, 1873-01-13

There can bo no doubt Of the value Of impu-
dencc al an economical forco III life. There ia
no surer why to get gold than to lay in good
stock Of brass. By moral impudence como men
have even reached canonization. By socil i'm
pudcnco, many man, without dollar in his
pocket, OR IN idea in his head, or drop of blue
blood in his veins, has shouldered his way into
tho very penetralia Of good society. Impu-
denco may be carried to the verge Of sublimity,
and, for time, may dazalethe world. Impu-
dence has pushed it's possessor to the topmost
heights Of power more than once in our political
history. In all the records OF public i'm
puaence, however, there has boon
hardly anything to compete with tho
claim of John B. Alley, that his partner in tho
C1odi! 5fobilicr, h1r. Oakes Ames, is entitled to
monument us q public benefactor. OF course,
If Ames is entitled to 3 monument, Alley ought
to hn7e Il shrine. These great PUBLIC benefac-
tors arc moved with yirtuons indignation that
they and their affairs should DO subjected to Of
corruption should be brought against them
they, tue founders Of the Credit Mobilier, which
built tho great Union Pacific Road over noun
tains, through deserts, and all that. -
Let us sec how far their impudcncc is justi-
fed, and how far their clnim to the gratitude OF
the country will bear the test OF pure mathemnt-
les. After getting a donation Of twenty-seven
millions OF dollars from the Government, and
:r1.l 4-~
frst-1nortgage bonds Of tho road, Mr. Cakes
h1nes, and Mr. John B. Alley, and the other pub
lie benefactors, sit down with slate and pencil
and calculate how much it will take to build the
road, OF rather that first section Of 500 miles
over aperfect1y level country which the Credit
Mobilier contracted to build, including fifty
eight miles already finished by the Union Pacific
Company; how many tons Of iron it
will talo; how many bridges are to be
built, aud how much the ditching 10 carry of the
rain will cost. IF they find upon reaching tho
Black Hills that it don't pay to go further, they
can, abandon the rest Having figured this up,
they turn tho slate over End calculate how much
they can get out Of the Government, how much
ont Of the public, and how much into their own
pockets. Then, having taken measures i" not to
be interfered with" by Congress, they go to
work. The first 500 miles, Us level az barn floor,
pays enormously. On the :noxt 500 miles
they get double subsidy, and that, too,
pays enormously. In tho end they present the
Government with second-class road pocket
1,505 peS cent in dividends of" cash, stock, and
bonds, hold themselves up before the people as
the victims Of persecution, and claim public
monuments for themselvesl Has not Oakcs
Ames built d great public highway from ocean to
ocean they eay. Has he not accomplished the
most gigantic work OF the century Ia he not,
therefore, entitled to the everlasting gratitude
OF the country7 Is it not shame that he
should DO exposed to such criticism Of
his acts, to an investigation Of the
manner in which he accomplished his
work, aud eren to the suspicion Of corrupt
practices instituted to cover up financial irregu-
larities2 This attempt to Offset q great public
work sgainst great private fraud, to make the
accomplishment Of this work, which has been
paid for at the rate Of 1906 per cent, an excuse
for elicanery and bribery, strikes us as the very
height OF impudence. We hear much in this
investigation about tho wickedness Of James
Fisk, Jr., and his wicked lawsuit against the
Union pAcifr, Fo ~ At, ~ ? nd -