The Labor enquirer., 1888-02-25
'LUMFER'S CASE
Opinions on the Rotten Con-
gress that Passed
ss ihe
INFAMOUS COMSYOCK LAW.
Hatched by Venality and Corruption
and Now Used to Crush Free
E dom of Thought.

Concerning the infamous Com
stock or blackmaiflaw under which
Lxeyf, is being pe,yeeMtsd by the
religious reprobates and upper
class parasites of Valley Falls
that paper says:
This law, as will be seen by the
statute book, was passed March 4
1873. The readers of the Ligkt.
dfa,er ought to know just what
that fact means, and as they may
not readily see what it means we
will tell them. 1t means that this
law was by trickery and fraud
rushed through in the confusion
and uproar of the closing hours
of the most corrupt congress ever
convened in this country. 1t was
passed without debate between
one and two o'clock on Sunday
morning, March 2, and signed by
the president Monday night, with
no thought or deliberation on the
part of anybody, amid vast
number of bills of all sorts. One
of the individuals interested in
pushing this vile law through this
debauched congress was Com
stock himself, of whom it is not
necessary here to say anything.
Another was theological hypo-
crite who publicly announced that
he believed in deceit. Another,
was person who violated the law
himself and through his money
or personal influence managed to
escape prosecution and 60 scot
free. And there wsrek others of
morals equally eccehhric whose
trickery aided in the passage of
this law.
1t will be well to reprint what
| q
some of the leading papers said
at that time of the scenes of
confusion and debauchery amid
which this bill came into exist
ence.
The Washington correspondent
of the New York Herald says in
the issue of March q. M ::
"The Credit Mobilier congress
was busy up to a late hour this
morning preparatory to giving
up life that goes out in the black
ness of infamy tomorrow .Sena-
Ftors-were occupied ins voting on
appropriation bills the jobbery
and robbery of which cannot be
discovered in the hurry of the
closing hours of Legislation and
which sometimes remain forever
secret from all except the inter-
ested parties. In the house of
representatives the hustle and ex-
citement were even greater than
in the senate, and, no doubt, amid
the confusion and under the cloak
of affected patriotism and honesty
the usual amount of eleventh
hour stealing was accomplished"
| And again on March 8:
"What remains of the foul work
of this memorable session will
probably be finished to-day"
- The New York Sm says editori-
ally March a:
as there any corruption which
congress will not justify and ap-
prove, any infamy which either
house will not boldly adopt as its
own7 And is there any limit to
this process of public and official
degradation The indignation Of
the people alone can afford ar
adequate solution of this problem.
And again on March 5:
within the last $50 years there
have been more famous Legislative
bodies than this. but we do not re-
member one more Infamous
There were conscientious gentle
men in the senate and house, but
prima facie, the case is against the
whole of them and till the close
of the present century member
ship in that congress will. in the
estimation of the general public
throw upon the incumbent the
burden of proving that he was moi
a dishonest man. .lo
-"The entire term of this congress
'Ihas been characterized by serie: