The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1857-03-05
CORRUPTION IN CONGRESS.

the public in this behalf are appreciated.
CORRUPTION IN CONGRESS.
The committee appointed BY the House Of
Representatives to investigate the charges Of
corruption, have submitted their report. Al
though the report is incomplete and unsatisfac-
tory, yet enough facts have been ELECTED, to
show that corruption is..''practiccd at the Ma
tional Capital to an alarming extent.
Every attentive observer Of Congressional
proceedings for few past years. has been
convinced that there was vast deal VI cor
ruption in Congress, bot the guilty scoundrels
have always succeeded in eluding detection
and have gone on in their dirty work, embold-
sned by their previous success. Therefore
while we cannot help feeling that the investi-
cations Of the committee have not probed the
matter to the bottom, we are yet glad that
aomething has been done, that beginning has
been made in the business Of ferreting ont and
exposing the evil doings Of these fellows at
Washington. II nothing else is accomplished
It may tend to open ,he.syes Of the people and
prompt them to the exercise of greater care in
the selection of law makers and executors.
The report is so voluminous that we can
neither publish it, nor give anything like a full
synopsis Of it. Four members of the House
have been implicated BY the evidence before
the committee, and the report recommends
their expulsion. They are VIM. A. Gilbert,
o. B. Matteson, and Francis Edwards, of N.
York, and w. w. WEIGH Of Connecticut. The
evidence against the first named is that there
was an agreement between him and Mr..
Triplett, by virtue OF which he was to re-.
ceive $4,000 dollars in case certain Bill
should pass Congress making appropr iations
for work on Pension and Bounty Land laws,
which Mr.. Trirlett was compiling. Another
Of Mr.. Gilbert's transactions was his selling
bis vote on the Iowa Railroad Bill, for a
snug little property in the shape Of seven
square miles Of land. An effort Ia. been
made 10 discredit tie testimony Of MI. Trip
lett, by whom the facts in Mr.. Gilbert,s case
were proved, but his character has been en-.
dorsed by Humphrey Marshall and other mem.
bcrs Of Congress.
Mr.. Matteson's transactions relate to the
Des Moines River Improvement. Bill was
presented to Congress by President johnson of
the Company, extending the grant Of Lands
to the sources of the Des Moines. The Bill
was likely to meet opposition and in the
emergency Mr.. Mat;eson undertook to engi-
neer it through. He set about it in this wise.
The following letter written to Mr. johnson,
presiden, of the Des Moines Improvement
Co. speaks for itself:
(Pripate.) WASHINGTON, July Is, 1856.
Dear Sir:-The committee in our House
have agreed to report your resolution in Min
nesota to 272, 900 acres, or as you wished it,
outsiders make mischief. Are you willing to
let your Of the factory be cut up and used to
carry it through, IN addition to what Stryker
arranged can have some agent promise
outsiders stock in new factory. Let me
know without fail by return mail.
Truly,
To w. C. Johnson, esq.
The factory referred to is a manufacturing
town in New York Of which johnson il one
fourth owner. johnson stated to the commit
tee that his fourth was worth $4,000 dollars,
though it Is stated by some that it was
worth 100000 dollars which, besides "Stry.
ker's arrangements" was necessary in order
to carry through the Bill. Wha.eyer may be
said Of the rest, Mr.. Matteson Is In Tor it. 1t
10 pretty clear that he endeayored to play q
grab game, bat he was 80 unfortunate as to be
caught it.
The case Of Mr.. Edwards is this: Hon. Mr..
Payne member Of the House from North Car
olina, testified that Mr. Edwards offered him
the sum Of 1900 dollars il he would support q
Bill pending before Congress. This Bill II
appears was the Minnesota Land Bill, and Mr..
Edwards solicitude for its passage arose from
the fact that he owned lands near tn. line Of
the Railroad which would be enhanced in val
ne il the Bill passed.
The testimony against Mr.. WEIGH was CIV
en- by a Mr.. Sweeny, and 10 to the effect that .
small pension claim was pending before one
OF the committees Of the House, the papers in
reference TO which were referred to Mr..
Welch, who when consulted about 1t said that
he had no doubt the claim was meritorious
one but some of the committee scrutinized
such matters very closely and it perhaps
might become necessary to use little money,
say 20 dollars to set all right. Mr.. Welch
appears also to be concerned in MIR. Cilberrs
book speculation.
This is the substance of the charges against
these gentlemen. They may he innocent, we
wish they were able to prove themselves so.--
AT any rate we hope they may have a fair and
impartial trial, and be allowed IL possible to
establish heir innocence. And Il they are
guilty We hope they may be punished TO the
full extent Of the lag.
Notwithstanding the charges thus brought
home to these individuals, We cannot but re-
gard the report Of the cpmmittee As very un-
satisfactory. II may he web enough so Far as
il has gone, and perhaps the committee have
done all they were able to dc, out whoever
imssines that Congressional corruption is con.
fined 10 four members or to forty, has paid
but slight attention to affairs at the Capital
TIE only difference between these four aud
scores Of others there 10, that the former eli
ther lacked la adr0itness, or else were more
bold than the Others.
We pray that these two things may result