Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1873-03-21
WHAT is SAID IN ENGLAND
OURSELVES AS OTHERS SEE Us.

| a Liberal English journal On the
Credit No5iIier Dfsc1osures-Tho
Corruption OF American Com
gressnnen Serving in Eu-
rope as En Argument in
Favor Of Caste.
From the Lordan Spectator, Februery 23d.}
| Nothing can be more disheartenina
to Radicals, or indeed to any men who
believe in self-government, than the
revelations of corruption recently re-
ported in from the United States, and
yet we appear to discern among them
one glea1n Of light. A belief in the
| compatibility OF American politicians
has of late years been very widely spread
in Europe, perhaps unduly spread,
but until this month it was corrected
by an impression that the Senate, at
not elected by a Democracy, but by
the elite of the people, the State Legis-
| latures; it was filled by men of differ
ent stamp from the representatives,
and it had a long tradition of honor
Its members might ''job" as British
ministers have jobbed, but the short
tenure of American office might account
| for that, and after all some ono must
recommend for local appointments;
| but there was belief that they would
not betray their trust for money.
The revelations in the American
Credit Mobilier- case and the Pomeroy
case show, however, that this belief
| was l1-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 corrupted; !;
and that il the Senate itself there ex-
ISL men whose votes can be regularly
purchased for q moderate sum OF
money. Without going into improved
scandals, there seems to be no dOib.
whatever thai certain managers OF the
Pacific Railroad formed a Ring; that
under the title of the Credit Mobilier
they sold 70 themselves concessions
made by Congress TO the Pacific Rail
road; bnt they rasoid these concessions
at enormous proft-witncsses talk Of
dividends OF ] 300 per cent, that they
were arraingad il Congress, and that
they gavo shares-that ia, monay-iu
amounts OF about Ct 600 to Senator;
for protection. How many Senator's
aye Implicated 1t IS impossible 70 say,
but II Is certain that three at least. are
held !ry opinion to be guilty, Including
NJ. Schuyler Coifax, the Nice-Pres-
iCent, who AYERS that he can make a
full defense, but who has only escapcd
iInpeachInent Icy three votes. It IS
certain also tllat ''lobbyipg, !. g,
TIE: PRACTICE CT C.RCTEs1 ELLIS BT
BRIBERY,
has reached the Senate, that several
meo have crown rich there without
roy, Of Kansas. has been convicted cs
buying his seat. il order. as every one
admits, 10 sci its powers. The raveia-
tons arc O. tl3a most frank character.
and though thew do not cover major
ity OF the Senate. o., anything liko it,
they ID cover names heretofore Eenc~-
ally respected.
4Any5i2.:1z. more d;abearte;1inr co1itl
scarcelz- be conceived. TT deInnc-
racy itself uueorrupt cannot find or
does rot cara ~ find Representative
who. after q tioslbie willnow:ng are
commonly 'tl2w holeso," will abstain
from nrt-al i,rihas or actual T7:unCa&r-
ing OF t,.s State til. Damocracr IS dead
before il ilas we'll been born. 10 State
can iUl- survive F3ecuGruT corruption
in it's rl,Iers. Thy may urCn, that
they do not sell t12air coIntrv1Ilsei3 that
an Irrational vo.e cannot ne bought;
that TIL = ONLY receive gra9lIicGtiQns for
votes Oh ln,.fiEar"0t laaf:GrS, or TINT a.
worst :i,av only traffic II CONCESSIONS
but all that is deluaivc The men who
sell concessions Will sell contracts, and
in olir modern civilization the very life
OF q nation NAV depend llpon contracts
being honestly performed. upon ship
rivets, AID soldiers boots, and the
quality of powder !; AMI the step from
furnishing boots OF paper to hatravinc
an expedition IS very short indeed
how short we NAV discover from anv
life Of the first Duke Of Marlborough.
When once such Il practice becomes
general. the work oi legislation is sure
n fall to men vino make "A trade of 1t
who, profting bv their work, attend to
it and make a monopoly Of it and the
control of q great country may be
abandoned, as the control of the great
city Of New York was abandoned to q
regular Ring, whose almost avowed OBJ
iect is the plun,ier OF tho people. The
Ring did not govern New York well,
but badly, it's ultimate interest being
not only high prices, bat scamped
work ard Ring, if it obtained con-
troll OF the Union. would not govern
we'll either, but as badly as France was
governed in The later years OF Napo-
leon.
We do not hesitate to soy that, i'm
n1enseiv powerful rs the Union is, and
splendid fighters as the Americans arc
Il her resources fell into the hands of
men like the New York Ring, she
would in her next campaign be defeated
l,y sea ana land, if only through cor
rupt:nn among her contractors. The
v:ce-is fatal. and if it spreads only
little mora, we shall yet see
THE FALL or THE MIGHTY AMERICAN
HEryRLIc,
and of the brightest hopes of the race
now covering the globe There is no
conceivable reason Why Australians
shoIld swindle less than Americans. or
why EnglisilmcI under the same con-
ditionr should he better than either.
and all good or farsiShte'1 men would
give up the Democratic cause IA &
hopeless fallacy.
However. ~ We said, with the iatei-
hgence comes also Ii glenn az light
The real difficulty III studying tits
problem Of corruption is to understand
why the peop3r. bear It. to decide
whether the electors aceniescn in their
sale ny their tef'.a@t ne:lsives. Ii they
do, the struggle is over; but if they
do not, ali may ta redeemed 4 ne
ton may fnll into the hands Of y cor
rupt class as int, tho hands & :, eIr-
rupt king, ana vet ron.:.ll. itself unei..,-
ruptosl l,ilat tse1s;.:illY harpeD.d in
LIieiaIs.. isnt.s. fh,;.rleHs II. viIcn king,
courtiere and statcsren alike accepted
l,ribee which the electorate: wnNld lave
rajo;ced with cnaterp.,ous s,orn
and 'snd"r Nalpol", wlr-11 peers ;apo'o-
sizetl foc rejecting b1lbes which
taiiors would have thrown IN the faces
Of those Hh;, o.fferc,s chem, w, sec
some ft.int ra:,so.l 10 l'e;ieTe shat this is
tslesl os4se also in America, Az. that
the ultimate causa of the popular tol-
Grafton ior corruption is popular ig-
norance. The electors do not hsl;eve
their Representatives corrcpt The
moment jhat by any acciG,n. tna eTi-
i.,Ica orr> oE. i,t.Tc.a .ibr s,e,j,1a IN n