Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1868-07-24
THE REPORT ON CORRUPTION.

we print elsewhere a condensed alb
stract OF the final report of the lmpeach-
ment Committee, relative to the corrupt
means concerted and employed to OBJ
tain the acquittal of the President. 1t
proves that several distinct funds were
raised, one Of one hundred thousand
dollars, another OF twenty thousand
ten thousand, &c, for the purpose Of
securing the Presidents acquittal, and
as testimonials from his admirers should
he be convicted and removed from of.
fee. 1t is not remarkable that corrupt
office holders, and whisky distillers.
should he willing to raise these sums
to keep in office the man through whom
they had gorged their pockets with
millions Of the stolen money of the peo
pie. The report shows not only that
considerable sums were obtained ex-
pressly to buy the votes OF Senators,
but that Senators who had, for months
before Secretary Stanton was removed,
been bowling for impeachment, lobby
ing in the House for impeachment, and
within few days of the final vote had
declared their intention to vote for I'M
parchment on the specific articles then
pending were changed and induced to
vote for acquittal, to the qualification
of their known sentiments and pledges,
and to the establishment of their col
leagues. Such facts are barely consis-
tent with the innocence Of those whose
votes arc thus changed, rs all circum-
stantial evidence of crime is barely con
sistent with the innocence OF the acc,s-
ed, though it is indicative of guilt and
compcls suspicion. The country will
cnterin tavorot the Senators over whom
these circumstances rest, a verdict nei-
Their of guilty or not guilty, but simply
the Scotch verdict, mot proven" We
know that corruption in the action of
members OF our Legislative bodies, in
cluding Congress, SO far from being an
anomaly, is in many instances their pro-
tession. We have seen since the trial
the most important offices OF the Gov
eminent handed over to those who rem
dered themselves serviceable to the
President therein, as if it required no
ctfrontery and deserved no rebuke thus
to prostitute the power and patronage
of the Presidential office. One of his
counsel is offered the Secretaryship OF
the Treasury, though finance is wholly
foreign to the range of his experience
or probable abilities. Another Of his
counsel has been nominated for Attor-
ney- General. His most efficient and
able friend in the Senate has been sent
as Minister to England. Collector
Smythe, who has shown no other ca
pacity for diplomacy than that involved
in the corrupt efforts to buy the Prcsi-
dents acquittal, has been named as min
lister to Austria Senator Ross, who
previously had no influence over ap-
pointments, suddenly acquires the con
troll over Federal patronage and secures
the nomination of his rotten friend Per-
ry Fuller for the Office of Commission
er Of Internal Revenue, an office emf
ncntly requiring man Of first-class
abilities and thorough honesty. Sena
tors Henderson and Fowler are equally
'otential. As the chief political agen
however, to secure the President's
nv Il, the Chief-Justice was openly
acnr;t,. and biased by a flagrant
wheadled secure his nomination te
p-ss;de,, ". Itch his only claim
Ionor t., WI 'ence ne exertet
A, the !, ,fia. acipittal. II
4 I;.ss s out Q, SssiassA:'
'reos ,re the