American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-09-20
VOL. NXIII.
the PARTY OF FRAUDS.
redit-Mobilier, Salary-Grab and
Other Swindles.
The Republican Party
Responsible.
Speech of Senator Thurman al
waverly. Ohio.

The opening speech of the Ohio Democrat
Campaign was delivered at Waverly, on the nigh
of the Sd. by Senator Thurman. The speec
opened with a review of the rise and progress c
the Union Pacific and Credit Mobilier frauds, wit
reference to the corrupt tendency of the tim,
which made them possible. and to the generosit
of the Government which gave away vast sums q
public land. The Senator proceeded:
have list of the stockholders of the Crea,,,,
Mobilier, and want 10 call your attention TO sam
of the names on it, If ncre were any men il, hi
whole nation W were more bound than any Other
10 prev.ar the fraud contemplated; rob the Coy
c.nment out OF fifty million ct dollars, these me
Were the members NJ Congress. because they ha
i, in their power to apply the remedy and to $40
this thing at any moment. Congress had tn
power the moment that fraudulent contract for tn
construction of the road was made by which
double price was to be paid for building the road
by which 1t was perfectly clear that through tn
fundamentally OF the Credit. Mober all the prou
erly OF the Union Pacific Railroad Company was /
be absorbed, leaving the Government nothing 70
It's bonds-Congress had the power to pass &C
that no more bonds should be issued they nigh
Company or they could have amended or altere,
it as they pleased That was in the power of Con
grcss, and it was their duty TO prevent such frand
as this from being committed;
But what are tn" fats of the Gaze: In thi
Credit Mobirr swindle we find the name of JOIN
b, Alley. from Massachusetts,. He one of tn,
leading men in the Union Pacific Railroad Com
pany. and in the Credit-Mobier soon after its or
ganization down to the end. Then there was Sam
uel Hooper. of Boston, one OF the wealthiest mel
there and there was Cakes Anes. of whom it il
not necessary for me to give any account. He wa
find the name of James w. Crimes S.n-rc
from Iowa. Why, at the very time These frauds
Were planned At , the yer Time the means we,,
less than three members Of the House of Repre-
eentatiyes and one member of the Senate that be
longed 10 the Credit-Mobilier Company, by who's,
agency and by whom these wrongs were to BIZ
committed.
But it did not stop there. We have tie testi
mOny In that printed report that this thing SC
bad that one OF the niractors-for the Government
had five Directors, but they were perfectly power
le-s-reported these villainies to the Secretary OF
the Interiors; leading Republican who at the De-
partment Of the Interior had the general supefvi
sion Of ali this work. And what did the Secretary
of the Interior dos Did he lay this whole matter
before Congfesss Did he call the attention of the
President to it: Did he call The attention of the
public to these villainies that had been plotted by
which the Government was TO be robbed of fifty
millions of dolars Not the least bit In the world
but he put that report quietly into some pigeon
you want to knew who that man was. you will not
be surprised when tell you it was James Harlan.
the man for whom Durant, the Vice-President of
this very road, had paid ten thousand to elect to
the Senate OF the United States.
Let us see about these Trustees-these men who
Became og the means ssr have told you the
les. by the proxies that they held, elected Boards
Of Directors of either one of those companies at
their pleasure. Thomas C. Durant. Republican;
Oliver Ames, Republican member of Congress
from Massachusetts; John B. Alley, Cornelius S.
from New Jersey, and Benjamin &. Bates. another
Republican. They didn't allow q Democrat to see
inside OF the doors of that prison-house. The bus
inees OF that company was as much a sealed book
to every Democrat in this land il it had never
existed in the world. No Democrat, in Congress
or out had any access into that dark recess where
these villainies were being carried on. The whole
thing was done by Republicans, and what is
worse, two out of those seven Trustees were sworn
babe their doing anything Of that sort. They got
alarmed about that. This thing was too stupend-
to M Whef
Not that the Company had not all the les,sia-
ton they wanted, but he wrs frightened lest there
should be some investigation Of these matters by
Congress. and he knew that in that case the whole
thing would fall to the ground: ii was too rotten
to stand. So what does he dos He got the Com
pany to put into his possession over $24, 40 of
stock Of the Mobilier. 243 shares the nomt.
