The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-12-19

DECEMBER Is, lS72.-TRll
Tho Credit MobIIicr and fOc Congress
sional Invcstigatfon.
sWhere there is much smoke There is GER
tain to be some fire. is an old proverb. Mud its
truthfulness is generally substantiated blythe
results. The futter among Congressman over
the Credit Mobilier investigation would
scarcely have been so great if no such thing
as ''placing" stock had ever been heard of in
the House of Representatives, and if every
member who has persistently voted in favor of
the Union Pacific Railroad schemes had done
so in entire ignorance of Cakes Ames, Alley,
McComb and the other worthless of the lobby.
The investigation itself could never be ex-
pected to amount to much; its secret sessions
and its tenderness towards Witnesses might
have been relied upon to bring forth very
modest and harmless report yet we find Rep
resentatives tuning and foaming, denying
and denouncing, and doing all manner of
unnecessary things to prove their indignation
at the charges brought against their honorable
body in connection with this profitable job.
These members are probably injured
innocents, as spotless as the driven
snow and as pure as vestal virgin
but we would suggest to them that they dam
age their case by exhibitions of feeling, and
that it would be wise to leave the investigating
committee to drag its slow length along under
the grave perplexity of it's venerable chairman
and through the weary legal tediousness of
Messrs. Black and Cushing. We regard it as
especially impolitic to abuse the patient and
note taking McComb, whose little pencillings
have led to the existing SANDER. No sensible
man would expect to find q saint in the person
of lobbyist mixed up with attempts to bribe
the national Legislature; but when we are
told on the floor of Congress that McComb is
an adept at corruption; that he has had
fraudulent transactions with the War De-
partment and with different railroad compa-
mics; that he once "bought the whole Legis-
lature of Louisiana for eighty thousand dol
lars''-a high price for such body, by the
way-the thought occurs to us that he is just
the man who would be likely to purchase Con-
gressmen, and we are led to wonder how our
Representatives at Washington could have had
any intimacy with such character.
The tribulations Of the investigating COM
mittee are not less than those of the sus-
pected members Of the House. They are
confused bewildered, badgered by the lawyers.
With Judge Black on one side, with his in
quisitorial tongue, and Caleb Gushing on the
other, with his head-splitting legal points,
Judge Poland and his associates are fairly
distraught. If they were permitted to ask
questions in their own way and to accept the
answers of witnesses at their own estimation
and smooth water. But the lawyers bring
storm and tempest into the committee room,
and the sea of investigation is dashed into
fury. Judge Poland can discover no hope of
reaching a safe port unless he can cast the
legal Jonahs overheard. The attempt has
been made te cqt the clays-or the tongues
Of Messrs. Black and Cushing, and it may
succeed; but we incline to the opinion
expressed by the chairman Of the COM
mittee, that between them they may
extend the investigation to the length
Of Senatorial term. The perseverance Of
! the Washington correspondents is another
source of trouble to the committee. The
sessions arg secret yet the HERALD pub
fishes day after day full and graphic account
of the proceedings inside the 'closed DOORS"
and the kindly efforts Of the committee to
suffer nothing but their carefully prepared
report to reach the public eye are cruelty
defeated. The examination of Witnesses, the
squabbles Of counsel, the perplexity of the
committeeman, ara all set forth, and it seems
probable that oil the facts that may be de-
veloped, however damaging they may be,
will be given to the people by the press de-
spite the injunction of secrecy imposed upon
every person connected with the investigation.
Under the circumstances we believe the COM
mittee would save themselves much unneces-
sary annoyance, and the House of Represent
atives much probably unfounded suspicion, if
they would open their sessions to the public.
The people are the parties really interested in
the honesty and integrity of their Congress-
men, and there is no good reason why they
should not be allowed to hear the whole evil
dence, instead Of being put off with the final
conclusions Of Congressional committee.
Secretary Boutwell, and jay Cooke
Before tho Committee OF Ways and
Means.
What q happy accord there is between Sec
rotary Boutwell, and Mr.. Jay Cooke on fnan-
cial matters and on the debt-funding question
They agree exactly. Both have been before
the Committee Of Ways and Means to give
their views on the funding loan scheme. Mr..
Boutwell, spoke in admiration Of his syndicate
plan of funding the debt or making loan
for that purpose, and of the successful negotia-