Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-07-21
Tilden and tho Credit Mob,ler.

-e~oAA SsAAsA GAAV OV80xC "00lk0Ts
Tilden's pretensions and profess
slons Of reform are becoming exceed
lngly gauzy in the light of his public
ana private record, which from day
70 day is coming to the attentioniof
the public. 1t now turns out that
Mr. 11lden was the man who planned
that gigantic fraud upon the stock
holders of the Pacific Railroad, the
Credit Mobiler. This organization
was corporation within the Pacific
Railroad Company, and stole $751;
100000 of the capital stock of the
company, corrupted many people, and
demoralized public sentiment. 1t
was an ingenious swindle, and the
credit of its invention seems, accord
ing to the testimony of Ames and
others before the Congressional Com
mittee, to belong to the "reform"
Democratic candidate for President,
Sam Tilden. He gave the project
the aid of his counsel, and pronounc-
ed it perfectly proper and legal
Here is the testimony of Oliver Ames,
brother and partner of Cakes Ames.
After explaining how the companies
were managed by the same men, the
Credit Mobiler eating up the other,
the testimony reads:
By Mr.. Hoar-Were you not informed
by the counsel who drew the contract that
this was violation of laws
Ames-We were informed by counsel
whom We consulted that this issuing of
stock Ito the G. NJ. as a payment upon
the contract for building the road was in
entire compliance with the law.
Q.-Who were the counsel that gave
you that advice?
AIR. Samuel J. Tilden, Mr. Charles
Tracy, and Judge Allen.
Q.-All of New York?
ALL of New York.
John B. Alley, another of the
Credit Mobiler crowd, testified to the
same effect, as follows:
Q.-And further, understood you to
say that you were instructed by eminent
counsel, upon whose advice you relied,
that the course you took was in compli-
ance with the law?
A.-Yes, sir.
Q.-Have you ever seen, or do you
know whether that opinion of eminent
counsel is in existence now, in writing?
Al do not know. / do not know
whether it was given in writing.
Q.-Was 1t given you by these eminent
counsel?
AIR. Tilden, knop, told me that
he regarded it as compliance with the law.
Mr.. G. S. Bushnell also, another
Credit Mobiler operator, says in his
testimony:
Twill name several gentlemen, who, I
ain prepared to say, advised us that the
course which we Credit Mobller) were
taking was legal and safe course for us
to adopt. l will name Tracy, Olmstead
" w., VI NcW 10TH. IL Is my opinion
that a gentleman who is now Judge of
the Court of Appeals of New York, Will
liam F. Allen, advised us also to that
effect. think that Judge Jere Black also
advised US; and Mr.. Samuel J. Tilden.
Now, does not this place the great
Reformer in an unenviable light?
Here were set of conspirators con-
cocting plan to rob great railroad
company out of millions OF dollars,
and, desiring some legal advice which
would give color of regularity to
their scheme, they went to Samuel J.
Tilden for it, and he, instead of de-
nouncing it as swindlc, and them
as public robbers, complaisantly ad-
vised them as to their course, and APP
proved of it all, doubtless for share
of the swag In the words of Carl
Schurz, "Humbug, thy name is Dem
ocratic REFORM