Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-08-26

Ames's bad motive in Offering It. Some Of
them have INDUCED in testimony with refer
ence to the matter which has been intra
dicIed. The committee errs gravely in no
probing such cases to the core. IT DISTINCT
LIZ REJECTS THE TESTIMONY OF SEVERAL OF
THE MEMBERS. THIS CAN ONLY BE DONE on
THE GROUND THAT IT IS UNTRUE. But UNTRUE
TESTIMONY GIVEN UNDER OATH IS MORALLY
IF NOT LEGALLY, PERJURY. The committee
finds members guilty of this offence, but does
not see its way clear to recommend any pun.
ishment.
'tIt is the clear duty of Congress to visit
with punishment all who took Credit Mobilier
stock from Cakes Ames.''
And after the House, as we'll as the
committee, had lent itself for partisan
reasons to the shielding of Garfield and
the other corrupted Republicans, the
1snaes's rebuke, on February 2sth, was
the indignant protest of an able and
patriotic newspaper, rising above par
tisanship:
| SIT would be idle now to undertake to fore
cast the effect of yesterdays proceedings upon
| the politics of the future. But those who
| think it will be transient or slight have wide
| ly mistaken the character Of the American
| people.
"This much, at least, the people will not be
| slow in perceiving-that the Representatives
who can acknowledge the guilt of their asso-
ciates, yet dare not cast them out, are not to
be blindly trusted.''
The New York Tribune was more
vehement than the Times in it's utter
ances on the failure of the House to ex-
pei Garfield and the other perjured
bride takers; but that fact does not
make its comments less interesting
now. An editorial article in the Iri-
bune of February 10th said:
1.-THE Tribune was denounced last summer
and fall by all these men for telling the false
and calumnious story of their holding stock
in the Credit Mobiler. For asserting the
same thing in a public speech, Mr.. Greeley
was assailed and villiied as no honest public
man has been in our history. With one ac
cord they all--did what-explain their con-
nection with its-admit that they held stock,
but insist that they held 1t honestly, or that
when they suspected it was of questionable
morality they got rid of it at onces Not by
any means. They dropped it in their tracks,
and either by themselves or by their friends
denied utterly all knowledge of it. And the
people did then what they can never do
again while the world stands-took their
word for it and denounced the story as a
calumny.
SHOW has this timid investigation that
fooled around all pertinent inquiry and never
asked hard, rough question that smote a
lying witness in the face, and that finally has
wrecked itself on two scapegoats instead OF
Furnishing half hundred-how has this in
vestigation left them! Read the evidence. |
With varying degrees of guilt or guilty |
knowledge. every man of them, with but one /
exception Mr.. BlaineI, has been obliged to |
confess at some time he held this stock, and |
at some time-uuder stress of conscience, let
US hope, though that is not fully proved-got |
rid of it.
"Go slowly now over the list of illuminated |
congressman:
Il X X
"James A Garfield, of Ohio had ten shares;
never paid dollar; received 1929, which, af- |
ter the Investigation began, he was anxious to |
have considered as a loan from Mr.. Cakes |
Ames himself.
X X
T'Well, the wick edness of all of it is, not that
these men were bribed or corruptly influenced |
but that they betrayed the trust of the people, |
deceived their constituents, and by evasions |
and falsehoods confessed the transaction to be |
disgraceful. And now a whole Congress of |
grown men is tO deliberate seriously upon |
resolution that puts the sins of all these upon |
TWO. Partisans hip has never stopped so low |
as this. We cannot believe the resolution
will pass. No, gentlemen of the American I
Congress, this is no answer to the people, |
Remand the whole business to the peo-
pie. You have only scratched the surface of |
the whole inqury-leave it now. Face out
ward. March''
On February Goth, 1873, the Tribune
called for the expulsion from Con-
gress of its present candidate for
President. 1t held then that the
bribed as well as the briber ought to |
suffer:
''Mr. Cakes Ames stands charged with dis |
the stock for a corrupt purpose
that is, to influence the action of members of |
Congress. That this was his design is suff- |
GENTLY shown by his letter to McComb of Feb. |
D, 1868, the authenticity of which he does not |
deny. And to this he adds his personal protest |
that he had no corrupt motive.
There is his confession. That alone is |
sufficient to convict him. But joined with it |
are all the shameful details of fact and |
which have combined in the
course of the investigation to disclose not |
only the corrupt purpose of the distributor,
but the guilty knowledge Of those to whom
this stock was distributed. Mr.. Ames estab |
fishes very clearly the point tina. he was not
alone in this offence; that no fair and honest |
tribunal will punish him and let the rest 60 |
free. If HE Is TO BE EXPELLED FOR BRIBERY. |
THE MEN WHO WERE BRIBED SHOULD GO WITH
HIM."
And, finally, on February 2sth, 1878,
the Tribune prophesied that by and by
the people would visit upon the bride
takers the which Congress
had withheld: