Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-03-15
Moro Corruption.

In speech in the Senate week or two ago on
tho Post Office Appropriation Bill, Mr., Wilson oil
Massachusetts, made statement To tina following
effect: That a contract for printing Post Office
blanks was made, last year, with Nj Rice, the cd
ilor Of the Philadelphia Pcnnsy lsanian, 10y when
he received the sum of fifty thousand dolIars;-
That the actual cost of printing these blanks 40
unde rstood at the time, was only fre thousand
.,i.rs-ths being the sum paid 10 II third party
W ho executed the work That the iTom OF tho
traussction-forty Eve thousand dollars--w"s d.
yided as follows fifty per cent OF IT t" the wash
ngton onion newspaper; five per cent to Mr.
John Appleton, Assistant Secretary OF State hve
ner cent to q Pennsyy auia newspaper owned by
member Of Congress AMI the remainder to MIR.
Rice, the contractor
The ausioritS for this statement, W" admit, Is
not very good But there arc attending c'rcun'-
stances which satisfy Nat it it strictly aud ab-
solutely true. Mr.. Wilson made the charge in
open Senate, and Mr.. Mason was the only Scna-
tor present who asserted ignorance of the trans
action. 1t seems to have been subject of com
mon talk and to hnve been as well understood rs
if it had been communicated by MI official mes
sage. In fact, Mr. Bigler.a Senator from Penn
sylvania friendly to the Administration. virtually
admitted the charge-for he attempted to defend
tho Administration, which of course he would
NOT have done had the charge been destitute of
truth.
The mode by which the transaction was expo
sed exhibits no less corruption among public oth-
cals than the transaction itself. 1t seems That
Cornelius Wendell, the Public Printer. claimed
this job as one to which he alone, in virtue othis
Office was entitled 1t was job involving forty
five thousand dollars of clear profit. And tho
virtuous Cornelius doubtless thought that ms tho
Government was to be swindled out Of forty five
thousand dollars any way, it might ns well go to
line the pockets Of one who had show Of
right to it by official position, and whose con-
science, Injured by long career of population,
would take it about as easily as any one eses.
Cornelius accordingly, claimed and obtained the
job-and the indignant Rice. as furious ms wolf
driven of from his prey, went about complaining
of the deprivation, and publicly mourning over
the spoils of which he considered himself unjust
ly deprived. In this way the discreditable trans.
action became known to the public
1t was further asserted that the President him
self was oognizant Of tho original contract with
Rice-Rice being at that time the editor Of the
leading Democratic paper in Philadelphia, and
the only one capable of defending the President
against the furious assaults of Forney. But Rice,
whose devotion to the President, like that of most
other Democratic of6ce-hoders, was purchased by
share Of the spoils, now that he is deprived Of
his subsidy, does not hesitate is said to accuse
the President Of bad faith in taking away this
contract from him, and giving it to Cornelius
Wendell.
So much for this afair-a trHng affair, some
may call it, but significant of the widespread cor
ruption which exists in the administration Of the
Government. Er uno disco omnes. If peoplc
steal on small scale, most assurealy they will
steal on large one, if you only give them op-
porinnty. II corruption exists among the subor-
dinate officers Of the Government. with the know
ledge and consent Of those high in authority it is
nanfestly absurd to. suppose TINT the strctest
virtue anmates the superiors. II the springs be
poisoned it is unreasonable to think TINT the
streams will be free from impuriy
From this, and from various other instances of
population among Federal Office -holders, which we
have, from time to time, given to our readers we
dare say they will not le ANY longer at loss for
an explanation Of the enormous Increase in our
annual expenditures. They will, in truth, con-
cider At fortunate escape that they have gotten
OF with only forty millions of annual addition to
the Government disbursements Ne doubt. If the
Treasury had not already been d, aimed of its last
drop. We should have many more instances Of the
like sort to record. But the Treasury rdcuum has
led to . kind of compulsory virtue aud honesty in
our public officials, which--bad as it isis better
than none. For the sake of public morality and
decency, If nothing else, We may well continue
bankrupt if by 80 doing we may drive of the UNI
clean horde Of hsrpies and plunderers who hover
around the purlieus Of Washington city.