The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1873-01-30
.bs,aafssas From the Nswlrork World.
The credit NIobilier. J

! I'VE need not waitItill seithersthe
/ prosecution or the defence closes, it's
case to give a general Judgment on
the investigation san pending III Con-
gRessYf, lneulPAtedy indiRidnals there
/ are who YiH ,hereafierabe enabled 10,
K iexcuipate themselves or will be still
more gi'eepfy iincuipated.. But tits not
Eof individuals that we prefer to speak.
lit is not because it helps Or hurts any
llparty oryany person that we. ought to
llIg1htiefD Il he testimony which shows
ilthe Il eject of our uflhationaI character IN
Jas strong and striking IA way as il is
lshown by the helplessness, in the face
IofoolIo aHgYS seierneEt, of American
ltleels upon tbee sea, 4 onfhe heipless+
mess, in The face of one angry JelepeRt,
| of American structures upon thelsnd.
'Ffiis il one phaseAot the reckless hur-
rX aud the, reckless greed which, IN
! the building and eQuihWent of steam-
4 ets and in / ne building and equipment
4 iofslIo ases1 1an a warehouses, lead buifdI
/ eysaana oMhers TO i.disI'egapddthed frat
conditions of safety in Iboths oFremi
( the time of Solomon his saying has
! received fresh'dxenpiifcatiOn in aeEe-
| ry n ageIeFatipps9but never more fDe-
quentlya thai than lin, il, our oYr. He who
innoteiiGsySc .smii 9no Js 9onaDhoIjA
sThohuildiug ofithe Ba6ific Railway
was both public and private eentsr+n
prise. The private interest of the
stockoboldefsandsb bondholde ers was in
seme seFtsopposed TO the public inter-
est. Of,this public interest Congress
was the Guardian. IT was the sworn
| duty OF every CdhgressrEan t0 Insist
nponfiIe public Interest. aid to1'ef0se
postponhlg it in any particle to. tho
private interest which might como
intolcollision with it.i BY beconIinga a
paPtakeri of that private interest q
Congressman would be placed in tue,
same position as Judge in a suit
Wherein he IS Interested. The law
declares, and the sense and self-re-
kspect of honest judges would declare
without the law, that when suit in
| which qai judge is fintefestedLnay, a
suit in w hieh u kinsmamofi the Judge
is nterested1conIes,, up for trial. sucll,
a Judge shall abdicate the bench,
That 4 Judge Should buy an interest
inya5suit after lit has been beguii and
brought before him lsia thing so inon-ii
kstrous and incl edible that the law
khas1 omitted 10 provide against it, Il
.AnAlye in what would the position
of a judge who should perpetrate this
INDUSTRIOUS and incredible offence
against justice differ from the posi-
lion of a Congressman who should
buy stock ofwhieh his official action
might enhance the valueI That is
the thing which has been done by ma
ny congressman. 2 We care not to re-
fiheayse, their;names nor to distinguish
their political complexion. Give
them the benefits of all the doubts
whether they knew the object OF
Oakesa Ames. himself a Congressman,
iii going about among them offering
them stocks and promising them prof
its. The facts remain:
/ l. That these congressman assum-
ed private interest opposed to the
public interest, they were. chosen and
| sw orn 10 protect.
| g. That they voted to postpone the
public interest to their private inter-
est and procured such a postpone
ment by subrogating the first mort
gage held by the Government to the
second mortgage held by the Credit
Mobiiier, in which they were stock
holders. asa4ers. sd nea uafs1s nem,
3. That they procured another post
ponenent by passing a bill, against
the decision and over the head of the
Secretary of the Treasury, releasing
themselves from paying for thirty
years the interest which as stockhol-
fders9 they were bound TO pay at once,
and which as Congressman they were
bound to enforce the payment of ,ams
These things are true ofall the Con-
gressmen who held stock in the Cred
it Mobilier and voted for these meas
ures. They voted to take money from
the pockets of the people whose in
pterests they were sent to Congress- to
protecfyaIId put that money into their
own. Ii they had boughtt tthe stock at (
its tull value, they would still have
been guilty of trading on their trusts
tor iiiohey. OF all "of them this is
true, e,5and Of some ofthehi hiinuch more.
Those of them who bought ifhesstocka
at less than its value, knowing that
the difference which. they failed to
make up in money they were expect
ed by the seller to make up by their
Speeches aud theirgvotes, and those OF
them who permitted Oakes Ames to
"carry" the stock which they were un-
able to pay for, were distinctly bribed
to bfeacho of 2trust; and those of
them who have denied what hss come
or is coming TO be testified against
them are guilty of bribery and of per-
juary together.
This isla shameful showing. and It =
is most shame ofFall in. this, that those
whom it conyicts show scarcely any
shame for it Men who only chatter
ed with Oakes Ames about buying
from him stock the value of which
they must have known that their off
'cial action was expected to increase,
hold up their hands before us and cry
aloud that they are clean. But of
men who entertained his offers, and
refused them on other grounds than
than that, to accept them would beia
breach of trust, though it can be said E.
that they are guiItless before the law,
can it be said that they are spotless 7
Is this "that sensibility of principle, d
that chastity of honor, which feels =
stain like a wound" aud which alone
is entitled TO be called public yirtue2
OF the vulgar batch of criminals who
took the brihes of Ames as laborer
his hire, and worked inithe lobby and
on the floor to earn them, what can bo
said save that with their bribes they
have earned infamyg But can we say
with confidence that they will be held
This one thing we can
say, that il the offence of these Com
gressmen is condoned by their fellows
and their constituents, form OF gov
ernment which pOstuates the intelli-
gence and the virtue OF the people and
the legislators the people shall choose
for themselves has become for such a
Congress and for such constituencies
a failure and farce.
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