New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-03-21
INNOCENCE At ALBANY.

II ia satisfactory to know that the Congress
men who stole $1,000 apiece and went home
to their constituents to explain the Credit
Mobilier business are not the only innocent
persons who have recently adorned public life
The Capitol at Albany has shone with the
luster of Christian simplicity quite as brightly
as the Capitol at Washington. Nothing could
be more touching than the revelations of Off
cial virtue, the sweet confidence that suspects
no wrong and the ignorance that knows no
guile, which burst out of the testimony before
the Erie Railroad Investigating Committee
Gen. Barlow, for instance, became the counsel
for the Sickles party in their earliest attempts
to Dust Jay Gould from the management OF
the Company, first by legislation and then by
suit at law. and he never suspected that he
thus made the Attorney General practitioner
in the lobby. He paid fee of $1,000 to the
Speaker of the Assembly in behalf of the
Sickles stockholders, and never suspected that
such a transaction had the faintest color of
corruption. He asked and received no service
in return for this money except service
in tho Legislature, and yet he de-
clares, "My mind was so utterly free
" from any evil in the matter that / never
Thought about any influence being thus
drought to bear on the Legislature" 81
L" told Speaker Smith when 1 retained him."
SAYS Mr.. Barlow, " that we should want legis-
"lation, but did not ask him to interest him.
"self particularly Of course any noble
minded person will understand that if Mr..
Smith was not asked to interest himself par
"ticularly," he did not interest himself par
ticularly, and the payment was all right.
yhara fha
money came from. 1t was from the Erie
stockholders he states in his testimony,
"and not in any manner from the Company"
But it appears from the books of the Com
pany, whereof we published certain interesting
extracts last October, that the money came not
from the stockholders at all, but out of the
treasury Of the road,-which Gen. Barlow must
remember, f9E bs wrote long letter to the
Directors to explain that the money was paid
to him in trust for other people.
But if Gen. Barlow is blameless, what shall
we say of the innocence of the Hon. Henry
Smith The guilelessness of this eminent poll
itician and distinguished lawyer rather sur
passes, if anything, the purity of a seven-year-
old Sunday scholar. The day of his election
as Speaker he received retainer of $500
from the Erie people, Win an intimaClon tnat
his clients would want legislation" A few
days afterward, a consultation of the various
counsel employed to assist Gen. Barlow in the
contemplated suits against the Gould Directory
was held at the Attorney Generals house in Al
bany but, says Cen. Barlow. we did not ask
1" Mr.. Smith to attend" When meeting was
afterward held, however. to draft bill to be
presented in the Legislature, Mr.. Smith was
asked to attend, but he could not do 80, as
the meeting was in New-York. That is to
say Mr.. Smith was expected to consult with
Barlow and the others on the legislative pro-
ceedings, but not ON the legal proceedings.
Mr. Smith never was present at any of the
legal conferences. He did nothing at all for
his fee except what he did in the Assembly,
and there, as he admits, he " did what he
could to influence legislation in favor Of the
Erie stockholders in proper manner" Yet
Mr.. Smith was inexpressbly shocked at the
suggestion that his influence had been secured
by retainer He was not informed by any
"one, directly or indirectly, that any services
would DO required 10 influence legislation,