New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-04-05
OUTSPOKEN JOURNALS At 1.-THE HUB"


At times the eccentricties Of the provincial
press excite our special wonder. Not that 1t
lacks enterprise-that is of course Not that it
is dull, for ability naturally flows to the large
centers, or to new fields. Neither are we sur
prised that it is old fashioned, local, or even
that it is vcna-all of these peculiarities may
DO readily explained. Yet, passing over such
natural failings, we at times catch gimpses OF
a condition of affairs which is both curious and
shocking. Only last week it was rumOred that
a great corporation in the neighbOring State
of Pennsylvania had perpetrated one OF the
most startling legislative frauds of these
startling days. Ten millions of good bonds
held for public sinking fund were quietly
ordered by statute, on the instigation OF
great railroad corporation, to be exchanged for
ten million worthless ones, and yet the local
press which should have been the guardians
of the public. assented 20 the fraud, or were
silent. And now come strange stories
from "the HUB stories both strange and
grievOus. We, here at the metropolis, have
during the last few years seen some strange
railroad performances. We have had raids and
Jersey City hegiras. injunctiOns enough and to
spare, and wonderful lobby performances. One
thing we have not had-an acquiescent or venal
press Gould, and Fisk, and Barnard, and the
members of our bar have perhaps disgraced
themselves and disgraced us by violations of
the law and of good faith, but at least the
press has been Outspokcn in denunciation of
these evil deeds. How is it now with our
Boston neighborss While the mote was in our
eye, they were Offcious enough, but the beam
is now in their own. While the Erie frauds
were in all mems mouths, our Boston cOtem-
poraries held up their hands with the best. IN
well-nigh speechless horror at such short COM
ings. Let us see how they have demeaned them
selves since the evil has cropped out at their
own hearth stones
During the whole month Of March an in
vestgaton has been going on at the T ate
House in Boston, disclosing conditimbsof
affairs which fairly asserts prominence IN all
that is bad over anything yet disclosed in the
railroad corporations of New York. Erie retires
abashed before Boston. Hartford and Erie.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has, it
seems, been drawn into q partnership with
gamblers it has put in the capital, and they
have manipulated the cards. The luck was
against the partners; the public would not be
swindled and the State was. The facts have
gradually come to light The same men, it
seems-apt graduates of the Erie Board-were
directors of the railroad, were trustees under
the mortgage, and were agents of the Ring.
These men Overissued bonds, lent to each
other the money of the corporation, with
it bought and sold its stock, organized
"pools" to run its value up and down, and
thus to cheat the public, while it was arranged
that if profits accrued, the individuals were to
~, lOGapa
poration was TO shoulder them. All this was
done. Millions were issued out of the State
treasury to be expended every dollar, beyond
the limits of the State; millions were alb
stracted from the corporation treasury and lost
by trustees and directors in reckless stock
gambling. At last the day of reckoning came.
An indignant Legislature assemblies and 10
with incOnceivable. with unmatched impu-
dence, these trustees, directors and stock gam
blers come before it, by no means in sackcloth and
ashes, but with a cheerful confession of wrong
doing, an innocent offer to let by-gOnes be by
cones, and a pleasant proposition that they be
granted five millions more of public money
What is the position of the public press Of
BostOn-yes, of Massachusetts-in this grave
contingency A crime has been committed
an unheard-of scandal is published; the State
finds itself in alliance with those who are not
honest men. Is the crime denounced 7 Is
public opinion aroused Is the Legislature en-
couraged and impelled to right action BY no
means-the reverse of all this is the case. Such
cheap Indignation and virtuous rhetoric is re-
served by our Boston neighbors for the short
cOmings of the metr0pOlis-they have none of
it to spare for home consumption.
The unprecedented scandal to which we have
referred has now for one month been daily
d0led out in meager detail and the smallest
print, in obscure corners of the Boston press.
During that time we have in vain looked
through their columns for single indication
that their editors knew that anything unusual
was going on. Every organ Of public opinion in
"the Hub" has been editorially dumb. OF course
such silence admits of but one explanation.
The most scandalous raid ever witnessed in
America is daily advancing to success on the
treasury OF State. The bonds of the raiders
are very plentiful and very cheap; the prOpri-
etors OF the papers are very rich and, of course,
very rcspectable-they are lawyers, they arc
merchants, they are men of business and the
bonds. if the raid should fail, may prove a
total loss After all, il is perfectly tfue-acqui-
esccnce is not concurrence. ..' ...'
We do things differently here. We NAV be
bad, but the press Is at least outspoken, and
without price The Springfield Republican had
better como to NewYork; it must feel very
solitary, in Massachusetts,. Single handed it
has carried on the war, boldly aud manfully,
against a gross swndle and revolving outrage
Oh public decency and private good faith
here in the metropolis. it would have had to
fight the swindeIs. but 1t MIGHT h""" SOD