The New York herald., 1869-03-23
n. Railroad L.ssy 1. sAs SKATE LesiAa-

The Legislature ct Albany and the lobby
in and about 1t have become 90 notorious for
corruption that the people are apt to pass
with little notice the most astounding revela-
tions. This seems to be the case with the
developments made by the select committee
to investigate the charges of improper in
iuence in the Senate last year regarding rail-
road legislation, when what is known as the
"Erie bill" was up, and when an act was
passed relating to the Erie, New York Central.
Hudson River and Harlem Railway companies.
People shrug their shoulders with despair, il
not with Indifference, whenever corruption at
Albany is mentioned. regarding it as q thing
of such ordinary occurrence, as q matter Of
course, about which it is useless to trouble
themselves To such pass have we come;
to such afrightful state Of decentralization have
our legislators, under the influence Of the
lobby, arrived. But if all public virtue be not
lost it may be useful to call attention to the
action Of this investigating committee and the
facts it developed
1uCIc 10 uO uOuUt budt uhu mAlOu VI wv
lars or more was used corruptly in the great
contest last session between the friends and
opponents Of the 1sErie bill' referred to. The
committee, in summing up the evidence. says,
'large sums of money were expended for cor
rupt purposes by parties interested in lcgisla-
ton regarding railways during the session of
1863" And, again, lobbyists were thus en-
riched, and in some cases received money on
the false pretences that the votes of Sena-
tors were thereby to be influenced" Mr..
Drew, the treasurer of the Erie Railroad, tes-
tilted that Mr.. Eldridge, the president, drew
five hundred thousand dollars out of the trea-
sury before the session of the Legislature,
which was charged ON the books Of the COM
pany to Mr. Eidridge individually, and which
had not been accounted for when he retired
from the office of treasurer. This money was
drawn ostensibly for purposes Of litigation,
which litigation meant, no doubt, influencing
the lobby and members Of the Legislature. 1t
is clear, as the committee says, that large
sums of money did come from the treasury of
the Erie Railway Company, which were ex-
pended for some purpose in Albany for which
no vouchers seem to have been fled in the
Office of the company. The objects of the ex-
penditures cannot be learned from the books
Of the company. Mr.. Eldridge could not be
got before the committee to testify on this in
teresting point, and though invited by letter to.
appear he took no notice OF the invitation.
The lobby evidently got large slice, and
one man, 1t Is said, took hundred thousand
dollars from the Erie party and seventy thou
sand from the opposing Vanderbilt party for
the purpose ostensibly of influencing legisla-
played in the Morgan and Fenton Senatorial
contest-taking money from one and voting for
the other. Of course this gentleman found it
inconvenient to answer the questions of the
committee and made his way to a more con-
genial climate in the South. It was said that
. portion of this money was for use among the
newspaper lobby men, bat the committee could
not get at the facts; nor could 1t trace any of
ii 10 the hands of Senators. In fact the COM
mittee complains Of it's inability to get evi-
ueHC6 VI W uuu Oue WHus ucCouio VI tA0 hohcys
Some of the members of the press made a
great noise about the corruption going on, but
muddled the matter so much that when brought
to the test they could prove nothing. This was
the case with Greeley particularly. He had
made direct charges Of corrupt practices, but
izzled out completely when brought on the
stand to testify. While there is no doubt of
the fact that vast sums of money were cor
ruptly used the committee failed to fix the
guilt upon parties or to bring any one to
Justice. Vice and corruption seem to be un-
avoidable in the construction and management
of railroads. 1t is the price the country has
to pay for these great improvements. But it
is to be hoped we have reached the limit and
that something will be done by the national
and State Legislatures to prevent the further
growth of the evil.