New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-09-30
Ames Is significant: Tho stock was put yherc it


Now. for the first since the disclosures OF the
Crett Mober investigation. the opportunity offers 10
to call the incupated members OF Congresso account
before the grand inquest ~ the people.
was member Of the XXXvIith Congress. which IN
the year 1862 enacted the charter OF the Union Paec
Railroad Company It the most monstrous Iegis.-
tive measure ever adopted In this or any other country
Treasury authorized to issue United States bonds
payable IN 80 years after date at the rate Of $4,000 per
mile for about $50 miles. iSON per mile for 800 miles, 10
nclud the sections crossing Inc Rocky Mountains ana
Sierra Nevada and $1,000 per mile for about $50 miles IN
cluded between the two ranges named. Tue Hght OF
way to the extent of 400 feet in width granted
through the public domain, with all the necessary
ground for stations depots, machine shops side TRACKS
&c. with the right TO take from the adjacent land EARTH
stone, timber. and other materials and IN ADDITION
thereto alternate sections OF land were granted Tor zen
miles on each side OF the road the United States agree
ing exDguisb the Indian title 10 all lands faiilnR
further authorized and required to construct upon me
like terms and conditions railroad from the western
boundary on me state OF iowa 10 tne th
meridian OF longitude 80 as To form a connection Nun
its main lines and also to build road from Sioux CITY
70 eonnect Win the Union hgs@ a 1e aid was
granted by the act TO the LeageDwotth. Pawnee
and Western Rair Company OF Kansas and 10 the
Central Pacific Railroad Company OF CalnoIhla; ine
aggregate Of bonds thus secured TO the Union
Pacific Railroad exceeded S6OOOO,OOO-I sum nearly II
not quite sufficient Of itself 10 build the entire ROAD nau
the money been honestly and economically applied lhls
mammoth scheme was urged by powerful and ul
scrupuous lobby at moment when our armies were en-
counterinQ disaster in Virginia. and when the very ne
OF the nation appeared to be staked upon the issue Ia
these tbroes OF national agony Congress was Deset by
a eager and determined whether the country nVed
pershed to clutch the s60OooOO OF national bonus
aud vast extent OF the public domain when had
already been soemny dedicated to the use Of tue actual
settler.
IL il exaggeration to say that the whole lOD was
conceived In sin and brought forth In niquy ana that
its working has been only evil, and that cOntlnuaiy,
1t was daring conspiracy to defraud the people OF the
money aud lands set apart for the construction OF the
road and the unsuspectng shareholders OF their gnts
parallel is 10 be found for bareaced ylainy, in me
whole history OF human government. Col: H. 3. NC
Comb, OF the directors OF the ASSOCIATION, In MS
sworn testimony before committee OF Congress, thus
denes irs objects The idea OF the organization was
to relieve the directors and shareholders or the
Union Pacific Railroad Company from any individual
responsibility in building the road and enable them 70
share the profits IN building the Union Pacihc Railroad;
that was the design 1t was obtained TO cover up any
thing that might have been done to relieve individuals
from responsibility" The managers OF the Union Pa
cic Railroad Company and OF the Credit Mobiler, with
few exceptions, were the same. Thomas u DuIant was
the VcePresident OF the and at the same time the
President OF the other. In the morning he voted as
ycePresdent Of the Railroad Company 10 give con-
tract to the Credit Mobier and in the afternoon, as
President OF the Credit MOber, he went through the
ceremony of formally accepting IT,
About tins time John A. DIX, then Major General In
the army OF the United states, became the President OF
the Union Pacific Railroad Company. The elrcum-
ta stock worth nomnaly $4,000. but upon which only
cent III other words, 500, nad Dcen dctuny
ptid were transferred To him as gratulty.
