The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1857-02-21

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thousand dollars" And the who published this
grave charge the world careless the author
t he had for making it, that he did not remember even
the Of his informant True he able ascertain
the name on making inquiry, and gave it TO the commit
tee but the show the utter reckessness with
which such charges made and how entirely unreliable
| they are.
| The committee Immediately caused General Tilghman
to be summoned a witness. The summons found Gen
ighman confined by sickness as appears BY his own let
ter and the statement Of his attending physician addressed
10 the Speaker which will be found at page OF the evil
dence accompanying this report In his letter General
Tilgbman that he is that he has any in
formation of the kind referred TO- and offers to give his de-
position in the fullest manner If some could be sent TO
take IT, Under these circumstances and in view OF the
explicit denial of any knowledge the subject by Gen.
Tghman it deemed inexpedent to pursue this branch
of the inquiry any further.
The testimony of Mr. Joseph L. Chester furnishes an in
stance of another kind of charge From casual reading
of his article in the Pennsylvania Inquirer it would
that he could furnish positive evidence of corrupt combna
tions in Congress but the explanation Of the article fur
nshed by his testimony shows that he had knowl
edge the subject and had to believe that any
member of Congress had been engaged any corrupt
bnation whatever.
"Jeseph L. Chester sworn
"By Mr. Rche. Are you the author Of the letter pub
lshed in the Pennsylvania Inquirer dated Washington,
| January 8, 1851, signed Connecticut
"Witness / am responsible for Ii.
"By Mr. Rtche In that letter there is this paragraph
"'Two of the leading New York journals have been
king great fuss over mares nest they profess to have
found in the present Congress in the shape of corrupt
organization composed ofsundry lobby agents.
and from the character of their articles would suppose
that they alone possessed all the honesty there is in the
country If these two papers sincere in their crusade
would suggest to them that they might evince greater
consistency by first calling home their representatives
here than whom there no parties in Washington more
deeply interested in the prosecution of claims and engineer
ing of bills through Congress write only what know,
and know much also about the corrupt organization al
lnded to- and may find it necessary before many days to
send you some revelations that will astound the commu
nifty. In connexion Herewith there will be sundry little
episodes known only to myself and the parties implicated
the recountng of which will be as fatal to the individuals
exposed though keg of guppowder had exploded be-
meath their feet Stand from under when the torch is ap
Piled
aWiI you please to state what you know about the cor
rup organization among members of Congress either to
pass prevent the passage of bills in the present Con-
gress Do you know Of any such organization
"Witness do not know ofany corrupt organization in
| which members of Congress concerned.
"By Mr.. Rtchie Do you know of any case in which
valuable consideration either in money in anything else
been paid promised any member of Congress for
bis vote in favor OF against any during the pres
ent Congress-
| "Witness do not.
| "By Mr.. Ritchie Do you know Of in which
member of the Congress has either supported
posed any bill before the House from any motives other
than such as are obligatory upon every member of Con-
gress in the discharge Of his official utythat is from any
other considerations than those of public proprety?
"Witness do not
"By Mr. Warner. Do you know Of any agreement that
has been made with any outsider held by third
son. by which members of Congress to receive pres
ent prospective benefit for the passage Of any bill
Witness. do not. find that since have returned
TO the city that am understood in saying in that letter.
IF these two papers sincere in their crusade would
to them that they might evnce greater consistency
by first calling home their representatives here to refer to
representatives in Congress We have to write these things
cmrente caamo intended the representatives of those
papers, and not representatives in Congress did not in
tend in writing this paragraph to assert anything against
members OF Congress. The only idea had was comb
| nation outside entirely"
"By Mr. Orr Them you have misconceived entirely the
whole purport of the articles in the New York papers
in
combination which extends TO members of Congress2
witness The only trouble in this thing is this spoke
in the first part of the article of corrupt organization
composed OF sundry members and lobby agents. That
do not know thing about so far as the members
concerned. do not know of single member who is
gagged in these corrupt combinations either directly
directly, and have to believe there is who
is But in the latter part of the paragraph lay that II
know much also about the corrupt organization alluded
to- have got the words corrupt organization into
quotation marks and there again. is where the difficulty
occurs .H
@By Mr. Orr You do not know then of your own knowl-
edge any member who has received any pecuniay BEN
eft for any vote he has given upon any before
| this Congress- .Us @#at.s sg#a@
| "Witness. No, SIR
So the writer of this article knows absolutely nothing
about any Corrupt organization" in Congress.
But is useless pursue this subject any further These
examples sufficient to show how recklessy the most
infamous charges preferred against body of
cupyng an important position much of whose usefulness
depends upon their retaining the confidence of their
suents and the country by writers for newspapers who
would hardly venture to assa the character of n-
vldual without positive knowledge of the truth of their
charges. Perhaps no legislation can reach this evil.
For the lcentiousness OF the press the only remedy s
the exposure of that centousness before the people, for
when it has been exposed, its bes will fall harmless it
will be longer able to shake by its imputations the
confidence of the people in the purity of their representa-
! tives. *.
The business of votebrokerage be reached only by
exposing the cheat When people informed by the
of this investigation, and auhOritativey by
of the House. that these lobby agents. who boast their
power the votes of members have vote that they
influence and cheating the claimant by libelng
the Congress- their business will be gone Even the
rupt men who willing to pay brbe If there be any
one who will receive it, will no longer pay large to
lobby agents TO be expended at their discretion for they
will learn that they have been cheated by their accompcs
and that honor among thieves has ceased to be principle
observed
But another great evil is the practice of giving large
ngent compensaon payable the failure of
before Congress- and the secrecy with which the
interest which prompts the activity of the party covered
from the members approached "nhuences secretly urged
under false and preences must necessarily operate
deleeriousy legislative action whether 1t be employed
to obtain the passage of private public acs the Su-
preme Court of the United States "Brbes in the shape
high contingent compensation necessarily lead to the
use of improper and the exercise of undue influence
The necessary consequence is the decentralization of the
agent who covenants for them he is brought to be-
lieve that any which will produce beneficial re-
suit to himself proper and that share of those
profits may the effect Of quickening percep-
tons and warming the zeal of influential careless mem
bers in of the bill The of such and such
agents will have the effect to subject the State governments
to the combined capital of wealthy corporations and pro-
duce universal corruption commencing with the
ative and ending with the eector Spectators lega-
ton public and prodta compact corps Of yenal solicit
orsvendng their secret influences will inies the Capitol
of the Union and of every State till corruption shall be-
normal condition of the poc will