Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1870-06-29
Letter from Col. Baxter..No. 10.

tention to the great object which | had Il
view in writing them.
Official corruption is, in my judgment
the most formidable danger with which
our people are now cOntending. "W
have fallen" says friend who wrote me
Few days ago, upon evil times; and n,
.Surer indication, | conceive, could be fur
nlshed of popular demoralization--of ma
u0nal decay-than the acknowledged cor
ruption and compatibility Of our legisla
tors, national and state. 1t has been
within my own recollection that if the
conduct of a public servant furnished
ground for suspicion even, he was doomed
to popular reprobation and contempt. But
now men men gravely discuss the feasibil-
ity of COMMUNICATING is the better
term-Our law makers with given amount
of money. These facts more clearly pre-
sage the decay and ultimate downfall OF
our government than did the presence OF
hundreds of thousands of brave and dis
cipined troops in the field as it, avowed
enemies"
A very able writer in the May number of
PHtndm's Magazine presents the subject III
this way: "Our State Legislatures are pos
sibly not quite so degraded as the New
York Common Council and still, if we
may believe the reports that come to us
from the new legislative bodies of the
South, and many that have been circulated
for years without contradiction in regard to
those of New York, New Jersey Pennsyl-
vania, Ohio, Indiana, and Others, they are
rapidly on the way to the same Serboaan
bog. 1t is charged that considerable
number of the members of these bodies
are always open to purchase. We know,
at any rate, that certain sort of legisla-
tion-legislation by which lucrative fran
chises are granted to select company of
1nd1vlduals-is always in great favor with
them. When bill is introduced, the first
question is said to be. Is there money in
it" and numerous lobby, which lives at
great expense, and seems well provided
with greenbacks, is the inseparable fringe
and border of every session. Special com
mittees, appointed to inquire into abuses,
become either matchmaking or Uhite-iCdsh-
ing committees-which is understood TO be
the same thing.n
So 1t will be seen that | am not alone in
the apprehensiOns which / entertain for
the safety of republican government. The
presence of corruption in our legislative
bodies is an acknowledged fact by observ-
ing and sagacious men everywhere And
what is still more discouraging. corruption
Is like money mt compound interest, it
gathers strength in its progress-as is de-
monstrated from the particular case which
we have been discussing. The Legislature.
In the spirit of generous munificence, APP
propriated 81, $50, 900 of State honds for the
building of the Knoxville anG Kentucky
Railroad. OF this. according % the eX-
hibit of General Mabry, furnished to the
investigating committee. Sl9s, 900 in bonds
and S372, 377 SO in money-equal to $780,
in bonds-remains unaccounted for. How
this large sum was misapplied, the com
mittee's report does not satisfactorily show.
But even they-friendly as they are to Gen.
Mabry-charge him with the fraudulent
appropriation of S217 ,905. 4 more thor
p1nh Investigation nd
would fix him with much larger amount.
But let us proceed upon the basis of the
committees report They charge him
with having swindled the State, by fraudu-
lently appropriating S2l7 ,905, of the funds
given by the Legislature in aid of the |
Knoxville and Kentucky Railroad to his |
own use, in addition to the SIS 600. which |
he intimates was used in corruptiug the |
Legislature, for the purpose Of obtaining |
further appropriations. He has then of
the public money, S2l7. 905, 10 be used in |
the accomplishment of his own ends |
With such leverage in the hands of one |
who knows how to WELD il, what is il he |
could not accomplish? There are hut few |
men in our community so degraded as to |
make an undisguised sale of themselves |
for money; but there are more ways of |
buying men than one. III the first place, |
Mabry has possession of a railroad, which |
requires employees to operate il. These |
without any corruption on their part |
would naturally feel kindly towards the |
party supplying them with employment. |
The judicious expenditure Of a portion of |
his fraudulent Accommodations in drinking |
saloons, and in charities TO the DOOR inn |
impress the thoughtless with his supposed |
generosity and cleverness, and without sus- |
pecting corruption, or that they are shar- |
ing in the proceeds of bonds appropriated |
for the building of great public work, in |
which they are themselves deeply inter- |
ested, they think well of and feel friendly |
towards one Of such marked 'Iiberality. |
A couple of thousand dollars invested in |
an organ for church, composed of Chris |
tians, who. being honest themselves, never |
suspect those who manifest kindness
towards them, enlists the affections and |
good opinion of the Church; while sewing |
machines, gold watches fine horses and |
brood mares, 'blooded sheep and pigs, pi- |
amos, suits, walking canes, ETC., produce a |
wonderful effect on the feelings of a class |
Of small men. who occasionally obtain |
seats in the Legislature. The higher or |
der Of politicians are sometimes reached |
in a different way. These can be best
reached by PLAYING into their ambitious |
schemes. For instance, suppose one who |
had diverted S2l7 ,9O5 from railroad fund, |
takes the Sl7,905 and with it establishes |
two newspapers-one in Nashville and the |
other in Knoxville-uses them to malign |
the men he dislikes, and 10 advance such |
as, he can eontrol-dictating candidates for
Governor, for Supreme and Circuit Judges, |
Chaneellors, members Of Congress and
4 nfftf. "A