Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-01-31

WHAT OTHER PEOPLE SAY ABOUT IT.

| WHAT OTHER PEOPLE SAY ABOUT IT.
The Boston Advertiser, a high-toned
paper, which is not in the practice of shield
ing corruptionists, stands by Mr.. Ames.
1t says:
To our personal knowledge Mr. Cakes
Ames, at the same time that he was selling
| stock to such members Of Congress as cared
for 1t, was freely offering it to our promi-
nent hnanciers. 1t was declined by several
bank presidents and INDEPENDENTLY for
no moral reasons,-who were at the same
time eagerly taking up stock in other
western enterprises. 10 one gentleman,
with whom Mr. Ames had business rela-
tons, he offered the option of taking the
stock at par within sixty days, and upon
solicitation renewed the option for another
sixty days; and as within that time the
market price had advanced TO lbs, the gen
tleman availed himself of the option, and
sold the stock. Mr.. John |. Blair of New
jersey. who has amassed large fortune in
railroad contracts, stated at a dinner given
him in this city that " the Union Pacihe
was too big for him and he had declined
an interest 1t should be added, moreover,
that all the legislation IN behalf of the
| Pacific railroad was passed before the Credit
!
all, and from three TO four years before the
transactions with members Of Congress now
| under Investigation. As the building OF
! the road went on, il was found that the
! difficulties had been greatly exaggerated,
! and that the cost of crossing the mountains
was much les than had been feared, and
very large profits were realized. 1t was the
old story of Columbus making the egg stand
upon the little end. Anybody could see II
after it was done.
This device ola contracting company Is
by no means peculiar to the Union Pacific
! The Central Pacific had " Contract and
| Finance Company of exactly the same ma
ture, which realized much larger profits
than the Credit Mobilier. The only differ
ence is that there have been no Durant and
! McComb To drag it before the public.
Numerous roads in Iowa and Wisconsin
| have been built upon exactly the same prin
/ ciple We are no defenders of this sort of
railroad-building. Much good, we hope,
NAV result from the oyerhauling. But the
uverhauling of a single enterprise, from
| which the country has received and Is daily
/ receiving rich returns Tor lts investment,
whit score OF Others not yet finished are
| going forward to-day unrebuked under the
very noses of oar censors, will be likely 10
prove neither ediiying nor profitable to the
country.
Some other people and papers believe the
whole thing - h-a case OF unmitigated
bribery. couuption and theft throughout,
aid they are calling for the expulsion from
| Congress Of Mr. Alres and tie others most
involved. Still Others suspend judgment or
take the middle view, vittily set forth by
+ 49,. " ..-..--+..r 81. ,- f..1 ',,v-
The last testimony given by Mr. Cakes
Ames before the Credit M0biier committee
/ has caused great commotion among some
/ Of the congressman. They say be lied in
famousiy. Sc and lie AYERS that be told moth
ing but the truth. If he did tell the truth
they are likely to suffer in reputation. not
because they bought Credit Mobilier stock
. but because they were not frank and manly
in their statements concerning the matter
If be speaks the truth, they sought to hide
their ownership Of the stock on account Of
/ the uproar, and have failed 10 do 50. We can
. NOT undertake To decide this question of
yeracity. MeS~rs. Coilax, Patterson. Gar
field and Kelley. against Mr.. Ames, are q
strong force; but his statements have made
an impression which they viii, doubtless
90 something to remove. Ii !. manifest
that somebody has failed 10 tell the truth
frankly and honestly \ New York paper
describing tie testimony of Mr.. Ame> and
is effect, is moved to quote rs follows -
Never before have the serrl ,orrorura
Had before 'tm
such q breach o. deccrum.
such ia grant defiance y ra3rlni bonorun.
And Won have again sr-g-l SIcu!0ruHl.
Nj Ame- viii be likely to regard this
quotation a~ very pertinent. if he has over
read the "hallad" from which il is taken
Tha, ballad tells tie story of an old
crusader, who came home from the wars
and killed bis page. his wife and his wife :
tparamour. aud afterwards made confession
of his in to the Pope According to hi
story, the papal judgment was, that it was a
yenia oAeace To kill page, that killing q
wife was rather more serious. but not I'M
pardonab.e. and that IL was by no means a
mortal ~iu % xii. paramOur; but he must
know who the paamour was IN order 10
decide this point properly. Tie might be
"a champion Of the cross. - which would
make the matter somewhat serious. "Oh,
nOn' said TIE penitent, "he was not a
champion Of the cross. nor a man of high
degree, he was only baretooted friar
Then came an awful explosion, in this
style
wow thunder snd turf" Pope Gresory said.
And his hair .4isel his triple crown n -ht oti 5
head.
Vow thunder and TUX and GU: and alas.
horrible thing has come 90 pass
What Cut oil the head o.: a reverend prior,
Z And say i was only harefooted lrar'
Z @ turpissime VT uequiss me. Scelerat-ss me-
cuisine iss. me
Never, ! trow. have the 'cryi scryorum
Had before EN-.
Such breach o. dcc1rum.
Such a gross violation u m0rum honorum,
And won't have again ssecula seculorum.
Come hither to me. my cardinals three.
Doctors and proctors u every degree,
Go, fetch ne hook-E0. fetch me a bell.
A. large a. dustman's. and a candle well,
III send him where good manners won let me tell 90
1t Is sometimes the case that artificial
crimes cause the loudest and stormiest ex-
plosionS of thunder and turf. Murder
could be excused 50 long As II did not touch
barefooted triar or any other representa-
tive Of the cloth Mr. Ames and the
Credit Mohilier people will be likely to
maintain that an artificial distinction of
this kind i made against them Probably
it will be shown that they were wrong. 1t
may be that the Credit Mobilier needs 4
faithful application Of bell, book and
candle; bat we can fancy hearing them
/ say Il Is all right, we suppose, 10 vote
/ Goat Island 10 the Central Pacific Company:
or vote TO have wretched and worthless old
canals sold 10 the government for millions
! of dollars or vote immense tracts of the
| public domain To rings of land grabbers, in
the name Of soldiers; or to vote for the
Hubbard telegraph bill with a Job Of the
biggest kind in it but it is horrible wicked
mes, to own Credit Mobilier stock :" The
( distinction made against them Is plain
enough. Is there any good reason for it
7 l. not a lob a ''iOb'2 And must il come
/ in the garb Of "barefooted friar. s. in
/ order TO get proper and noisy denunciation.
and be pursued by Investigating commit
tees