rauty, evidence exists that DIX ever PAID
dollar rendered any service whatever III consldera
non of the transfer ont the contrary the evidence Is
conclusive that he never did either From this time
forth 1t fair TO assume that lie was fuy cognZant OF
all that done by the Board OF Directors one OF the
earliest acts OF his administration 10 approve OF
Durants Suspense Account OF s5OOOO the particulars
OF which the Committee OF Congress state IN thelr
report they were unable to obtain any satisfactory
account or In September, 1864, ne executed con,
tract TO one HOxe for building 100 miles ol ralroau
at the of $4,000 mile, when he must nave known
that $4,000 mile was ample for tue purpose inns con
assigned by Hoxe to the credit MoDller as
was expected would DO when made. The assignment
was formally accepted on the lltn OF OctOber oy Du
rant, Bushnell, aud McComo. Directors. and Gray
stockhoder of the Union Pacific Railroad Company, as
ronress nm ther report saw concernng this
aofin making
the Interests OF the Union Pacific Railroad
Company were S dSp Tnat was deliberately
DONE we do not hesitate TO believe" rus report anu
verdict adopted by the House OF KepresentaiWes
They amount to the condemnation OF Dix for wifulH
and deliberately 6eraylng ne Interests OIL tue COMPANY
which IL wac preeminentiy ms uuty 10 protec,;; M -
this time DIX doing thrifty business as
pluraist, hrs chef recommendation apparently being
his intimate relations with Andrew johnson, then the
accidental President of the United States. He drew
salary ssOoO the President OF the railroad COM
pauy and another amounting, with the rqlises TO
much larger rs Naval Odcer Of the Port or New
York besides receiving, aJ a later period from MI.
Johnsou PROBABLY dOuceur Tor presiding over the
Union Convention held in the Philadelphia Mgwam, the
additional appointment Ot Minister 10 france put
the elections OF 1866 unoward. The
credit Mobiiler Ring learned that Congress and not
President johnson the power To DE prOpslaed As
matter of course DIX was longer available tool.
Tue witness. BUSHNELL however, tesuhes that he tDiA
protested agust being left out OF the Presidency Oh
the Union Pacific Railroad Company" aud furthermore,
that before lie started for Europe, he made very
eoaueut speech ana stated that e preferred 10 remain
President to taking the position OF Minister to France
and that he would 20 il he had TO give up his posi-
tou as President" Accordingly he was suffered 10 re-
tain the office and the salary.
Al this time Cakes had become enlisted in the
Credit MUbiier association for the aVOWed purpose OF
taing fhe contract 10 build the road The HOXle con-
tract and its renewals did not make money fast enough
to satisfy the cOrmorans In the language OF Ames II
secure their influence" Accordingly, in the Spring Of
1867 the capital stock OF the Credit MODer was H.
creaed 90 per cent aud present OF the first mortgage
bonds OF the Union Pacific Railroad Company equal IN
amount 10 MS subscription made to each subscriber
By the act of 1864 u priority had been given TO these
ha held by the Iuiteu states Gov
erument security for the aid gwen to Dud the road
The manuer In which they were thrown ABOUT on tnls
and other occasions worthy OF note illustrating the
character and purpose or the conspiracy from us lncep-
on TO its 1t has beeD already seen that wee
President ColaA caiue III luz hA' '''S A"A0 Vi 'HeS0
In August of that year contract was entered into be-
tween Tie railroad Company and Oakes Ames 10 build
6G7 miles OF road at prices ranging from s2OO 10 s5oO
per mile the aggregate amount being S1,gO00 Ihls
transaction had been preceded ike that OF Durant WIN
uoxe by an agreement that Ames should transfer the
contract to seven persons, denomlnateu lfustees,
ana that the profits should be divided among the share
holders OF the Credit Mobiler Association IL was at
this juncture that the policy was inauguraed OF bring
ing the Republican leaders OF Congress into the con
spiracy by putting the stock where IL would DO the
most good" . ...,o -, 100000. .. ..
~ the Grant Republican members OF COngress Upon
ali these considerations for all these reasons we think
you should send Republicans ana not democrats 10 the
next Congress II cherish the deeds OF the recent
past ana epa would not disgrace III ii you have
hone OF the future and would realize thar hope, we urge
YOU to send Republicans and not Democrats to the next
Congress" -. -. A. -,
But TO resume The arrangements OF Oakes Amos
having been perfected DIX no longer useful, and
was therefore dropped President OF the Union Pacific
Railroad Company. He soon found way TO obtain sat
isfacton but IL was not the method or an honorable
man He had been the patron and promoter OF the
greatest public robbery that history has recorded-a
robbery which included in its ranicatons many OF the
most prominent leaders OF the Grant Republican party
He well knew that II the country became ware OF the
contracts entered into by the directors OF the railroad
company with themselves, for the construction Of the
road NJ would annihlate the party or the Admnlsra
the Credit MoDiler. He also knew that 1t
would many millions 10 the Treas
ury and put an eectual stop to the most stupendous
fraud ever perpetrated upon conhdng people. IL
mis- obvious duty TO expose the conspiracy ard purge
his skirts OF all completely in the vany But THIS
precisely what he did not do. ms ead he wrote letter
TO bus son-n-aw. from France declaring that these
would be the subject Of public