Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-02-20
A Moral of the Credit sobirIer.

The investigation of the Credit Mobil-
Ter is likely to have some unexpected
collateral results. In speaking of the sub
iect when the inquiry began we said
eff If shall finally appear that members
owning stock voted tavors Ia the com
ranv, they must suffer in public estima-
ton with the members vino, being inter
ested in any manufacturing Industry,
vote for its special protection The
Credit MObilier investigation opens the
whole question whether member of
Congress can hOnorably vote upon any
question of favor to any enterprise in
which he is pecuniarily interested.
When the 7lj5un6 said that Mr.. Blaine
was ''proved" to be guilty of fraud be-
cause. being a member of Congress, he
had accepted stock in a company which
Congress, with his assent, has subsidized.
the accusation was totally untrue; but
had it been true that he was an owner of
the stock it would not have been more
fragrant offense than that which may
now be correctly charged against hun
dreds of members of Congress from the
beginning who are of the fairest reputa-
ton. We do not remember that the
Tribune ever denounced those members
as corrupt who, in voting for high tar
iff. protected their own private interests.
1t rather considered them patriots, if
we remember correctly, and supporters
of peculiarly american system" and
policy: and those who voted otherwise
were very questionable characters, who
were probably bought with British gold.
But why is it not as honorable to be
bought with British gold as with Amer
lean
The difficulty in the situation of the
members charged as bribed by Cakes
Ames is not that they consciously re-
ceived a consideration for their votes.
but that they received it uncOnsCiously.
Mr.. Ames, a man Of large enterprise,
naturally sought to enlist the interest
both of capitalists and of influential
men. for names alone, without money,
are often the most valuable allies to
great undertakings. Mr. Ames, I'M
doubtedly, is one of those who believe
in the Overpowering force of mercenary
motives. He argued that if it was the
pecuniarv interest of legislator to vote
for law, his vote for it was secure.
There is certainly no moral difference
between voting subsidies to railroad in
which you own stock and to an iron
mine in which you own shares. II
Thaddeus Stevens was interested in iron
and voted for high duty, his act was
not essentially different from that of
any member who was interested in the
Pacific railroad and voted for grant or
for q release from taxation. 1T MIR.
! Stevens could plead the advantage to
the national industry of protecting
| American labor, certainly the railroad
member might plead the gain to the ma
| tional welfare in great public works and
| facility of communication. Thus Mr..
| Colfax was always cQnspicuously inter-
| ested in the Pacific railroad. He advO-
Gated it in speeches, lectures and articles /;
and he would, of course, have aided it
! with subscriptions had he been a capital
/ ist. His interest was not selfish, but he
/ supported it upon truly public and not
1 private grounds If he had become sub
sequently an owner of its stock and had
voted subsidies to the road, it would not
be at all clear that his ownership affect
ed his action, because he would proba-
bly, have done the same if he had not
been an owner.
If, now, it be assumed, as it seems
generally to be, that it is impossible for
a legislator not to be influenced in his
vote OY Inc IdCI OF pcCunidty lutcIcSl
in the subject of legislation, the moral
of the Credit Mobilier investigation is
plain. Hereafter, when Congress votes
upon tariff favoring certain branches
of industry, the members who are pecu
niarily interested in those branches viii
be denounced as corrupt. After. the evi
dence before the Poland committee no
body seriously supposes that the Credit
Mobilier stock was accepted by member:
with any i'll intent, whatever may have
been the purpose of the distribution
But having become interested in it, they
ought rot to have voted to favor it. By
the same reasoning, having become In
nocently interested in iron, or copper
or paper, or wool, members must abstain
from voting, or, assuming that they ar
against their convictions in order not t.