The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1857-01-23
CONGRESSIONAL BRIBERY AND COR

RUPTlON.
Another of the immense land grants in
favor Of railroads that have heretofore been
suspected of being conceived in fraud and
carried through BY bribery and corruption
has been introduced into the House of Rep
resenta'ives, in the shape of bill, which
grants to the territory Of Minnesota, for the
construction of trunk railroad lraversine the
territory with three branch roads, every alter
nate section of land, designated by odd
numbers, for six sections in width on eacl
side of said road and branches. The grant
will call for nearly four hundred thousand
acres of land in each and every mile which
The road traverses, and make the aggregate
an immense one.
The New York Herald publishes letter.
from its correspondents at Washington, set
ting forth very scandaIOus state of Con-
gressonal morals, and the existence and or
ganized and active exertions of a distinct
profession in Washngton-lobby agents
whose business it is TO bring personal inhu.
ence to bear upon the action of Congress, and
to determine measures of legislation BY cor
rupt considerations, The Richmond Enquirer
repubIshes the Herald's letters, and says:
The majority of these lobby agents are "ex
members of Congress, ex Secretaries of de-
partments, editors out of employment, oc.
casionaI correspondents of papers, officers OF
the army dismissed from the service, officers
of the navy retired for incapacity, clerks, wo.
men of easy virtue dealers of faro and anos-
tate preachers of the Gospel. These ndivid.
uals have methodized the mysteries of plum.
der into science, and have reduced their
operations against the Treasury to a regular
system of strategy. The agencies of their
influence comprehend all the means of sub
DUNG principle through the instrumentality
Of the passions. The amiable disposition OF
one member of Congress makes him an easy
prey. Another falls victim to the seductions
of champagne and canvass back. A third is
insensible to the charms of an epicurean ban
quet, but he surrenders to the seductions of q
solid sum Of money. A fourth is beguied
by the arts of some charming ais, and con-
SCENTS, If not 10 support a particular claim, ia
he absent when the vote is taken. A fifth
with hardly less criminalty of motive, sacr-
fees his scrupes to secure the co operation
Of n powerful interest in his own special be-
half. So the thing works; and the result is
that the people are so plundered of millions
by a corrupt coalition between the lobby in.
terest and certain profigate members of
Congress-"
1t is through such influences and by such
means that the Treasury is robbed, the public
money sqnandered, and the good name of the
nation degraded. 1t is notifying fact, as
well as one of evil omen, that, whilst the
character of the public men of Great Britain
has steadily improved for the last half centu-
~, that of the public men of the United
States, both in intellect and morals, has as
steadily retrograded. Could one of the pure
and incorrnptible patriots Of the Revolution
airy era arise from the grave, he would be
astounded at the prohigncy which has con-
verted the once stainless halls of the public
council into 'a den of thieves"