Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-04-06
A CARNIVAL OF CORRUPTION AT
WARRINGTON

Senator Sprague, of Rhode
Island, has recently given TO the
country some very important in
formation concerning the con-
dition of the business affairs Of the
country. His statements made in
the United States Senate show that
he has given the subject much
thought and careful investigation,
and his views have attracted uni
versal attention. His bold state
ments come with a degree of au-
thority which will command atten-
ton, and will be believed until they
are disproved. But he has within
few days given utterance to some
statements which are still more
startling. During the debate in
the Senate on the Both ult. Mr..
Sprague said:
"Any man who takes an independent
position in this country contrary to those
who are welding unbounded capital over
the business, the legislation, and the
capital of this eOuntry-those who make
Senators here the point for their attack,
and who corrupt wherever they touch
must expect to be met by such means as
these If there is a man in this chamber
or in the other House, or occupying any
official position, who can stand against
the corrdptiVe influences and powers
that in these times are brought TO
bear upon him, he is surely
more than human. 1t cannot be done
by any ordinary man. These corruptive
influences are to-day riding rough -shOd
country Yet the Senator from Massa
chusetts Mr. Wilson )tells US that all is Sc
rene and prosperous. The capitalists
of the country, he said, were controlling
every thing, and capitalist was a man
who had a large amount of money, or
whose position enabled him to command
it, and who generally knew nothing
about the business interests fthe people
of the country, and cared nothing about
them except to use them for his own
profit. The great banks of New York
and other palaces, which welded the cap
ital of the country, were managed by
men who knew nothing about the bust
ness Interests and relations of the PEG
pie, and vet the Congress and legisla.
ton of the country were influenced and
governed by the managers of the banks
both by open and by indirect cOrruptive
influence. He knelo himself Of iegiS-
latoT, member Of committee, Uho
had been asked TO report upon a matter
IN certain acdy, AND THE TEMPTATION
HELD OUT BEFORE HIM WAS 100000 The
worst and most alarming feature Of the
matter was that the moving powers
could not be punished. Sometimes the
people become aroused and strike out
some mere tool Of the corruptiOnists, but
they could never reach the root Of the
matter except by the plan embO lied in
his bill to provide for the lOaning of the
public money. He had studied the
country deeply, for the last three years,
and he believed that he fully compre.
hended it, and he had not exaggerated
il"
Here we have a positive state
ment by a Radical Senator-One
who voted on the impeachment
trial for the conviction of Andrew
johnson, that "if there is any man
in the Senate who can withstand
the corrupting influences which
surround him, he is moro than hu
man." and that he knows of a case
where a member Of a committee
was offered one hundred thousand
dollars to make a report in Ger
tain way, The Senator should give
the country the full benefit of his
knowledge by disclosing the names
ofthe parties. His exposures may at
last open the eyes Of the people to
the character of the men into whose
hands they have placed the govern
ment. 1t is these 100000 stakes
that Radicals play for when they
expend similar sums to buy their
way into the United States Senate
and into Congress. tits to seek an
opportunity to handle these big
Jobs that tens of thousands of dol
lars are expended to unseat Demo
Gratis honestly and fairly chosen,
and to give their places to Radicals.
1t is these Radical Congressional
and Senatorial "rings" that pay