Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1873-06-05
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THE VIENNA SCANDAL.
Gen. Van Buren, still adheres to the
assertion that he IL not only entirely
innocent Of the charges each and all
preferred against him, and for which
he has been suspended from his office
r. Commissioner to Vienna, but In a
recent letter says, that the very irregu-
complained Of as occurring at
Vienna, such rs contracts for covering
the courtyard and additions to the
machinery department in the EXPOSE
ton building, on which 1t Was alleged
that the Commissioners letting the con-
tracts were to have five per cent, were
awarded BY McElrath, who now sits in
against him. We have for
some time past inclined to the belief
that Van Buren, was not wholly to
blame for the disgrace brought upon
the nation by these damaging charges
and disclosures, but a readily see
that he was not the man for the impor-
tant place to which he had been ap-
pointed. Van Buren's letters, although
warmly protesting his innocence, and
in no mild language upbraldlng Minis
ter Jay and others by whom no claims
to be p~ersecuted, bear evidence OF
either real honesty or q wonderful
semblance. They still more plainly
show that he ought never to have been
appointed.
When We reflect that the office OF
| Chief Commissioner to q Worlds Ex-
position not only In no sense partakes
Of a political character. but Is essen
TALLY the very opposite, we wonder at
the selection Of q politician who,
though he were never so honest, would
undoubtedly have bitter enemies to
encounter, and be naturally the object
OF animadversion from his political
opponents. But when to this retlee-
| ton Il added tho additional II that
| Van Buren, and Jay were rival candi-
dates for the Austrian Mission, a con-
test which was warmly waged BY each
party and his friends, and in which
Jay was at length victorious, and con-
slider that the Office Of Commissioner
to Vienna necessarily involved the
| closest harmony of sentiment and
unity Of action between the United
States Minister and the Chief Commits
sioner. the inaptltude Of the appoint
ment still more glaringly appears.
1t is, we think, plain enough to all
that Minister Jay has not been slow In
his prosecution nor mlncing In his &C
cu.ations against Van Buren,. How
much Of this may be ascribed to pure
motives, and how much to \ feeling OF
resentment at seeing a beaten rival
suddenly elevated to a position which,
for a time, was ever more potent and
influential than his own, must b
judged by developments already made.
the circumstances OF the case, the re-
lations of the parties and future
proofs. It would be idle to spec
ulate now, farther than to suggest
that the press OF the country have no
more right to condemn Gen. Van Blu
rem before both sides of the case are at
tempted to be established by evidence
than a jury to find a prisoner guilty
after hearing the prosecution only.
We are prone 10 PREJUDICE public Off.
GERS. Minister Jay, with the excep-
ton Of Cramer, is perhaps the weakest
OF our representatives abroad. and un-
til Van Buren, Is fully heard it is un.
fair to assume his absolute guilt,
though his letters show his ~unfltness.
The country, no matter whether the
guilty parties are Van Buren,, Noel
rath. or ever the prosecutor Jay.stands
equally dlsgraced before the world.
No denial Is made that both buying
and selling Of concessions and space
have been going on, and the main ef-
fort now seems to be to fix the GRIM
inality upon some particular person or
persons. 1t Is disgraceful, utterly
shameful, thus to make u country a
byword In the mouth Of Europe and a
potent argument on the tongues Of he
redisary despots against the corrup-
ton bred Of republican institutions.
VIII we never get over this universal
buying and selling Of everything
which can be bartered for profit or
place? 1t Is pulling the people down
morally and politically.