The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-03-02

man CuhIhCbbT, WIN WOluhu ohlo III
these daysp The license of journalism is not
always bounded by considerations Of Justice
or propriety; it spares nobody, young or old,
and is even made the foundation Of sort of
terrorism, which honest men ought either to
resist or treat with contempt The President
adopted the latter course. He let the oaluml
niators go on unreproved 80 far as
he was concerned. The investigation just
concluded was made solely on public grounds
not in defense of the President. Incident
ally, however, it does exonerate him, and let
us add, since the subject has been SO much
discussed, it was proved that Mrs. Grant
never wrote any such letter as that which was
attributed to her. 1t must be painful to her
assailants to see the prey they had marked
down rescued from their clutches. But they
will soon find another victim, and it costs
them nothing to produce fresh series of
fabrications.
Who, then, were the real authors of panic
which sent gold to higher point than it is
ever likely to reach again2 Where the sug-
gestion first came from is still open to ques-
ton. This we know-General Butterield
speculated in gold; so did Mr. Corbin. Both
tried to get information which would be use
full to them III their operations. AS for Mr..
Corbin, he appears to be too much broken
down to tell us very much about the affair.
He is weak, old, nervous, and unhappy-such,
at least, is his own account of himself. He
does not seem to have been the sort of man
at any time to have had much influence on
the President, who is cast in totally different
mould. Side by side with Mr.. Corbin two
other figures take up prominent position in
the foreground. We should be glad to avoid
mentioning their names, especially as one of
them, at least, is of peculiarly diffident dis
position. We are compelled, however, to re-
cord that the famous Mr.. James Fisk, Jr.,
and Mr. Jay Gould had a good deal to do
with the events of the oath of September.
Mr.. Fisks genial version of the affair we
published on a former occasion. He is
comic historian, and seems even to have
found time to cultivate the MUSES. at some
period or other of his life. Mr.. Gould, on
the other hand, seems to be of reflective
turn, and is, apparently, q man who takes
his very pleasures sadly. We get vivid in
sight into the characters of both men in an
account given by Mr.. Corbin of the events
which happened Immediately after the panic.
Some of our readers will remember that on
Friday night the great question was, "Where
is Fisk ?" People hunted for him high and
low, and some vowed that their intentions
towards him were not of the most friendly
description. The supplementary Stock Ek-
change in Fifth avenue was crowded with
excited persons who longed to see Mr.. Fisk
in the flesh. But he was in one of his
modest fits at that moment. Perhaps he had
| gone, to use his own poetical metaphor,
"where the woodbine twineth.'' He had
been seen to leave ''the street. in congenial
| society. After that he vanished into space.
| Mr.. Corbin now lifts the veil from the mys-
| terry. 1t seems that on that memorable even
ing three a stormy meeting Fisk cried
| out for vengeance on Butterfeld, and then
threatened poor nervous Mr.. Corbin until
the latter actually promised to go to Wash
| ington and see what he could do with the
President. The unfortunate dupe came back
as he went-a dupe aoih dupes; for there
can be little doubt that Fisk really believed
that Corbin possessed strong power with the
| Government. In this instance his sagacity
was at fault, and he will be ashamed of that
exposure. Some other points in his character
he can bear to hear criticized but for any
one to say that he is not ''smart," is to
wound him in his tenderest feelings. Yet
what are we to think of man whom even
Mr.. Corbin was able to impose upon?
Mr.. Gould is not gifted with the fortitude
of his associate. Some one asked after him
on the night of the panic. she sunk right
down." said Fisk; ''there is nothing left OF
him but heap of clothes and pair of
eyes" The crisis was in truth, rather alarm
ing, and Mr. Fisk himself might have been
pardoned if he had broken down under it
But there he stood, dancing and fiddline
amid the ruins. Mr.. Gould told the commit
tee that he was astounded when gold went up
rapidly He also said:-"I have never kept
book in my life' We need not commend
this practice to the notice of commercial
firms in general Mr.. Gould did, however
see the President once or twice, and tried t.
get information from him which would pa,
better than keeping books. Mr.. Corbin seem
to have helped him in this design-like tn,
lady's maid in the novels who admits th,
aspiring lover by the back door. Mr.. Gould
memory, like Mr.. Corbin's, is none of th,
best, and consequently he tells us very little
and takes up great deal of space to tell tina
little in.
The whole story comes to this: Mr.. Bout
well undoubtedly acted, as he believed, il
the interests of the public. Messrs Fisk an,
Gould thought they were going to make
fortune by sending up the price of gold, ant
they believed that Mr.. Corbin would furthe
their schemes. They also tried to get Genera
Butterfeld on their side, an it must b.
owned that he does not come out of the affai
} with perfectly clean hands. Fisk and his as
sociates did not find the plot work well, bu
Mr. Gould modestly declined to say how mucl
they made out of it on the whole. Finally
the President, and one or two others wh'
we're scandalously traduced at the time, ar
shown to have acted throughout with tn
highest integrity The report of the commit
tee will probably bring that fact out YER
clearly. The investigation will thus prevent
a wicked slander from passing into history
and we may be glad on that account it wa
ordered. Mr.. Fisk and all his dear friend
we must leave to the judgment of the public
RESULTS THUS FAR.
From the NJ Y. World
r.n H.. Ill Ioa1 of II