New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-01-24
MORE LIGHT,

mind than the reluctance OF the accused Con-
eressmen TO tell the whole truth. Facts are
drawn from them only by the most painful
process of examination and crOss-examlnatlon.
Shutting and prevarication, imperfect and de-
ceptive statements, lies which are half the
truth, have INSTRUCTED every step of tho in
vestigation. When the story of McComb was
first published in September, every man
on the famous list with one or two
exceptions) denounced it as a fabrication.
Examine their denials carefully, in the light
of subsequent developments. and you will find
in most of them loophole of evasion; but
they were intended to be taken, and by tho
Administration press were taken, as the most
sweeping declaration that there was no foun
dation whatever for the McComb story; it was
sheer invention. 1t has now been shown
that Cakes Ames did offer stock, at
half its market value, to every man
named in that list and that every
man, except Blaine, Boutwell,, Eliot, and
Fowler, did accept the offer. Confronted with
the evidence that they did have dealings with
Dir. Cakes Ames, the honorable gentlemen
next attempt to show that they made no
profit on the stock, drew no dividends, nay,
as general thing, threw up the bargain
before it was completed; whatever may have
been the intentions of Mr.. Ames, they at any
rate are innocent of wrong. They merely
proposed to buy stock as an ordinary matter
of business, but changed their minds as soon
as they heard IumOrs of litigation.
At first Mr.. Cakes Amcs seemed disposed to
sustain them in whatever they saw fit to say
The testimony of all parties, so rumOr says
was harmonized in frequent private cOnsulta-
tons before the Committee began its labOrs.
Mr.. Ames remembered nothing that it was i'm
portant to forget, and could not find the
memoranda which would have told the whole
story of his dealings with the twelve. 1t looked
as if the explanations of the men who bought
the shares, however they night affect the public,
would be accepted by the Committee, so that
harmless report could be made to Con-
gress. But the fate of the man who sold the
shares was not so clear. Mr.. Ames was I'M
d0ubtedly guilty of an attempt to corrupt the
legislative body of which he is an ornament,
and it does not appear than anybody has been
very anxious to save him. 1t may have oc
Cured to Mr.. Ames as a good plan, under
these circumstances, to recover his memory.
He had evidently failed to save himself by
concealing the truth; he might save himself
by telling it. A frank explanation of his trans
actions would compel his fellow members to
remain in the same boat with him, out of
which they were trying to scramble, and if
they did not succeed in keeping themselves
afoat Mr. Ames at any rate would go to the
bottom in very distinguished company.
Mr.. COlfax was the first victim of the re-
covered memorandum book In a speech de-
livered last September. he declared: Neither
"Oakes Ames nor any other person ever
" gave or offered to me one share or twenty
" shares or two thousand shares, in Mobilier
" OF any other railroad stock, and unfortunately
81 have never received the value Of farthing
"out of the 270 per cent dividends nor the
1900 per cent dividends in cash, stock, and
"bOnds you have read about every day for
:" the past month. nor one hundred per cent,
"nor one tenth of one per cent" In his exam
nation before the Committee, he testified that
after agreeing to buy 20 shares, and paying $500
on account. he broke off the bargain and al
lowed Mr.. Ames to keep the $500 because he
had been unfortunate in business. He added,
81 never received a dollar in bonds, stock, or
"money as dividends"s and furthermore de-
clared that he was out of pocket $500 by tho
operation, and that Games never paid him
"the value of dollar on any account what
"evern Mr. Ames did not contradict this tes-
timony at the time, but he now swears that
Mr.. Colfax bought the 20 shares in full, and
is still the owner of them; that they were
paid for in part by an 50 per cent dividend
due soon after the date of the transaction and
the rest by Mr.. COlfax's check for 1884 ~
and that Mr.. Colfax did receive one dividend
of $1,000, paid by check to rs. G..
cor bearer" on the Sergeant-at-Arms
of the House Of Representatives. This officer
confirms the statement as to the check Mr..
Allison, formerly member of Congress from
Iowa, and now Senator-elect from that State,
was also very emphatic and sweeping in his
denia)s. "Please disclaim on my behalf,n he
telegraphed to friend, any shareholding or
interest in the Credit Mobiier or Union
Pacific stocks. / have not had any, and
"have not derived any profit therefrom.n
Yet Mr.. Ames, having examined his memo
randum book, now testifes:
"Mr Allison agreed TO buy 10 shares Of Credit Mo.
bner stock; received his dividends Of 80 per cent
bonds that stock which sold at aud he paid me the
difference IN cash; in June he received dividend Of
5000"
With Mr.. Dawes, Mr.. Kelley, and Gen. Gar
field the transaction seems to have been pre-
cisely similar; with Mr.. Sc0feld it was per-
haps the same; but here the witness became
uncertain. The cases of Mr.. Patterson and
Mr. Bingham are already pretty well under
stood.
There is a curious doubt, however, as to the
ownership of the stock now. Mr.. Allison, we
learn, as soon as there were signs of trouble.
resold his Credit Mobilier shares to Mr. Ames
for a sum of money somewhere in the neigh
"borhood of five cents" because he did not
want to be "mixed lid with these malicions