The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-04-01
Mibbleburp 4tglster
TUESDAY. APRIL I, 1874.
rhe Caldwell Bribe.y Case.

rhe Caldwell Bride. y Case.
This pcrplexing case, which was sud
denly disposed OF about week ago, SO
far as the Senate was concerned, by the
resignation of Mr.. Caldwell, dscloses q
condition OF .hugs not pleasant to con-
template. 1t involved the largest amount
of alleged corruption of any in the histo-
~ of Senatorial elections. The payment
Of large sum Of money by which Mr..
Caldwell bought off his competitor is con-
fessed His guilt, even, in moral point
of view, is scarcely denied. But the
ground on which his friends resisted ex-
pulsion by the Senate, was, first, that the
offense was, technically, not bribery Sec
ond, that if it was bribery and corrup-
ton, the ofenso was committed while u
private citizen, SO that the Senate had no
jurisdiction Of the case. They could not
20 back Of the certificate Of the Governor
of the State from which he was sent.
The Senate has been considering the
case since the opening of the session, hear
ing testimony and discussing the matter,
some advocating summary action and
others resisting.
Mr.. Caldwell chung to his seat until
his tenure became, at least, doubtful, then,
to prevent expulsion, he resigned, and so
the question of cousttutionality was SOW
ed, or, rather, the issue avoided. The
following from the remarks oil Senator
Morrill, upon the issue, in the Senate,
shows somewhat of the character of the
transaction
While there is abundant testimony
tending to show that money was expend-
ed profusely in the Kansas Senatorial
election, by which, if true, the Legisla.
ture was largely debauched, and while
am inclined to dispute the legitimacy and
propriety of all such expenditures by can
didates as immoral and unrepublican, yet
the fact disclosed by a written contract
proven by witnesses, and avowed and de-
Tended by Mr.. Caldwell, by which he
agreed to pay and did pay to Thomas
Carney the sum of $1,000 in considera.
ton that Carney should withdraw from
being a candidate against him in 1871, is
the chief fact upon which | feel it to be
my duty to make some comments. The
question is, will the Senate suffer this re.
cord to stand as precedent which may
be safely followed for all time to come by
such as have the means and are not re-
strained by other virtues, or shall it be
promptly stamped with the disapprova
of the Senate as corrupt bargain that
makes the election which follows one
which should neither be tolerated or de-
Tended?
Technically, tho payment of the large
sum Of money to which | have referred
may or may not amount to the crime O.
bribery, to be punished under statute
law Vet to me it wears the livery O
bribery, and can those who think other
wise assign it to any element of greater
purity? 1t is not, it is true, the direc
price paid per capita for votes, but it wal
a lump sum paid to a contracting party
for the same object, and calculated to b.
even more potential and successful il
practice. 1t was to seduce and captur,
by wholesale rather than detail TIL,
winner Of the race need have little merit
if his competitors should all, one aftc
another, be held back by fifteen thous
and dollar gifts and brides. Such bride
can be made for no othes purpose thar
to purchase the good will and influence
Of party supposed to be able and will
ing to transfer support equal in value t.
the money received. The party who &C
cepted in this case such shameful gains
Mr.. Carney, with vulgar vcnality tina
would be discreditable among jockeys a
horse race, perpetrated, with the dircc
aid of Mr.. Caldwell a gross fraud upo
those members of the legislature VIII
were elected, or who might reasonably b
counted upon as his supporters, or owe
whom he had any controlling influence
and who were kept in innocent ignoranc
Of the way and manner in which the
had been bought and sold.