Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1888-03-15
THE PATRIOTIC DEPEW.
His Entire Career Suggestive OF Worship
of the Golden CALI

THE PATRIOTIC DEPEW
His Entire Career Suggestive OF worship
of the Golden CALI
To learn patriotism at the feet of
Chauncey NJ. Depew was a refreshing
novelty afforded some portion of the
town the other day.
And who is Chauncey M. Depew, the
teacher thus selected upon Washing
toms birthday to stir the hearts of
Americans and inform their minds
about their countryp Chauncey NJ
Depew was the familiar and the coun-
selor of the Vanderbilts during the era
of stock watering and stock jobbing
which made the Vanderbilts almost I'M
precedently rich, and, the seniors be-
ing now gathered to their fathers, De
pew properly succeeds to the presi-
dency of the New York Central road.
Were Jay Gould as smooth and finished
talker as Mr.. Depew with equal pro-
priety he might have been invited to
Chicago to stimulate Wild Western sem
timent in favor of George Washington,
e pturibus aasum and a high protective
tariff
During the war Mr.. Depew's patriot
ism was of that not uncommon order
which contented itself with urging
pretty much every body else to shoulder
musket. Artemus Ward flourished
at the beginning of the war and sacri-
feed all his wife's relatives on the altar
of his country with quite as much
unctuous satisfaction as Mr.. Depew,
then stalwart young fellow, patted
Peekskill youth upon the back and
babe them go forth at their country's
call. If the rebellion could have been
suppressed by speeches Depew would
have done his full share in the glorious
work, but to shoot and be shot at was
not according to his ideal of patriot
ism, and he continued during some
years of strife to wish the Union well
in very pretty phrases. However, if
Mr.. Depew never served his country
with his sword he was quite willing to
take a seat in it's millionaire Senate,
and, when Messrs. Conkling and Platt
resigned, the patriot Depew, we'll
known in the lobby at Albany, APP
peared as an applicant for one of the
vacancies. Depew is a man fit to stand
by Stanford, of the Pacifics, and would
neatly have paved the way for that
plutocrat of the coast. Mr.. Depew's
candidacy was looked on with favor in
certain quarters, but there were many
candidates, and the balloting was long
continued. Mr.. Depew did not remain
until the finish. On the 9Th of July he
withdrew his name, forty-one unavail
ing ballots having been taken, but re-
PEELED various charges and accusa-
tons that had been made in re-
gard to his position and conduct.
When Mr.. Depew rolls into Chicago in
his private car to instruct us upon
Washington's birthday concerning our
duty to our country, it may interest us
to inquire what these charges were
Happily the report of the committee of
the Assembly, charged with investiga-
ton into allegations of bribery and
corruption, is available. The Repub-
lican majority of the committee said:
The testimony of Mr.. Bradley was direct and
positive and he unequivocally charged that on
the 8th day of June last he was approached by
ent Senate of this State, who at the same time
offered and paid to him the of s., QUO for the
purpose of influencing and inducing him to
change his vote for United States Senator and
to cast his vote for Chauncey M. Depew for that
office. The denial of Mr.. Sessions was as
definite as the charge of Mr.. Bradley, and his
testimony in support thereof was equally pos
tive. The remaining evidence in the case Is
circumstantial. Evidence was adduced upon
the investigation tending to prove that active
members of the Assembly had been annrOached
by one Charles A. Edwards with corrupt pro-
posals and offers of money for the purpose of
influencing their votes for Chauncey M. Depew.
AS the District Attorney of Albany
had procured the Indictment of both
Sessions and Edwards the majority
report recommended that the matter
be left to the courts. 1t was not the
funeral of the Democratic minority.
They were at more liberty to speak,
and yet they were fair throughout:
The testimony does not show one dollar re-
ceived by any member OF the Legislature or di-
rectly offered in the form of money for a vote
for any can iidate for Senator Congress ex-
cept in the one case of Mr.. Bradley, who swears
that Mr.. Sessions said: 81 can get you thou
sand dollars to put in your vest pocket to vote
for Mr.. Depew;' who then listened to the en-
ticement. talked about it, said it would be just
as bad to vote for Chauncey M. Depew without
getting any money as to get it, listened again
to the temptation and statement, II will go up
stairs and see what is the best can do and
from this temptation, by appointment with Mr..
Sessions he first went to the room of Mr.. Ses-
sions and then to his own, where, the door be-
ing locked by Mr.. Bradley, both men seated
themselves, the money was paid to him in
three bills of $500 each and in ten bills of $50
each. In the report of this interview there was
dispute, while Mr.. Sessions, in regard to the
money swears: There was not one word said
in relation to money at all, and that there
never was any allusion made to money by him
nor by me-" What may also be called mys-
terry is the use of nearly $4,000 in currency by
men of established credit and with accounts in
banks at Albany, New York, Utica and Buffalo,
and the carrying of large sums of money about
the persons of their owners instead of using
either express companies for the transmission
of money as between New York, Albany and
Buffalo, or the use of bank checks, which bust
ness men are accustomed to use in the trans
mission of money and in all ordinary transac-
tons.
Mr.. Bradley paid the So, 900 either to
the Secretary of the House or to the
State Comptroller. Neither he nor
Mr.. Sessions, least of all Mr.. Depew,
has ever asked it back. Sessions was
notorious lobbyist. He admitted his
venality, and made light of the use of
money as means of influencing votes.
1t is possible, of course, that Mr.. De-
pew, long the attorney of the New
York Central railroad, never employed