The New York herald., 1873-07-09
The Canadians Copying Our Credit
Mobilier Rascals.

The Canadians Copying Our Credit
Mobilier Rascsls.
Rascality is not confined to the United
States nor virtue to Her Majesty's pro-
vincial subjects. The developments Just
made regarding the conduct of certain
knights and other distinguished British
loyalists, in working up the Canada Pacific
Railroad scheme, show system of corruption
as cool and deliberate as that of Oakes Ames'
Credit Mobiher. But our '1eading public
men, exhibited more skill than their imitators
in Canada. Ours carried out their plundering
scheme on the grandest scale and pocketed
the money; the distinguished Canadians
have had theirs exploded in the inception
and before reaping the fruits of the swindle.
One evidently was the model for the other.
Oakes Ames distributed the stock among
Congressman and other influential men
"where it would do most good;" and Sir
Hugh Allan, the Oakes Ames on the other
side of the border, sets down in his confden-
tial letters list of members of Parliament and
high officials to whom q hundred thousand
and fifty thousand dollars in stock twill
have to be distributed to each to carry
the matter through; and, with ref
erence to this, this noble knight says,
81 think the game have been playing is
now likely to be attended with success He
repeats the word ''game'' several times and
q game ii is, no doubt. Some Americans
were to be brought into the scheme and to
have prominent position, but that was, from
prudential motives, to be q secret. Writing to
Mr.. Smith, of Chicago, he ays:-''The shares
taken by you and our other American friends
will, therefore, have to stand in my name for
some time We shall get $4,000, 900
Of the stock out of $4,000, 900.
have to be paid up and deposited in the hands
Of the government as security, but will be re-
turned, 1 think, as soon as the work is fully
begun" This, then, is the project which the
Imperial Parliament of Great Britain has
taken up so earnestly and which Mr. Glad
stone was so intent on aiding in order to rival
the United States in Pacific Railroad enter
prise and the trade of the Pacific. The bait
took as effectually with Her Majesty's govern
ment and Parliament as did that of the war
and political necessity argument which called
forth the most lavish aid from Congress for
our Pacific Railroad. However, the British
government had bound itself to aid the
project as o conciliatory and compensating
act for the alleged damages sustained by
the colonists from the United States
which England had adjusted in the
Alabama Claims Treaty. In that treaty
all the outstanding difficulties between
England and her colonies were adjusted, and
therefore England had to make whatever
compensation was deemed due to the colo
nists. Aid to the Canada Pacific Railroad was
known that the Mother Country was going to
help the project than the loyal and distin-
guished colonists-knights, members of Par
lament, government officials and leading
public men-sniffed the prey, though afar of,
and were ready to pounce upon it.
From the tenor Of Sir Hugh Allan's letters
and evidence we are led to infer he had
studied carefully all the details of our Credit
Mobilier. He acknowledges, it seems, that he
subsidized the newspapers, "both editors and
proprietors," and exercised an influence over
the priests to carry the elections in favor Of
the government or to show the govern
ment his power. ''The strong influence
/ succeeded in obtaining" he said, 'has
proved sufficient 10 control the elections,
and as soon as tho government realized this
fact, which they were unwilling to admit and
low TO see. they opened negotiations with