The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-01-15

truly. for an honest company to be in. and
nice secretary and treasurer for an honest
company to be represented by before Con-
gressional committee In the light of such
evidence it is easy to understand the value Of
Congressional silence TO tho Credit Mobilier.
'We wanted no legislation" says the bland
Cakes Ames: ~ never asked single member
with whom I placed stock TO vote for any
measure connected with the Credit Mobilier."
This was Che cry of Tweed and Fisk and
Barber. and this is the cry of every corrup-
zionist who buys and sells legislators like
cattle at so much head. "Let US alone"
said the old Erie direction when they paid
over their money to Senators and Assembly
men at Albany. "Let US alone" echoed
the old Tammany Ring when they
thrust their brides into the pockets
of the thieves at tho State capital
"Let us alone" whispered Cakes Ames. as he
"placed' his valuable stock ''where it would
do most good" So, when the corruption is
unearthed, the plea of the corrupted is univer-
sally the same. Their profitable negotiations
arc all pure business transactions and they
never promise to give any consideration in
Legislative services for any favor they may re-
ceive.
Can these Congressional ostriches and their
apologisss hope to persuade the people that
men who enter into honest. bona jide business
transactions involving large amounts of money
are SO careless and Indifferent as to keep no
accounts, and to be utterly unable to tell
whether they have paid or received dividends
on stock at all. what amounts they have paid
or received. and at what dates they pur-
chased or relinquished the securities2 Do
they think that all their carefully pre-
pared and nicely dovetailed confessions
will blind tho people to the fact that an honest
tale needs no such elaborate caution, can be
told by word of mouth. and does not require
to be drawn up in writing with legal cunning
and precision Do they imagine, in fact that
plain, sensible men do not know that every
one of them would have had his Credit Mo-
bilier stock in his pocket to-day, like Mr..
Charles H. Nelson. but for the fear of the ex-
posture that has now come upon them2 If
they do. the sooner they take their heads out
of the sand and look about them the better.
They will then sec that the people have
lively interest in this matter. and that the best
thing they can do is to resign their po-
sitions in Congress and retire from
public life During the campaign it
was well enough to cry down the
charges brought against them as cleo
doneering ISLANDERS, but this plea is
no longer available The people have no
more confidence in any Congressman con-
nected with this miserable business than they
have in the Tweeds and Ingersolls and Gar
veys of the old Tammany Ring, and reGgna-
ton is the only atonement the tainted men,
bers can make for their offence. We have no
hope that Congress will have sufficient fear
lessness and Independence to expel them from
Senate and House. We have no confidence in
the investigating committee. But the cause
has been tried before the people the popular
verdict has pronounced the word Guilty"
and the best thing the defendants can do is to
throw themselves upon the mercy of the Court
and retire into private life