The Van Buren press., 1873-05-13
The Vienna Scandal.

Heretofore wev been able to wash our
dirty linen at home, and the scandal OF
the exhibition was confined in . great
measure to the nation whose. garments
required tho ablution. The Credit Mo-
blier business the doings Of Pomeroy.
Harlan, Caldwell and the rest OF the un-
cleanly crew, attracted comparatively lit
tic attention abroad, because they had
nothing to do with foreign affairs, and
foreigners, therefore, felt no interests in
what were assumed to be merely the &C.
centricities inseparable from republican
institutions Now, however, we have
transferred our tub of soapsuds acioss
the ocean, and inaugurated a washing un-
der the very nose of Europe.
The performance, though scarcely be-
gun, bids fair TO achieve all the notorie-
ty that could be desired and furnish
sensation which will not expire with the
events that originated it.
The American must have the toughest
of sensibilities who can read, without a
blush Of shame. the kilograms from Vi
emma and London. The Austrian capital,
though busy with preparations for the
Exhibition which is to draw together del
egations from every quarter of the globe.
and assemble under the hosptable roof
of Francis Joseph the chief princes aud
potcntatcs Of Christsndom, finds abun-
dant leisure to discuss with wonder and
Indignation the Developments Of cur
commission. The papers Of Vienna are
full Of unsayory revelations, dsgraceful
rumors and miserable stores connected
with the action OF those persons who
were selected to represent the honor, dig
nifty and power of the United States and
no matter what Secretary Fish and Min
is,er Jay may do in the premises, an in
efaceable stigma is already fastened up
on the national character The New
Free Prssse--wmch is supposed to OBJ
tain its facts from the minister himself
boldly asserts thut large sums of money
were paid to the commissioners before
leaving this country by various parties
who expected to gain thereby important
concessions in the American department
of the exhibition These payments werc
made under the pretext CT building q
model school house, and two German
restaurant keepers are mentioned as hay
ling contributed one thousand dollars
each TO said school house--for the priv
ilege, we presume, of dispensing solid
and liquid refreshments from the pre-
cincts Of that seat Of learning. Another
party who held refreshment contract
was called upon by commissioner, or
assistant commissioner, TO favor him with
small loan in consideration of certain
privileges to be granted hereafter; and
the same confidence game was played by
the same individual upon ether unsuspect-
ing vendors OF 70 cd and drink In short,
! ir we may believe half what we hear from
Vienna, a majority of the commissioners
appointed by tho United Stairs govern.
ment are nothing better than "dead-
beats who procured the position for
the express purpose Of levying sort Of
black mail upon exhibitors and the pub
lie generally This, at least. is the way
in which the whole thing is regarded in
England and on the continent, and this
is the burden we must bear in spite ofal
our protests, and in spite of all we may
do TO repair the damage.
Here, then, we have magnificent il.
lustraton Of the very evils which Presi
dent Grant promised to reform and did
not. These commissioners are, tor the
time being, part and parcel Of our civil
service, and during their official exist
ence occupy more important place than
any except the highest grade Of diplo.
mats. Their functions are to be exer-
cised, not in some out Of the way corner
where incapacity and corruption can be
seen only by the few, but literally in the
gaze of assembled Europe, where every
act must be noticed and criticised. IL
was the duty Of the president to select
the very best men the country afforded;
men Of high standing at home, familiar
wit foreign usages, thoroughly conversant
with the rules and regulations Of the en-.
terprisc they we're expected to assist
men OF enblemished integrity and &C
knowlcdged ability men of whom the
nation might justly be proud. From all
appearances the selections must have
been made p-hazard--at any rate they
could not well have been worse. The re-
suit is that the American republic 10 dis
graced in the eyes Of the world; turned
into a laughing stock for European mon
archists, and pointed at as an example to
be Stunned rather than initiated. we DO
not envy those Americans who visit VI
onna this summer and are consequently
compelled to face the reputation prepar-
ed for them bv these contemplate COM
missioners. The show must be splendid.
indeed, to compensate them Tor lhe or
deal which that reputation will inilict -
S. Louis Republican.