Litchfield enquirer., 1880-08-19
CAKES AMES AND THE CREDIT
MOBILIER.

|
Ames. desire to be heard in justice to the
memsry of our father, who can no longer
| speak for himself
| The revival OF interest in the political scan
dial known as Credit MObilier,' growing out
of an alleged completely therein by the Re.
publican candidate for the Presidency, makes
the present fitting time for a true statement
of that extraordinary affair. When even
General Garfield, in what purports to be an
| extract from his forthcoming biography, has
totally failed to comprehend the facts, how
can the public at large be expected to under
stand them2 Such statement is due alike to
public -bcnefactor whose last days were
clouded with oboquy, to the great enterprise
with which he was identified, to the good
| name of both political parties, some of whose
| trusted leaders have been assaied, and to the
| honor of the nation which has been comprom-
| lsed by the opprobrium cast upon its represen-
| tatives 1t is in the interest, not of any ndi-
vidual, or OF any party, but of truth and equi.
ty and common sense, that we appeal to the
people and the press of the United States for a
| reconsideration.
Cakes Ames closed his own defence before
Congress, in 1873, with the following memo
rable words: "These, then, are my offenses :
that l have risked fortune, everything, in al
enterprise of incalculable benefit to the Gov
ernment, from which the capital of the world
shrank that have sought to strengthen the
work, thus rashly undertaken, by invoking
the charitable judgment Of the public on its
| obstacles and embarrassment that | have
| had friends, some Of them in official life adj
vantageous opportunities of investment that
have kept to the truth through good and evil
| report, denying nothing, concealing nothing,
reserving nothing. Who will say that alone
| am to be offered up sacrifice to appease a
o1a
| Not until such an offering is made will be-
| lieve it possible But, if this body shall so
order that it can best be purified by the choice
of single victim, shall accept its mandate,
| appealing with unfaltering confidence to the
to the impartial verdict of history for that vim
dication which it is proposed to deny me
| here"
In December, 1872, it was charged that
| Cakes Ames, five years before, in 1876, sold
| 1875, 600 of Credit Mebilier construction stock
| at less than its real value to number of his
| fellow Congressman, with an intent of bri-
| berry. II was also asserted ''that behind this
| offer to sell stock lay hidden a scheme to de-
| fraud the Union Pacific Railroad and imperil
| the interests eff the United States" 'that a
| ring of seven persons inside the Credit Mobi-
| ller Company, calling themselves trustees,
| made contract with themselves, by which
| they received for building the road an extrav-
agant sum, greatly beyond the real cost of
| construction, and that in adjusting the pay
| ments they received stock and bonds of the
railroad company at heavy discount, and by
| these means virtually robbed and plundered
| the road and that this arrangement was kept
| close secret by its managers. These charg-
es are each and all entirely untrue, as we will
show. So far as the Government and the
| Union Pacific Railroad Company are concern
| ed, the Supreme Court of the United States
| has decided that no wrong has been done.
So far as the charges against Cakes Ames are
| concerned, the circumstances under which the
| sales of stock were made to Congressman by
| him preclude the possibility of corrupt intent
| by either party; for they were made: l. As
sale not as gift. 2. At the same price
| (par and accrued interest) which it cost him.
| self and all the original holders g. At time
when no legislation was wanted, and with an
express assurance that none would be wanted.
| f. 10 known and tried friends of the enter
price. s. To men whose regulations were
worth more than money. 6. In sums so small
| as to offer no temptation. Any one of these
six facts is inconsistent with an intent of bril-
berry, but taken together they constitute a
perfect refutation. If Cakes Ames bribed
| any one, what was the 5ribe, and for what
was the bride offered9 What act of legisIa-
ton in behalf of his road did he ever seek to
| obtain If wrong was committed, who were
the parties wronged? 1t is said that the
| Credit Mobilier and Cakes Ames contracs
were frauds. Ii so, who were the parties de-
frauded3 Not the Government, for it gave
only what it agreed to give ana received all
for which it stipulated as an equivalent. Not
the present stockholders of the Union Pacific
Railroad, for they own the railroad and the
| franchise, which is all that their stock ever
represented. Not the original stockholders Of
the Union Pacific Railroad, for they consent.
| ed to the contract and shared in the risk and
profit of constructing the road. Not the pub
lie, for they enjoy all the benefits of the great
national- highway. The committee of Con-
| gress which in 1879 was charged toinvesti.
gate found no member guilty of accepting a
bribe. The committee add that they ''have
not been able to find that any of these men,
/ bers OF Congress have been affected in their
Official action in consequence of their interest
in Credit Mobilier stock.
But if no one was guilty of accepting bribe.
| or was aware that one was offered how could
Cakes Ames be the briber2 If no one has
been defrauded, where is the fraud? If no
one has been wronged who is the criminal
When was it ever before alleged that briber
made men pay thousands of dollars for the
privilege Of being brbed; that he charged
them principal and interest on the bride; that
he represented the bride to them as IAN in
vestnent likely to pay over 10 percent - that
| he bribed them without their own knowledge
or consent; that he bribed them to do nothing
and with the express assurance that there
| would be nothing to do? Yet such is the re.
port of the committee, which comes to the
conclusion that nobody was bribed after all.
but that Cakes Ames was guilty of the bribery
| all the same.
The propriety of building the Union Pacific
Railroad by construction company composed
of the stockholders of the road has been ques-
TONED. Yet all the great railroads of the