Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1873-02-08

J. 3. 0DI.:. Editor.
FROjTRCRG, ND, FEBKUARYs, 1878.

Probably at no period of our history
has corruption in official and financial
circles been 50 prevalent SIS now. So
mach, at least has never been brought
10 the surface and fastened upon 80
great a number Of prominent person
agea The disclosures already made
involve 30 many representative men
that the investigation now in progress
ia ansht with the fear that the end of
ugly implications is not yet. We look
to each days proceedings with the
apprehension they may develop come
other hitherto unspotted character
some treasured name in the nation s
roll of statesmen connection with
the discreditable Credit Mobilier bus
in ess. The slaughter of character, it
would seem, is complete enough, were
it not that it Is said CAKES AMEs has
more to conquer"
Close upon this follow the charges of
bribery whereby men S money secures
that which should be obtained I'M
bought These also involve the sale
of State Legislatures A single vote
may cost So ,O0O but it is given because
the purchaser aspires to y field now
known as displaying the grandeat op-
portunity for speculation. He buys
that he, in turn, may sell himself to
every ignoble enterprise that has mon
ey in it"
Even TWEED, the prince of robbers,
who IS just now virtually acquitted is
thankful that he is not member of
Congress, with his han1a and charac-
ter bedaubed and blackened with the
ofensiveness of Credit No5il,er buy
ing and selling. He in his career
bought Legislature that he might
turn q few millions Of public money to
his own use. The consolation he de-
rives from the recent disclosures
shows how "oaious is the comparison -
There is nothing here for political
opponents to Sioat overwhelming but
which should excite shame for the de-
cay Of official morals, and the depre-
citation with which the world is forced
to regard our system, 1t is a down
fall which in some measure involves
us all, and which forces us to ask
what is all this coming to?
The excuse that these things are
contagious--that statesmen are attiict-
ed with cupidity in common with
their less prominent fellows, is too
we'll grounded The element of ex-
pansion is in both, and, from this
comes the alarm for onr moral and
financial future. The greed for and
power of money were never greater.
The stock gambling, counterfeit market
transactions and the fictitious value
Of gold as compared with our paper
currency, all tend TO intuse corruption
and accelerate imitation. The oninus
of instability is in the system and
must, sooner or later, show itself
result which cannot now be measured.
There has been time when Amor
ican statesmen were unapproachable
to offers of bribery-when they rested
behind an impenetrable shield of pub
lie virtue. As we revert to that haley
on period we instinctively inquire if,
in our march Of boastel progress, we
might not prodtably take a step back
ward? At all events, let us discount
enance the man, no matter Of what
party, who buys his election, then sells
himself to misrepresent his constitu-
ents. Let us leave him to his OWL in
fanny, and show to the nations that
our boosted enlightened public senti-
ment is not a myth, nor our love of
public virtue fable.