The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-04-21

pass q law removing restrictions and regu-
lating the details, we will conform to the law.
We can imagine how this bureau-hatching
process went on. The Senate Committee on
Commerce referred our memorial to be made
port of entry to the Secretary of the Trea-
sury for examination and report; Of course
having q "Btredu of Commerce and Naviga-
ton in his department, be must know what
we want better than we do ourselves. Mr..
Boutwell, glances over it, and finding that it
does not relate to Massachusetts interests,
taps little bell and sends our memorial to
the Assistant Secretary. This official reads it
at his leisure, and transmits it without any
Endorsement to the chief clerk. The chief
clerk is out getting luncheon, and the me-
mortal is thrust into a pigeon-hole, where it
remains unnoticed for several weeks. One day.
when looking for tooth-pick, the @. O. finds
the document, runs his eye overit tlazily, writes
on il 'for examination and report, and rings
bell. -Four boys spring to the summons
and jointly carry the memorial to the Com
missioner of Customs. This aged and very
respectable official who, if he knew anything
about navigation, might readily pass for an
t'Ancient Mariner" receives the paper So
lemnly. lie gives ten minutes to reading the
Endorsement, two minutes to the contents,
and then sends it to the chief clerk of his
bureau. In due course of time this indi-
vidual refers it to the sub-bureau Git is reach
ing a crisis now of Commerce and Naviga-
tion. He refers it, in turn, to the ''clerk in
charge" who gives it to one of his subordi-
mates, twelve hundred dollar clerk from
Maine, who sneers at the West and resolves
to snub st. Louis for wishing to be the capi-
tai. So he spends week in preparing an un-
favorable report, and recommends the estab-
hshment of new bureau in New York to meet
the wants of st. Louis. He gives this to
the head Of division, who sends it to the chief
clerk, who hands it to the Commissioner of
Customs, who refers it to the chief clerk of
the department. who gives it to the Assistant
Secretary, who respectfully transmits it to
Mr.. Boutwell,, with a letter written out for
him to sign, sending 1t back to the Senate
committee, with the unfavorable report. The
Secretary does not know where the report
comes from, but sees no occasion to differ
with the main clerk, and so the memorial is
returned to the Senate committee, and they
become possessed of Mr.. Boutwell's deliberate
Judgment on the subject.
We trust that Congress will deal with the
matter in more practical and liberal spirit,
and give us what we ask for; but for heavens
sake no more bureaus.
JOHN BANCROFT DAVIS BRIBED WITH
SIXTY THOUSAND DOLLARS.
From the N. Y. Sun,
Mr.. j. G. Bancroft Davis, Assistant Secre-
tary of State of the United States, and long
director in the Erie Railway Company, and
law partner of Dorman B. Eaton, has hitherto
been generally regarded as a respectable man.
Recent developments, however, show that
his good reputation has been undeserved,
and that, like many other men who for time
have enjoyed public esteem and confidence,
he is no better in some respects than the most
notorious rogues.
A committee of the Massachusetts Legisla-
ture has Just been occupied i'm investigating
the affairs of the Boston, Hartford, and Erie
Railroad Company, and that investigation
has led to startling disclosures of venality
and professional treachery on the part of Mr..
Davis. Mr.. John s. Eldridge, President
of this company, testifes that he got himself
elected President of the Erie Railway Com
pany, and that bribery was employed for the
purpose, the money being paid by the Bos-
ton, Hartford, and Erie Company. His object
in thus putting himself at the head of the Erie
Company was to obtain from it, for the bene-
fit of the Boston, Hartford; and Erie, favor
able contracts for freight, as well as pecu-
cuniary assistance towards completing the
Boston, Hartford, and Erie road. Mr.. Ell
bridge also testifies that in bringing about
these results he had the aid of Mr.. j. @.
B. Davis, who was then and long had been
one of the directors of the Erie Company;
and that he paid Davis 100000 as bribe
for his cooperation. ''Mr. Davis, he
says, twas to draw the contracts and aid us
in carrying them through" On a further
examination, Eldridge explained that Davis,
while director of in the Erie Company
was also a trustee the mortgage, of
the Boston, Hartford, and Erie. The pecu-
MARY aid which the Boston, Hartford, and
Erie obtained from the Erie with the help of
Davis was in the shape of guarantee by the
Erie Company of five millions of the bonds
for which Davis was trustee; and of the
100000 paid by Eldridge to Davis, one-sixth
part of the bribe was paid as compensation
for his services as such trustee. The remain
ing $4,000 of the bribe was paid to Mr..
Davis for his services in securing this guar
antee, and making other arrangements be-
tween the two companies for the benefit of
the Boston, Hartford, and Erie Company;
that is to say, Mr.. Davis, while a director in
the Erie Railway Company, took bribe of
$50, 600 to betra y their interests by carrying
through an arrangement which has already
resulted in the loss of millions to the Erie
Railway stockholders, and may result in the
loss of millions more.
This charge, it will be observed, is not
made upon hearsay, but is the sworn testi-
mony of John S. Eldridge, late President of
the Erie Company, and the principal manager
of the Boston, Hartford, and Erie. 1t is the
evidence, under oath, of one of the principal
parties to the transaction, taken in public
examination, and already blazoned abroad
through the Massachusetts, press.
In view of these facts established by
sworn testimony and uneontradicted, we re-
spectfully ask of the Congress of the United
States-and we ask it in the name of the
American people-how long this man Davis