The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-05-28
BALTIMORE.
FRIDAY, MAY %, 1858.

machinery of other Governments, III other parlS vi
tbe world. is limited, and we are therefore unable
TO test the accuracy of Senator TooMBs statement,
in respect to the comparative amount of corruption
existing in our own. That the amount of posi-
tire corruption is enormous, we are quite satisfied,
and if there be people on the face of the globe,
whose Government is more corrupt, Heaven help
them. Mr. TooMBs further stated his conviction
that there is most corruption Gin the Legislative
departments of Government. We do not doubt
it. The Honorable Senator. says so, and an Hon
orable Senator ought to know. Recent disclosures
have fully prepared us to believe that such is the
case. Only the other day, when Mr.. RICE, one of
the Senators elect from the State ofMinnesota,
was sworn in, along with his credentials, there
were presented to the Senate by Mr.. HARLAN, of
Iowa, charges against the Honorable Senator, OF
gross corruption. We know nothing about the
truth or falsehood of these charges. We simply
refer to the coincidence being anything but
agreeable and as showing that CEsARs wife is, at all
events, not above suspicion. Senator RICE may be
honest as any common man, but there are evident
" people in the world who do not think so. In
the other wing of the Capitol, the recent igno-
minious expulsion from office, of Mr.. HACKNEY, the
Door-Keeper of the House, shows how corruption
has taken up its abode, at the very doorsill of the
Legislative Chamber. The cases of MATTEsoN,
GILBERT and others, during the last session, evil
denee that it has not always remained on the OUT
side of the threshold. On the contrary, Special
Committees to investigate charges of corruption,
against Honorable Members, have become almost
as common in the lower House, as are Courts of In
and MAJ 81 H.
The latest revelation of Legislative dishonesty is to
be found, however, in the Report of a Committee
of the Wisconsin Legislature appointed to look into
the affairs of the LA CROSSE AND MILWAUKEE RAIL
ROAD COMPANY, and to investigate the means used
by that corporation to procure from the Legislature
of 1856, grant of lands belonging to the State
to aid in the construction of the Road. This Report
discloses the fact of the wholesale bribery buyng
up of the entire State Government of Wisconsin,
for the purpose of obtaining that grant, and of the
expenditure with that view, of nearly one million of
dollars by the President and Directors of the Com
pany. The names of the officials who were bribed
and the exact amounts paid to each are given in
the Report. The list includes His Excellency the
Governor of the State, COLES BAsHFoRD-the Hon
orabe ARTHUR ARTHUR, Lieutenant Governor
WILLIAM NJ. DENNIS, ESQUIRE, Bank Comptroller
the Governors Private Secretary, the Clerks of
both Houses thirteen Senators, and ffty-nine
Assembymen. Two hundred and forty-sx thou
sand dollars expended in buying ''ousiders, I"
lobby-agents, and Others Among these latter.
figure three Editors, RUFUS King of the Mlacaukee
Sentinel, NORTH SCHAEFFER of the Wisconsin Ban
mer, and S. d. CARPENTER of the Wisconsin Pa
triot The aggregate paid to these journals,
was $40, OOO-an amount which appears ridicu-
lousy small when compared with that expended
in the purchase of Senators and Assemblymen
When the former were quoted at 500 900 apiece,
and the lowest bid offered for any of the latter
was $4,000, it must be conceded that the Editors
were cheap-dog-chcap. The highest price given
was that paid for the GOVERNOR, who was bought
for $4,000. Current market rates were about
$1,000, payable in bonds of the Company The
manner in which the negotiations were conducted
is detailed at length in the Report and is quite
amusing, not to say highly instructive and edify-
Ing. The Senators, it seems, were old birds not
to be caught with chaff. They required payment
of the purchase-money before they gave their votes
for the bill.
placed an the hands Of William A. BUrStOic before c0ting
for the Land Grant BILL to be byhin passed then, respec
taken as they did not feel inclined to trust performance
by the La Crosse Directors after they had obtained the
grant.
Sagacious Senators Prudent precautionl In
Wisconsin, it seems, there is not even honor
amongst thieves. The Assembymen were paid
Off by Moses NJ. STRONG, Attorney for the Com
pany, who on this occasion appears to have exer-
cised the additional functions of Paymaster The
bonds designed for each person, We're put up in
packages, marked with the names of the in
tended recipients, and left at the office of Mr.
STRONG, who in his answers to the third and
twenty-third interrogatories propounded by the
Committee, says
"All the packages to which suppose the question re-
fers, with rery few exceptions by delivered
the persons whose names written Them respective
y In all the excepted cases. they delivered
other person who undertook to deliver them whose
undertaking had confidence
''My office for a day or two was thronged
with members of the Legislature and Others who sup
pose, came there to receive the packages. gdrd of
them as soon as possible.n
81 delivered the packages in person.
with the exceptions heretofore mentoned) and took no
voucher or receipt from any person."
The delicate duty of bribing the Governor was, as
beftted the exalted dignity of that august person.
the President of the Road, BYRON KmRoURN,
ESQUIRE. We shall let this worthy tell in his own
words, how he managed the matter. There is a
charming simplicity and naiuae in his narrative,
which no language of ours could convey He
states how he called the Governor, and after an
affecting interchange of agreeable compliments,
delcately preached the business in hand by telling
His Excellence
that in consideration the past and prospect of the
future the Company felt disposed to extend to him me-
cuntary complement If he would feel at liberty accept
it. He said that with the views purposes expressed
by he should not feel at liberty decline compliment
Of the kind, and acould accept Of IL cheerfmy / then
stated that would at an early day place in his hands the
bonds of the Company the $50 OOO distinctly
stating to him at the time that wished this gratuity to
have influence upon any official act which it might
henceforh devolve him hereafter perform On his
part believe he accepted it for the that thought
the Company could well afford to make such donation
without doing it any material damage while to HIM the
sum was large enough to confera real benefit In
suance Of this conversation subsequently placed in the
hands OF Gov BAsHFoRD the bonds of the Company the
amount oil S30,0OO, and at later period | exchanged
wi, with him sl5 600 into money at par. presume
this would have been done from time had the con
dition of the Company permitted"
Ali this, Mr.. kILBoURN processes to have done
without any corrupt intent" and uninfluenced
by any unworthy motive" 1t was solely, he
says
because deemed it necessary to pRopIT1ArE HIS PEEL
INGs ac reference to the future operations of our Com
pany
Observe the delicate Euphuism with which Mr..
KILBoURN converts bride into IA pecuniary COM
pliment solely intended 'to propitiate the feel
ings'' of the exalted functionary to whom it was
offered. What nice distinction there is conveyed
by this adrot use of language by the ingenious
Mr. kHBoURNl What a worldwide difference
there is, between the vulgar traffick carried by
the Company in Senators and Assemblymen, who
were bought and sold, like cattle in the market,
or negroes on the Slave-Coast at so much head,
ana the graceful act of 'propitiating the feelings
Of Governor. No wonder that Governor BASH
FoRDs feelings did not leave him cat liberty to