Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1858-06-17
Black Republican Honesty.
Wholesale Bribery of IL State
Gov HlIllenti

Black Republican Honesty.
Wholesale Bribery of IL state
Gov r-lNlent!
1t appears from the Report of an In
vcstigating committee of the Wisconsin
Legislature, that the whole Black Re
publican government of that State was
directly bribed, last year, by a Railroad
corporation. Congress granted to the
State a large mount of and for the aid
Of Railroads, and the La Crosse and
Milwaukee Railroad "put in" for a
shire of the ''rlunder,' and got it by
bribing all the State officers, Il majority
of the mcm bery of the Legislature, and
many other individuals! This isproced.
and the proof has been published in an
official form by the Legislature. 1t APP
pears from this report tina. Coles Bash
ford, the Black Republican Governor,
received 10000 for approving the bill,
after he had once vetoed it! The
Lieutenant Govcrnorr received $4,000
for his services, and other State officers
the same amount. Twelve Senators re-
ceived from SO, 900 to SIS, 600 each,
amounting to s165 600 in the whole (;
and that sum may therefore b, regarded
as the price of Il Black Republican Sen
ate in the West. Only four Senators
voted for the bill without pay Fifty
IN members of the House were pur-
chased, their prices being $4,000 and
$4,000 each, eight of them being paid
$4,000 each, and one $4,000. The
whole amount paid to members of the
House was $3.50, 600. Only four mem
bers of the House voted for the bill
without pay. The clerks Of the Legis-
~lature, the Governors private secretary,
and numerous CONSIDERS were paid
sums ranging from 81 600 to S25, OOO.
Over $4,000 600 was paid by this Rail
road to secure the passage of the bill
most of it to State officers and member
of the Legislature!
The n. Y. Times, in publishing the
developing these facts, says !
There is not u ~cringing slave in the
dcspotism of Europe, who is not
entitled to despise and contemu the Re
publican State of Wisconsin, so long as
She permits her public officers, from the
to the lowest-Governor. Scna-
tors, Assemblymen, and ALTO sell
like beasts in the market or
stale fish at Billingsgate-and, after the
whole thing is exposed. deliberately re-
fuses either to punish the Offenders, or
wen forbid their successors from run
ming the same infamous and degrading
career.
If there were any proper law, or any
proper public sentiment in Wisconsin
lpom this subject, every man who has
lad Il hand in these. proceedings, from
Bas!iford down, would expl-
tie his crime in the State Prison. a
lore-Mholesalc robbery oftheApreReEtx
If stockholders has never been perpe-
rated. The Directors Of the BRITISH
who have been sent to the pcnl-
Ell larry, were not half so culpable. nor
we're their offences half so infamous as
hose revealed in this report. But the
most dIscouraging feature of the whole
.ase is. the refusal of the Legislature OF
Hiscessin either to punish these past
,ffences OF to provide against them here
Misunderstanding Committee re- t
,ortcd IL bill designed to secure stock
Iolders against such Wholesale robbery, {
nd to punish Directors brothers who
hould pcrpetrate the acts of plumber '
nd corruption which has been fastened /
the managers of the La Crosse and +
IiIwaukie Road. But parties interest /
d in the preparation of these outrage t
us abuses thwartcd every attempt to
ring up the bill for action. and the. Lc- j
islature, on the 18th, adjourned sine
ic-lcaring Governor Bashford d TO. t
Il possession of their plumber, and II
very stakeholder in a Wisconsin Rail
Dad at the absolute mercy of its Direc t
ors. They can cheat and swlndle, d
lunder and rob the Company TO the ut d
extent of their pleasure. and there
no law or public sentiment to punish :.
+ prevent. We are not in the least sur
rised that La Crosse and Milwaukee .
took and bonds should be selling in '
Vail street for so small a price the o
My wonder is that they should be con a
dercd worth anything at all. With I
lch unrestricted opportunities for 7
and SO reselate a purpose to y
aprovc them, it would be u little slngu- =
i if anything whatever should, III the
nd, be left for the stockholders.
nj. ,,,lo oftbn l,rUn1y Renub-l