The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1873-01-28
From the N. Y. Tribune, Goth inst.l
For Sale,

n the Caldme case is enough to make
'ne doubt whether such a thing as legisla-
i've honesty exists any longer in The Uni.
ed States When Mr.. Cald well made up
lis mind to go into the contest for the
be vowed that he would win
{ if it cost him S250.0Q0. His first opera
ion was to buy off his competitor, Mr.
Carney for the sum of 10000 down, ,an,l
50 OOO conditional upon his (Caldweli's)
election; and theL he began the system
ATTIC purchase of honorable gentlemen
" hose votes in the Legislature were to
confer upon him the coveted honor To
Dne he paid thousand do.lars,to another
twenty-five hundred, to third as much as
i've thousand-but this member seems to
have been uncommonly high-toned One
he secured by paying off a note that
troubled him. Another was tempted
with a saddle, horse, and large amount
of money besides. The whole Doniphan
County delegation was fixed for 81, 900,
and at times the market was so fiat that
Kansas legislators could be had, for the
low price of $500 head
Nos was there much difficulty or delicacy
in conducting the negotiations, When
the gen1 elr1en s.heard that Caldwell was
buying" they came forward with rush
to offer themselves for sale. The editor
of the Leavenworth Times testfies that
Mr.. Caldwell obtained the support of
that fearless and independent paper for
$4,000. tits usual, we believe. in trans
actions of this sort, for those who receive
the money to give some sort of explana-
ton to their own consciences. Some of
considered the sums paid
by Caldwell as reimbursement of their
election expenses; others were compll-
mentary enough TO say that as Mr.. Cald-
well was very unpopular and discredit-
able person, they could not afford to go
home and defend their course in voting
for him unless he Offered compensation
for the strain upon their conscientious
ness and the damage to their standing
among their Constituents. The prevalent
readiness to sell must have kept down
the prices; for it turned out that Mr.
Caldwell got into the senate for only $50
O0O-although one OF the legislators
whom he had purchased failed to vote ac-
cordin9 to agreement, and ran away with
the money in his pocket.
The question has of course occurred
to a great many people, what return did
Mr. Caldwell expect from an investment
into which he went so heavily? Men of
his stamp are not usually willing to spend
S250,0O0 without some tangible eqai@a-
lent Tor their money. Perhaps certain
facts which have been developed III one
commitlee-room OF the Capitol while ex-
Governor Carney had been onlightening
select company in another, may throw
some light upon the anwer. A great deal
can be made in Congress when "good
things" are urged upon Congressman in
consideration of their influence; when
railroad companies want Senators and
Representatives to take "a friendly inter-
est in their schemes, and all sorts of en-
terprises are anxious not to be intertered
with or investigated. Credit Mobilier
stocks, which pay l,5O0 per cent dividends
in year and a half, are not to be picked
up every day; but we have Oakes Ames
always with us, ,either in person or in some
his many imitators and successors,a land
the yawning pocket need not be long un,
filed. The railways probably furnish
Congressman of business turn of mind
with all the trade they can desire. and il
the truth were told we should doubtless
find on the books of good many cor
poratiops ''suspense account" like Mr.
Durant's S435, 900, which has been audi
ted without very close examination oI
the itetss. Mr. Caldwell declared, &C
cofd'ng to Mr.. Carney, "that the Kansa;
Pacific Company had promised to pay
him some money to assist in his election
and so far as he was concerned they
would ge, no legislation until they KEEP
their promise" Mr. Bushnell, on behal
of the Union Pacific and Credit Mobilize:
confessed to contributing to general po
litical purposes" because it was every
mans duty to do something 'to save the
country," and the particular method by
which the country was TO be saved Ia his
case was the contribution of $4,000 tt
the "election expenses of Senator
rhayer. This was pretty large sum, bu
Mr. Bushnell said he was in the habit o
paving from $1,000 10 $4,000 for sucf
purposes, 'sjust as he would pay taxes. y
Even the excellent Mr. Harlan, when he
was Secretary of the Interior, came upol
the Union Pacific for $4,000 to deira'
The cost of elecling him to the United
States Senate, though what cost ther'
could be in such an election, unless it wa
managed like Mr.. Caldwells, has yet tt
be explained.
With these instances before us we cal
understand how corruption at the Stat
capitals is the natural result Of the loose
morality and debased sense of homo
which prevail at the national seat OF gov
ernment. If six years in tie Senate ar
equivalent to handsome fortune, w
shall have mercenary adventures buy
| ing their way into the seats Of Monroe
and Clay, and Webster. If member o
the House is permitted to make none,
out OF his position, the House will inevi
tablv be overrun with scamps, and tn
honest men will be driven out. Their
must be thorough work with the case
now before Congress, or we shall neve
have a reform. Whateyer may be said q
the guilt or innocence ofindividual mem
bers, there car be no doubt that the thre
Investigating Committees now in sessio
are on the track Of shameful corruption
Let each make a searching inquiry and
just report; and then we shall look
Congress for salutary example.
EB The subject of annexiug tn
| Sandwich Islands is now engfossing tll
attention of statesmen and Mark Twain
The Tribune favors the project, bt
sees an objection in the fifty thousan
natives 1t asks: "To what use coul
we put this population y Hang 'em :
The people of the country claim tbs
there should be more hanging DONE
Here then is the opportunity. Wher
ever case of hanging is demanded Il
one of the Sandwich Islanders be 81:
pended. The body could be petrltie
by some new process and used as h,
drant.