ties, trade of untold value. They were enabled
to confer on Baltimore commercial advantages
which she would not exchange for millions "a nd
when her employed advocate and agent, by whose
fundamentally this mightytwork was accomplish
ed, demands his stipulated reward, he is forced in
TO court of Justice for, relief This mighty-~this
powerful-this, wealthy and prosperous corpora
ton, in order to escape the payment of what was to
them the pititul sum Ct fifty thousand dollars fled
as their defence, the plea, that The made
rDith Mr.. Marshall, By phieh his services and those
,Dhom he associated Nth him, tcas obtained, WAS
AGAINST PUBLIC POLICY, AND TIiEREFoRE NULL AND
VOID. Or in other words, that they had their own
selfish ends, and having no further use for tie
agency employed in thai accomplishment, spread
D out their own infamy as shield behind which 10
skulk from pecuniary responsibility, This plea,
tnuu The. Jnf init
or the plea Of usury to escape an honest demand is
the foremost plea filed BY them in their defence
1t is relied upon, and the court is asked to sustain
lit andinsruct the jury that il is good defence.
% The company have succeeded in making good this
defence before a Court of the United States-and