The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1873-03-13
WHAT is SAID IN ENGLAND.
OURSELVES As OTHERS SEE US.
a Liberal English Journal on tho Credit
Mobilfer Disclosures-The Corruption
Of American Congressmen Serving in
Europe as an Argument In Favor of
Caste.

moo1uer D1sclosureS-The Corruption
OF American Congressmen Serving IL
Europe as an Argument In Favor o.
Caste.
From the London Spectator, February 22l
Nothing can be more dishearteniDg 10 Radi
Gals, or indeed to any men who believe ir
selfgovernment. than the revelations OF cor
rupS'on recently reported from the United
States, and yet We appear to discern among
them one gleam Of light. A belief 10 the cor
ruptlbility of American politicians has OF lats
years been very widely spread In Europe, per
haps unduly spread, but until this month II
was corrected by an impression that the Sen
ate, at all events, was pure. That body was
not elected by Democracy, but by the eL,te o.
the people, the State legislatures; 1t was fed
by men of different stamp from the repre-.
eentativea, and 1t had long tradition o1
honor. It's members might "job" as British
ministers have jobbed, but the snort tenure OF
American office might account for that, aud
after all some one must recommend for local
appointments; but there was belief that
they would not betray their trust for money.
The revelations IN the American Credit Mo-
bIlier case and the Pomeroy case show, how
ever, that this belief was ill-founded; that the
position of senator, the highest In the Union
next to the Presidents, is sometimes bought
and sold; that the Legislatures which. elect
the Senate may be corruptedi and that In the
Senate Itself there exist men whose votes can
be regularly purchased for moderate sum
OF money. Without going Into improved
scandals, there seems to be no doubt what
ever that certain managers OF the Pacific
Railroad formed Ring; that under the title
of the Credit Mobiller they sold tc themselves
concessions made by Congress 10 the Pacific
Railroad; that they resold these concessions
at enormous prodt-wilnesses talk OF divi-
depds OF 1900 per cent; that they were ar
raigned In Congress, and that they gave
shares-that Is, money-in amounts OF ABOUT
$1,000 to senators Tor protection. How many
senators are Implicated 1t is Impossible 20
say. but IL is certain that three at least are
held by opinion to be gnilty; Including MT.
Schuyler Colfa1, the Vice. President, who
avess that he can make full defence, but
who has only escaped impeachment by three
votes. It is certain also that "lobbying," i.e.,
THE PRACTICE OF CARRYING BILLS By BRIBERY,
has reached the Senate, that several men
have grown rich there without cause, and
that one man, Mr.. Pomeroy, OF Kansas, has
been convicted Of buying his seat, In order,
as every one admits, 10 sell It's powers. Tne
revelations are Of the most frank character,
and though they do not cover majority OF
the Senate, or anything like It, they DO cover
names heretofore generally respected.
Anything more disheartening could scarcely
be conceived. If 1fademocracy itself uncorrupt
cannot find or does not care TO find represen-
tatives who, after donble winnowing are
commonly ''law honest" will abstain from
actual bribes or actual pluDdering oil the state
I'LL, Democracy is dead before It has we'll been
born. No State can long survive pecuniary
corruption in It's rulers. They may urge,
as we believe Americans do urge, that
they do not sell their countrymen;
that an anti.national vote cannot be
bought; that they only receive qualifications
for votes on Indifferent matters, or that at
worst they only traffic In concessions, bat all
that Ia deluslve. The men who sell conces-
siops will sell contracts, and In our modern
civilization the very life Of a nation may de-
ed, upon ship riyets, and soldiers boots, and
the quality OF powder; and the step from fur
nishiDg boots of paper TO betraying an e3pe-
dition 10 very short indeed-hOw short we
NAV discover from any life Of the first Duke
of Marlborough. When once such practlce
becomes general, the work OF leeislaton ls
sure 70 fall to men who make trade o1 II;
who, proAting by their WORK, attend 10 II an a9o
make monopoly Of 1t; and the control ol q
great country may be abandoned, as the con-
troll of the great City of New York was aoan-
doned to q regular Ring, whose almost aV0"-
ed object Is The plunder OF The people. The
Ring did not govern New York we'll, but bad
ly, It's ultimate interest being not only hlgh
prices, but Bcamped work; and Ring. II II
obtained control oil the Unlon, wonld not
govern well either, but as badly as france
was governed In the later years OF Napoleon.
We do not hesitate 10 say that, immensely
powerful as the Union Is, and splendid fight
ers as the Americans are, II her resources iell
into the hands of men like the New York
Ring, she would In her next campaign be de-
feated BY sea and land, If only through cor
ruption among her contractors. Tne vice ls
fatal, and II 1t spreads only little more, We
shall yet see
THE FALL. OF TIE MIGHTY AMERICAN REPUBLIC,
and OF the brightest hopes of the race now
covering he globe. There Is no concelVaole
reason why Australians should swindie less
than Americans, or why Englishmen under
the same conditions should be better than
either, and all good or far-sighLed men WC"Id
give up the Democratic cause Us hopeless
fallscy.
However, as we said, with the intelligence
comes also gleam OF light. The real difficulty
In Studying this problem OF corruption is TO
understand why the people bear II, 10 decide
whether the electors acqulesce In their sale
by their representatives. If they DO, the
struggle Is over; but If they DC not, all may be
redeemed. A nation may tall Into the hands
of a corrupt class as into the hands OF cor
rupt king. and vet remain itself uDcorrupted.
That certainly happened in England under
Charles II, when King, courtlers and states
men alike accepted brIbes which the electo-
rnte would have rejected with contempinous
scorn; and under Walpole, when peers apollo,
cIzed for rejecting bribes which tailors would
have thrown In the faces OF those who o1ered
them. We see some faint reason 10 believe
that this Ia the case also in America, aud That
the ultimate cause of the popular toleratlon
for corruption is popular ignorance. Ine
electors do not believe their representatives
corrupt. The moment that ty any accident
the evidence comes before the people In a
War they trust, there Is an end OF the
bribe taker. In this very Pomeroy affair, the
moment Colonel York had produced indispnt-
able proofs the contest was al an end. Tne
members OF the Kant as houses dared not face
thef constituents Indignation, ana WIN
POmeroy's money In many OF their pockets,
unanimously voted his dismissal, the election
of his adversary, and his own arrest on a
criminal information. In the United States
House of Commons there cas been no hesita-
tion to investigate, no refusal TO expel-Mr.
AIMEE, aor instance, being expelled-.except
by the cumbrous method Of impeachment,
and no idea. that any convicted member Will
be reelected
There Is much lenlty about punishment, as
there used to be In England, and Indeed still
Ia about buylng seals in the House of Com
mons; but IL is evidently felt that the delln
quents are politically dead, that the electors
do not intend votes to be sold, and that al
though they may choose men no better Than
those expelled, they will not 6nowingly
choose the agents oil the "lobbyiDg" Rlngs.
While they thiuk them merely extravagant
they will bear with them, partly because they