The Portland daily press., 1873-04-08
NEW YORK. Anril 9Th, t87;

h4o1iNS " iIAUcAcE t5~4btS iNs7-0
this head 81 testimony is ample ana coii''.-
siye. But the inquiry has thus faf iaii0r "
mint ont lhe naJnes Of the legislators TO "noin
h,.il,s yra-a maid. Tle chronic loG3yist BARBER
who has made IL the busines' of his HE 70 ae-
bareb Du5Iic servants conffsses TO tne receip'
ofs55 coo. but no ingenuity OF cross-eXamina
lion could wiring out Of bin the secret OF its
d stlibution. This vas to be expected. Bar
ber's occupation is gone The moment he be-
trays g. single accompiiee. The effect OF his
reticenco is to prevent the conviction Of any
menIbeT Of the legislature, and to throw a
shade of suspicion upon the whole body
This is cruelty unjust to the many Senators
and Assomblypen, who are unquestiolaby
honest, but is part of the system, and has
the effect to deter men, who value their repu-
taton from accepting positions which are
likely to subject them to obloqny and dis
trust. Probably this is the reason why so
great a number of obscure men OF uncertain
character obtain seats in the legislature, and
why there is gene. al feeling of uneasiness
throughout the State from the first day of the
session to the last, lest improper measures
promotive of personal interests should be
forced through both Houses by corrupt ap-
pliances.
Thoughtful citizens irrespective OF party
comprehend the imperative necessity oi de-
vlsing an effective remedy for these crying
abuses. Public opinion has been awakened
to the or lvity of the subject in very earnest
wav. and if the agitation can be kept up, it is
not impossible that the people may be stimu-
lated to the exercise of ajuacial discrimina-
ton in the selection of the Representatives
to whom they delegate the power of making
laws.
s One serious difficulty lies in the way. 1t is
in determining the respective measures of
guilt of the briber and the bribed. The for
mer is the creator, the latter the creature If
there were no tempter there would be no sin.
II is notorious truth that for the past ten
years, the chief sources ofthe wages of shame
to dishonest legislators have been the
officers and agents of those two great
corporations, the New York Central and
the Erie Railways. The former is under the
contlol of Mr. Vanderbilt. He is associated
with nominal Board of Directors but is con-
ceded to be the supreme power in the con-
cern. The records of his company show
that hundreds of thousands of dollars have
been paid out of its treasury to procure or to
prevent the passage of laws affecting the in
terests of the road. 1t buys its way through
every session. The excuse urged is that there
is no other way to protect the property OF
the stock-holders-that to resist a practice
which has been sanctioned by long impunity
and is recognized as matter of course, would
be to subject the road to ruinous extortion and
spoiation. But on the other hand, this ggan-
tic corporation exposes itself to reign Of ter
ror every winter by yieldingto the rapacity of
the lobbyists and their principals. The sword
has double edge. So that the paying of
bribes is a doubtful expedient on the score Of
interest, while ethically it Is utterly indefensi-
bic.
The Erie Railway has until recently been
in the hands of sordid adventurers hopelessly
destitute Of morals Or decency. Bribery was
the obviously natural weapon Of defense of
such fellows. But even under the new man
aganent, coplposed Of reputable gentlemen,
moneys have been appropriated to pay the
price Of guilt. Now, until popular odium
shall be visited with equal severity upon the
giyer and the taker Of bribes, and each shall
wear the common brand OF infamy. there will
be no hope Of purifying our State legislation
froln the horrible disgrace brought upon it by
these revelations Of base venality.
It was the good fortune of New York city
last fall to elect to the important Office of Dis
trict Attorney, one of the most able, fearless
and competent lawyers who ever occupied
that post in the person OF Benjamin K. Phelps.
Mr.. Phelps is a native Of New England, about
forty years of age, gentleman of fine address,
courteous manners. eloquent of speech, forci-
bic in action, Of irleproachabie character, and
endowed with rare energy and vitality. He
has been but three months in Office, and the
admirable efficiency of which he has given
evidence, aueers well for the administration of
justice under such capable minister. The
business of the Courts is being pressed for
ward with an alacrity hitherto unknown
in our criminal Jurisprudence, all clas-
ses of offenders are being brought to trial
with commerdable despatch, and his official
conduct has already inspired our community
with sense of increased safety to life and
property. --
The place of District Attorney is the very
best one in the city for a man who is equal to
its duties. The incumbent OF it is constant
ly under the public eye and his acts form the
subject of widespread criticism. His inn
mediate predecessor Garvin, left the bench of
the Superior Court to take this conspicuous
post. but failed to make any reputation in it.
Having obtained it from the Tweed Ring, he
was naturally suspected of undue affiliation
with that cabal, and did nothing in his official
capacity to remove that fatal suspicion. He
fell with his patrons, even Tammany Hall
denying him the empty compliment of re-
nomination.
Oakley Hall preceded Garvin, and f st be-
came known to fame as the prosecuting Off
Ger of the county. He had been previously
an assistant in the Office, and there had ac-
quired proficiency in the knowledge Of its
duties. Hall gave promise of a brilliant ca
reer. He was literateur of no mean pre-
tensions, poet, dramatist and wit; an
agreeable conyersationalist, ready in epigram,
a welcome guest at every dinner table, and
one of the acknowledged favortes of New
York society. He was withal good lawyer
and an industrious student, as well as genial
companion. The fatal defect of his charac-
ter seems to have been chronic distrust of
the good faith Of his fellow-men. Perhaps
this arose from his experiences of the polit-
ical associates among whom he was thrown.
Be that as it may, he grew to, or perhaps it
would be more appropriate to say, dwarfed
to the conviction that there was no such
thing as morality in politics. Originally
Wing, and subsequently Republican. he en-
tered into combinations and bargains with
Democrats, which finally threw him into the
ranks of that party. His change of politics
was as sudden as the conversion of ST. Paul,
but bore no other resemblance to that great
oyant Of aDostOlic history His Renuhiican