The Lincoln County herald., 1872-12-25
THE HER AID.
TROY. MO-. BMExREa Is, 1879.
TIE BriAea CoRgressAes.

working tue matter up bravely. Last
veek Oskes Ames xss before this body
and vas examined by it, in which bis
transactions eith the members Of Con
grcss we're shown. lie said that a nun
Der Of congressman. giving their names
owned some Of this Credit Mobilier stock
and that he held it in trust for, and paid
the dividends to them.
BY this statement it is established tha,
certain members Of Congress have invested
10 one manner or other 10 Credit Mobiicl
or Union Pacific stock and since the
fact has come so forcibly TO light. instead
Of further denying oil knowledge Of the
affair, they DOW only attempt to svads
the charge that they gave their vo.s'
instead Of their money for it. They
will nov confess 70 the ownership oi
such stock, former denials to the contrary
Notwithstanding, and declare their righ'
% soo, rsssmsn TO invest 10 this or any
other stock they please oil of which
may be very true, but by the chau Of
evidence tha. has been brought to light,
it looks as il some Of them had been
bribed; or, if not, they are guilty Of an
act equally gross-voting for measures
that affected the value Of stocks in which
they had previously invested.
The charge Of bribery was 6rst made
during the recent campaign, aud was
supposed BY many to be merely an elsc
tioneering scheme, but recent develop
ments show the ,naceuracy Of this opin
ion. At that timo several whose toes
were too badly piuched to grin and bear
it, came out in public denials not only
Of the charge Of bribery, but that they
owned any such stock. Oakcs Ames,
who made the contracts with them, now
says they do, and tie fish caught 10 the
Credi, Mobilier net are afraid to say they
don't, since Aues says they do, and are
shifting their ground Of defense by say
ing that las members Of Congre ess they
have right to invest in stocks" If they
have, and We will not question the right,
Why did they deny i. 10 the frs, instance ?
Probably because they uere bribed with
it, and we're go confused and dismayed
when the fact was made public, that
they couldn't think clearly enough to
advance this stunning argument, but just
stumbled upon wholesa'e denial Of both
the charge Of bribery and the ownership
Of Credit Mobilicr stock
Take them at their last plea, and they
stand in no better light tefore honest
people than they would under the FRS,
charge. If it is true that they own the
stock, it is also true that they have voted
for measures as congrcssm o affecting its
value, thereby allowing personal interest
TO prompt their actions in matter which
as the peoples representatives should
have been governed wholly by unselfsh
motives. In the one case they are paid
to vote for certain measure; in the other
they increase the pd'ue Of what they al
ready o,on by voting for certain meas
ure. Either is bribery, though they may
be called by different names.
This specimen of characteristic Amer
lean corruption may not he confined to
any political faction-there may be Dem
ecrats as well as Republicans implicated
although it is under q Radical regime
but be that as it may, recent develop
msnts prove beyond doubt that the
men we send to Washington to watch
over our national affairs, are not as homes
and disnterested as they should bo, bu
that they look more to fea,heripg thei
own nests than to national interests. Th,
Credit Mobilicr stock speculation show
tina. corruption does exist 10 high place
in this country, and if not checked thu
first thing we know we'll have been sol,
out to some gigantic railroad or othel
nonied monopoly.