nal value Of which was F24.3u0, but the actual va
amount; he got them to put that stock into his
hands. What fory His own testimonies, that he
might place It, TO use his own phrase, where it
in the hands Of members of Congress- that thew
might use their influence to prevent any investi-
CATION OF the affairs of these companies; in other
words, TO prevent any exposure such as have
made before you here to-day How did he 90
about III PIG he approach any Dsmoefat' For
them.- AS said there was but one Democrat
sontaminated In the whole business, and tina was
Ames; he dealt with Durapt before this
How did Ames go about it? He wanted to pre-
vent an investigation by Congress. He first ap-
proaches the Speaker of the House Of Representa-
lives, who was then Schuyler Colfax What does
he propose to Schuyler Colfax, He proposes to
let him have twenty shares OF the stosk of the
Credit Mobilier What did he .ant of SCHUYLER
SchuyieS Was an influential man, or he could not
be Speaker of the House of Representatives. The
appointed by the Speaker; and if a resolution to
investigate were offered, the committee to invest,
gate would be appointed by Schuyler. How ne
:essary, therefore, 1t was to have the Speaker ON
he side OF these corrupronists that he would ap-
point committee to whtewash instead of to con
iict SO he approaches schuyler, and TO him he
pliers twenty ehares-to most he offers but ten
but Schuyler was too important miss. and
therefore,, he offered him twice as much as he did
anyone except Bingham.
/ will tell you why he gave him twenty Ames
himself was economical even In his rogueries II
ooks pretty cheap to buy member Of Congress
or thousand dollars; the idea of buying distin-
yutshed statesman for 81 600! But when YOU come
o look at it you will find it amounts 10 much more
,f twenty shares of the Mobilier and $3.50 in
he purchase Of some other bonds that Ames had
% sell And now what does bingham say he re-
,eived for that investment. Why the cash value
If 100. Leaving out the little bond of OF $500
axe his investment in the Credit Mobilier of 81 600
md you safe to say it brought him $6UOO: so
81 600 worth of Credit Mobilier stock represents a
,reat deal more; and the testimony shows it
worth 300 to 400 per cent. But Ames let them have
at par, although at the same time outsiders could
Tot have the stock at any price; the testimony
would not let anybody have ii outside Of their own
ing; they would only place it where it would do
he most goOd"-that is, TO buy members of Con-
,ress and officers Of the Government. They pur
hased Schuyler; and little Schuyler agreed take
yvo thousand dollars After that SCHUYLER got to
,e Vice President of the United states; and II
urther came TO pass that in ls1. The people began
o get some inkling of these yillanes. And how
hey got out will tell you. 1t was no credit to
ny Republican member that the people got on the
rack =
The people, in 1872, got to know something
bout this thing or to suspect; and then schuyler
ONES out and protests--oh, good man and Chris
ian s'atesman-he lectures TO Young Mems Chris
ian Associations and Sunday schools, when he is
OF engaged IN writing political letters political
protests. i'll Gods name. that he
had dollars interest in the Credit -NobiI-
r in all his life! And the rest follow suit; think
IL that were implicated He sw0re he didn't have
dollars interest in the Credit Mobllier
Now, what are the facts: L will not go over the
vent over day after day himself clear but
Id Ames only pinned him down faster and frmer,
mn the whole country and especially everybody
lent OF the United States should appear in so de-
raded position a. that. He the first man |
ppr0ached-
The next was James G. Blaine. Of Maine a very
.adng and influential man. Ames did not sue |
eed in fastening it on him, but he approach |
d: It IL SO stated by Amcs. and also by Blaine |
imsef
Who next? Mr.. Dawes, of Massachusetts, Chair |
ian OF the Committee on Appropriations, and one
T the leading Republican members Of the last
ongress- and Republican leader Of the House Of |
representatives.. was allowed to have ten shares.
Next. g. w. Scoield, of Pennsylvania. OF |
he leading Republican members Of that Stale; he |
4 Mr'Scofed have ten shares.
Next John A; Bingham, of Ohio. He let John |
ave twenty. Why did he let John have more than |
cofieldf John was Chairman of the Judiciary |
ommttee Of the House of Representatives, com |
ittee whose business it would be, il an invcstiga
on took place, TO decide whether those proceed
gs were lawful or not. whether they were not vi |
ations OF the charter Of the company. and IL 80,
hat steps the Government ought 10 take; and so
was very important to have the Chairman OF the
onmttee Of the judiciary; therefore Ames let |
i'm have twice much a. he let the common fry |
ave. SO Bingham took IA couple Of thousand
Who nexft Gen. Garfield, Of Ohio; and he
reed AT least Ames swears that he agreed, to
LEH for shAFsl hftrf Coz t..II
|, do any such thing; that there was II great deal
talk but he never got any and | am compelled
, Init Il -.