Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1873-10-02
Thurman's Whitewash Brush.

in the same by pleading the responsi-
bility of the Republican party. This
compels him TO keep back the truth and
to appear insincere. Now we do not
deny the responsibility of the Repub-
lican party for the acts of Congress; but
does the majority's responsibility ex-
onerate the minority who had hand
in the same acts? Mr.. Thurman thinks
SO, and Mr.. Allen asserted the same
rule of political morality In his speech
at Hamilton. Hence it comes that
while the Republican party has brought
its representatives to judgment, the
Democrats are engaged in excuslng
theirs under the plea of non-responsi-
bility. --
The responsibility of the majority
does not save member of the minor
ity from responsibility for his own acts.
1t does not exonerate the minority par
ty if they uphold him. Yet Thurman
and Allen and all the Democratic Or
gans are asserting that it does. This is
their notion of political morality. 1t
is mere rOguery. 1t is the more re-
markable because of the comparisons
party purity they have instituted. AL
though the majority may be responsible
for measure that is called corrupt, yet
if the minority had a larger hand in it
in proportion to its members, then it
can claim nothing on the score of pur-
ity. In all these things for which Mr..
Thurman arraigns the Republican par
ty, the Democrats had a larger share in
proportion to numbers than the Repub-
licans. We remark this not to deny
responsibility, but to test this claim to
purity.
Mr.. Thurman is obliged to cover up
this fact in his statements, and then to
make the monstrous plea that the
Democrats implicated in it are exon
Grated by the rule that the majority is
responsible. -a -.fI
But we have to sift Mr.. Thurman's
sweeping charges to find what is the
character of this responsibility. He
speaks as If the building of the Pacific
Railroad were corrupt in inception, and
the land grant inordinate and unjusti-
fable. We suppose he knows better.
The building of the road was a plank
in the platform of the convention that
nominated Buchanan. Land grants to
build railroads were the Democratic
policy before the Republican party was
formed. That party had granted over
thirty-one million acres to railroads by
1857, and the value of the grants per
mile of road was much greater than of
that to the Pacific.
He charges t. at the supplementary
land grant was carried by bribery. We
have shown that not Democrat in
either House raised his voice against it,
or offered to amend it. He says the
subordinatiOn of the government lien
was still worse. On that % Democrats
voted in favor, 20 against, and 80 did
not vote. Mr.. Thurman eliminates his
own party by this charge of bribery,
but pleads as a cover the majority's re-
sponsibility. We know not if the
Democrats were bribed; but we do
know that without this supplementary
legislation the road would not have
been built, and that Republicans, be-
ing in earnest for the road, needed no
bribery to promote it.
Mr.. Thurman, still pleading that the
Republicans, being in the majority, ARE
responsible for whatever corrupt things
Democrats do, denies that he tried to
cover up the part taken by Democrats,
and refers for support TO this express
sion in his first speech: "There was but
one Democrat contaminated in the
whole business, and that was Brooks;
but he never had anything to do with
Aines; he dealt with Durant before
this"
Only one Democrat contaminated
when the supplementary legislation
was crrried by bribery, and no Demo
crat lifted his voice against it! Only
one Democrat implicated in the Credit
Mobilier, when Benjamin F. Boyer, a
pro s inent Democratic member of Con-
gress from Pennsylvania, testified be-
fore the Poland committee that he got
100 shares, and regretted that he did
he did not get more! Mr.. Thurman
speaks as if Brooks was all right be-
cause he got his directly of Durant, the
manager OF the company, and the one
that he charges with spending near half
o million to bribe congressman. MIR.
Thurman's treatment of the Democrat
ic part in this affair shows that his po-
litical morality rises no higher than to
accuse the other party and hide the
most fragrant corruption in his own.
Mr.. Brooks was Government Director
of the railroad. His official duty was
to protect the company and the govern
ment. He knew what the Credit Mo-
bilier was doing. Instead of doing his
duty he demanded 200 shares of stock
in the Credit Mobilier, and received 150,
His was case of official corruption.-
He betrayed the public interests and
took n share with the plunderers. Boy
er also got his stock knowingly. He
could have got SO large portion only
by an implied political consideration.
Mr.. Thurman himself says it could be
got in no other way. These two DEM
ocrats took it criminally. They We're
the only members Of Congress who did
so. And they got more stock by this
black mail levy than all the Republi-
cans took upon Ames' solicitations
These were ignorant of the notion oi