Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-09-25
Correspondence of the Herald.
From Ottawa.
condemnation.


THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY SCAN
DAL--THE INVESTIGATION BY THE
COAIMIssIONERs-ARE THEY DISHONEST,
OR IMBICILE?
OTTAWA CRY, Ontario, Sept. Is.
The sole topic of conversation, bar
room debate, newspaper comment,
stump speech-making, and, in fact,
every intercommunication of ideas in
Canada is the Canadian Pacific Railway
scandal. The various organs of the
Grits made it apparent that the govern
ment had been guilty of treachery to the
best interests of the country, and faith
less to their duty as guardians of the
public welfare. Everybody in Canada
and everybody everywhere who had
made the charges against Mcdonald and
Allan and other inferior members of the
ministry knew well enough that they
were guilty of all that had been alleged
against them. OF course they did not
all admit the guilt, for party feeling of
ten makes men support a representative
leader when they know well that he is
not deserving of that support. But al
knew that the charges were substantial.
correct, but the thing to do was to prove
them so in a tribunal of justice. The
"Grits" said that the House was tho
proper tribunal, and the dominant party
said it was not equal to the task in dig
nifty or in integrity. They would have
prevented a trial altogether if they
could, but the feeling was too strong
against them, and as compromise they
persuaded the governor to prorogue the
Parliament when it came together fol-
the trial and to commit the investiga.
ton to a Royal Commission which
should, the Governor promised, act hon
estly and fearlessly. The " Grits were
angry at this violation of their rights,
but were powerless to resist and went
1lurUv. III Que course of time the Com
mission was appointed, and proceeding
to its work. has now held twelve SEES
sions. And now, of the course of the
mode of procedure and the develop
ments and the opinion of those who
have knowledge of its daily work.
Taking it as already proved that there
was all the guilt allayed by the accusers,
in a manner sufficient to satisfy ordinary
minds, the question for the present
court to try is, whittier the man can be
legally convicted and the course of the
judges should be to submit the actions
and sayings of the accused to a rigid
scrutiny, and to take care that each wit
ness speaks the truth.
This is what should be; and not what
is? The truth is that the investigation
has hardly developed that which was
known beforehand and published in the
newspapers. Each day the witnesses
are summoned, and folio after folio COW
cred with their testimony, but nothing
is developed. There are two methods
of accounting for the fact that the in
vestigation is what we have mentioned.
On the one hand, it is possible that the
judges are not good lawyers, and can't
cope with men of such culture as their
witnesses are, and probably the accused
have improved all the time between the
discovery of the crime and the present
in covering up tracks, and in devising
stories, and that they have performed
their work of concealment with great
dizziness. This is the most charitable
view of the case, but it is not my view.
and | have the opinion in common with
men who have studied each word, and
each tone, and each change of counter
ance of the witnesses and of the Judges.
IL seems to me that the commission is
quiet i'll the interests of the accused.
Men come in to testify, and the Judges
let them tell little truth and hide the
rest, little truth and a good Geal of
falsehood, or one big lie, just as they
please. No witnesses are encouraged to
tell anything that will go hard with the
accused, and of course none of them
wish to, for they fall in the fall OF their
leaders. No witnesses are cross-examined
for Jno. Macdonald is himself the pros
ecutor. Men testify nearly every day from
whom [ am satisfied damaging testimony
could be elected were they put to
course of severe questioning. But they
are not, and SO tile trial proceeds a per-
feet farce and nothing better. The
Canadian people have been shockinely
abused, in the first place by being arbi
trarily deprived of dear right, and in
the next place by the insult Of this fan
cied investigation as they see Mac Don
aid and Allen and the others taking the
affair as good joke. There are good
many Americans here now who have
come down from Niagara en- route for
the lower st. Lawrence, the White Hills,
ETC., and who have stopped here to
watch the progress of the investigation.
TREE