The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1875-03-12
THE PACIFIC MAIL FARCE

4
From the Chicago Tribune.
The members of the Ways and
+ Means Committee have nonopol-
lied all the leading parts in the
Congressional performance now
nearly concluded. They have
| played in tragedy and farce. In
the tragedy entitled: "The Tax
Grabbers;. or, The Victory of the
Protectionists and the Whiskey
Ring" they illustrated how the
mass Of the people may be OPP
pressed and trodden under foot BY
| the select classes with the assist
ance of false Representatives.
The farce is called The Pacific
Male; or, How Not to Do It." in
which there has been a very ludi-
crOus representation of the difficult
ties which beset men who profess
to be doing one thing and arc re-
ally doing another. The Ways
and Means Committee have pro-
| fessed to trace the corrupt use OF
Pacific Mail moneys to Congress
men while they have actually been
engaged. in, the effort to show that
none Of these moneys ever got in
to the hands Of Congressman.
They have acted the farce with
the genuine self-satisfaction of
your true amateur, and close their
ears to the criticism of their aud
ienee-tiIe public.
The report on the Pacific Mail
investigation is lame and impo-
tent conclusion to an incomplete
and slovenly examination of the
subject. But the conclusions
of the Committee are also
at variance with the par
tial testimony offered. For in
stance, the report estimates a be-
lief that no part of the corruption
fund was paid to any member
in Congress, while the fact simply
is that no such payment has been
absolutely proved on account of
the failure to follow up the evil
dence actually given, and that sus-
picion strongly pointed to several
members of Congress. The COM
mittec also express the belief that
the greater part of the 100000
corruption fund was used by
Stockwell in stock speculations,
while the testimony before the
Committee clearly proved that be-
tween.$600,00 and 100000 of the
money was paid over 10 lobbyists,
friends of Congressman, and mid
dlemen, and not used in stock
speculations. This portion of the
report is therefore unwarrantcd by
evidence, and intended to deceive
the public. The Committee were
unusually alert in their efforts to
| run down every obscure newspa-
per reporter whose name. was men
toned in connection with the Job,
but they failed lamentably to fol-
low any scent that might possibly
lead to- the conviction of a Con
gresham. Both Republicans and
Democrats agreed on this.
Their treatment of Schumacher
and King is weak to the last de-
gree. The most they thought
they could do was to certify these
! cases to the next Congress. AS
Mr.. King kept out ofthe way, per-
haps there was nothing else to be
done in his case, though his per-
sistent stay in Canada was n con-
! fessioD, not only that he received
the money said to have been paid
to him, but that he made some use
of it which he did not want to re-
veal. But the Schumaker's case
| the Committee might have shown
their purpose of ascertaining the
facts if they had entertained such
a purpose: They had evidence
enough weeks ago to warrant a
recommendation of Schumaker's
expulsion; which the House would
have adopted. Thereupon Mr..
Schumacher could have been arrest
ed and forced to tell what he did
with the 1900, 600 which he receiv-
ed.
The investigation has been a.
faiInre IN thesmanner in which it
was contacted, and Ia all its re-
suits, except that it led to repeal
fot the subsidy which was frauda-
lently procured. This repeal is
proof that Congress does not be-
ilieve with the Committee that
most of the corruption fund was
Rsea in stock speculation.