The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-02-24
How Railroad Lobbyists and Schemes
Are Favored by officials.
No,O00 Square Miles Of Public Land Promised
Away to Private Corporations
IOWA AND KANSAS RINGS.

Learned Legal Prostitutes as Railroad Agents
and Leaders Of society'-0utrageous
Treatment Of Settlors-Sorrows
Of the Iowa Farmer.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 81, 1878.
Only two weeks remain OF the session, and the
average Congressman wishes that each day was
the last In order to cover up developments nearly
apparent 70 the public eye.
Both houses OF Congress may be said. without
scandal, to contain
WORKING MAJORITY OF CORRUPT MEN.
or tins working majority q comparatively small
portion comes under the head Of constant and
steady jobbers; but in each of the big committees
these same professional advocates Of j0bbery have
prominent places, and they balance in influence
all the rest Of Congress. Such men have, from
time to time, thrown little piece
Of spoil into the way Of some
more scrupulous colleague or friend on
the floor, and tie scrupulcus man is in more dis
tress lest that one peccadio may come out than
the ullblooded jobber about all his villany. few
nights ago one OF the Senators, whose name is q
pseud0nym for axe-grindings and special legisa-
tion hired public hall and gave grand ball and
banquet to a company to celebrate the opening of
his new mansion in this city, Plainly enough, this
man had no suspicion of the public indignation that
more tlmid people supposed to be abroad; but the
time Is predicted on all sides to be not far or when
these jobbers will find audacity at discount and
themselves in the focus OF concentrated excite
ment such as we have not witnessed since the rls-
Ing Of the North against the secessionists.
THE DISMAL RECESS.
A long recess will take place between the 4th Of
March and the following December. During that
interim the public press will have the calmest OPP
portunity to make q grand inquest of the nation
upon the hundred or more great corrup tons which
equal the Credit Mobicr in venalIty. Although the
Congress to come contains large proportion Of
iobbers many OF these will probably find their oc-
cupatlon gone, because the land grant system has
no legs to stand upon any longer. change Of the
ofAcers Of the House Of Representatives will
accomplish good purpose; and one OF these,
namely,
BILL KING,
or Minnesota, a notorious lobbyist and the Post
master Of the House, has voluntarily taken himself
out Of the way, having secured an enormous con-
tract on the Northern Pacific Railroad, whose bill
he helped to pass.
Another officer Of the House,
SERGEANT AT ARMS ORDwAY,
of New Hampshire, whose Office has been a bank
of deposit for cakes Ames and other schemefs,
proposes, with diminished chances, to make
another run, and he is said to rely upon the power
which he holds over certain members whose fnan-
caI transactions he is said 10 have control OF. TO
Ordway will be opposed
JOE DwYER,
4 henchman of the DelanO clique, and this selec-
ton will be out Of the frying pan into the fire.
While there are several excellent officers on the
House side, attentive and industrious, particularly
in the document rooms and the folding rooms, at
the same time the doorkeeper's department and
part OF the clerks department and o majority of
the committee clerks have touched the silver OF
the schemers, and wait for each new session to
come about to lay by an unearned penny.
The Ways and Means and the Appropriations
Committee and two or three other important CON-
mittees are esquired by men who know
THE FULL VALUE OF WINK
or q word and OF whom it Will be impossible to
expect anything better. 1t ought to be the rule
that chairman Of committee is 10 be judged by
the character of his clerk as well as by his own;
for the clerk is the ocer Of the watch, and If he
mold over from Congress to Congress he will OBJ
tain, with ordinary method, the run OF the CON-
mittee. The man Bassett, now before the Ways
and Means Committee on the charge of having
Onered his services to q brokers' combination for
$500 month and $4,000 when the bill in purchase,
passed, used to be so indispensable to General
schenck that when Schenck put through his bills
he would have Bassett by his side to compute for
him and supply points and ngures.
THE OFFICE OF sPEAKER
is 80 exceedingly powerful that the caucus fashion
of naming the man has come to be Of very doubtful
propriety. We can see now that 1t was not until
Schuyler Colfax had left the CHAIR altogether and
retired from the House that his little acts Of con-
alteration for envelope makers, shovel makers,
iron Makers express companies, &C., were found
out without perfectly high-minded Speaker and
absolutely honest men at the heads Of the four or
i've leading committees all legislation will inevita-
bly, be diseased.
THE ELEVENTH BEATTuDB.
Apprehensve that their misdeeds cannot be
hidden much longer, great many members and
senators are now making the point through their
political organs that public man has q per-
feet right to own railroad stocks, &c. II this
point be admitted the tone of Congressional life
would at once be set ten degrees lower than here
tofore for up % this time II has been to such an
extent dishonorable 10 hold stock In affairs requir-
fnr recognition OF any kind from Congress that
men ike Mr.. COfax made profound secret Of
their investments under this head.
Among the schemes which need perfect ventila
ton as soon as the coming Congress meets are the
whole series OF
the passage OF the additional subsidy 10 the Pacific
Mali Steamship Company the passage Of the North
Pacific and the Texas Pacific bills, the facts under
which such railroads as the Cairo and Fulton had
their land grants extended, the combinations
which exist TO force the railways on the border OF
the Indian Territory through that region ana ex-
tort land grants at the expense OF the civilized In
dian, and also the manner OF building the Central
Pacific Railroad, aud the sums OF money which II
has paid to Senators from California and Nevada,
and perhaps from some OF the Eastern states.
From this list OF jobs 1t will be seen that the
matter OF subsidies In lands and moneys has in.
VOWED the major portion OF public corruption.
There are two States OF the West in which
the land-grant system has wrought complete de-
morallzatlon OF political sentiment. ana captured
the press. the Legislature, and finally, the Land
ONCE, at Washington city.
THE FOUR thieves.
Prior to the time OF the building OF the Pacific
u.llx.x IN rai lxVo