Morning journal and courier., 1880-02-11
Wednesday Morning, Feb. II. 1880.
WHO ARE THEY2


 It is beginning to be asked if some of the members of Congress are not using their DO. sitions to make money in Wall street. and there are those who do not hesitate to charge that such is the case. Whether they are or not, the temptation to is undoubtedly great in some cases and the opportunities plenty Those who are in the secrets of committee rooms might have margins on railroad stocks more or less liable to be affected by proposed legislation. Bills to regulate interstate com merce, to call in land grants from companies which have failed to comply with the require ments of their charters, to extend or with hold this or that favor, and all propositions relating to railroads whose stocks are in the market, are instruments which Congressmen of a speculative turn of mind could use with the hope of making money.
 l Of course 1t is difficult to prove that Con- 1 gressmen are actually in league with Wall street sharpers, but of late there have been numerous signs of such combinations Not long ago the Journal of Commerce pointed out that some operations in Missouri, Kansas and Texas stock had queer look. The stock was down to 20 last October. Since then the proposition to carve a new territory, Okalo- homa, out of the Indian country has raised the prospective value of a road which has enormous land grants there. The Missouri, Kansas and Texas own 3, ,622, 400 acres in the present Indian Territory, subject to treaty stipulations and not now available for use. The company want the territory of Okaloho- ma established, because it would include the whole of their road and all the land grants. It would give them protection and patronage and enable them to bring their lands into market. They were the prime movers of the bill offered in Congress for this purpose. Their stock advanced in price under the ex- pectation that the bill would be reported fla vorably and passed. The stock advanced in one day, with sales of no less than 50, 900 shares, from 471 to 494, when suddenly re- port came from Washington that the Con- gressional subcommittee had resolved to port against the territorial scheme. On this report the stock fell of nearly per cent. Here was fine opportunity for profitable collision between Gould, the president of the road, and members of Congress. By encour- aging the belief that the bill was going through the confederates could find purchasers for large blocks of stock at high figures, and then become bears, put the unfavorable re- port in circulation and knock the stock down again.
 The following rather significant paragraph appeared in the New York newspapers day or two ago: fsThe decline of the stock of the Little Pittsburgh is explained by it's friends to be due to the forced sales of certain persons who are reported to have got in at bed rock prices, on account of their political influence at Washington. These holders were notified on the first of the year to take up their shares within thirty days, and being unable to comply with this request they sold a certain part of their stock at the best price obtainable in the them in funds to take up part of their origins holdings. We are told that Messrs. Chaffe, Moffat and 8 gentleman representing large banking interests in London, did not sell share, but on the contrary bought all the stock at 23 to 25, and that they at present themselves hold fully 15O, 900 shares" The question is whether these certain persons who got into Little Pittsburgh at "bed rock' prices on &C., count of their political influence at Washing ton are Congressmen, and if so, who they are
 Other suspicious occurrences similar to those mentioned above might be cited, but enough has been given to call attention to what specu- lating Congressman might do if so disposed. If any of them are in league with the Wall street gamblers some of the investigators who do newspaper work in Washington would do the country service by exposing them.