The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-12-26
rnr cAstIs MIrHnuI DErENCE.

THE CASE Is WITHOUT DEfENCh'
The State on Saturday undertook IN
: defence OF the recent Investigation Com
mttee and the railroads. II thinks IN
committee was not a farce" and ina
the railros DIS have been unfairly treated
AS the Times has taken the lead II
condemnin the committee and in censur
ing the RI Threads we shall consider th'
States article as aimed practically a.
us. and vre shall accordingly state very
fully this morning the reasons that have
caused ws to do both the things that the
State ditsapproves OF. Our first complaint
of the ommittee is that IL should have
given arly sort OF ground Of dissausfac-
ton at iall. 1t was hampered by no re-
strictiom3 Of any sort whatever IL sat
under - constitution that makes each
house of the Legislature the judge Of the
election, qualifications. and returns Of
its own members and IT could there
| fore go, as 1t pleased" The public mind
was full OF the most injurious rumors
and settlements that raised the question
whether there had not been wholesale
bribery Of the Legislature. The public
mind questioned whether the Legislature
are a body entitled TO its confidence and
respect. This being the state Of the case,
and there being no restrictions whatever
upon fits action, the committee ought
10 have thrown the doors wide open TO
all evidence that bore on the case. Moth
ing should have been excluded that
promi sed 10 throw any sort OF light
upon the subject under investigation
But before the committee had been sit
ting one hour, questions that went to
the core Of the matter were asked and the
cornmittee promptly ruled them out. 1t
persevered in this course until late in
the afternoon of the second day through
sessions of some eight hours the first
day, and five hours of the second,
with twenty-one witnesses examined"
but so examined that IL they knew
anything important they could not
have told it. What was the inevitable |
effect of this? The popular mind most |
reasonably assumed that the committee |
hs d no intention to make any real and |
investigation. All men lost |
h cart and interest in II, and it dragged |
along as the perfunctory performance |
of a body that the people considered
formal entirely, and with no element of
life or vigor in it. There is the great
point at which the committee failed in
Its duty. With no reason or authority
for it, with every reason and considera-
ton against it. it fastened upon the
public mind at the outset the belief
that If was organized to "whitewash";
Che public gave up all interest in the
matter, and no one took any sort Of
trouble TO bring further evidence and
proof before st. This committee will
forever stand condemned in the public
mind for its course in this behalf
Passing now from this broad and
foundation upon which il
will receive public condemnation, we
AXE up in detail the subjects that should
nave aroused its interest and should
nave engaged it's deepest attention.
Mr.. Glasgow testified that as the re-
preventative Of the Norfolk and Western
abroad, he distributed large sum Of
money through the country west of s
1ynchburg to aid in electing Democratic :
members Of the Legislature. This money &
lad not gone through the regular party 7
hannels, but directly from the railroads !
o the members. 1t was proved that Mr.. !
Barbour Thompson had done the same
hing with money furnished by the Rich
nond and Danville and Chesapeake and
)hio railroads This was, TO the public, a (
most astounding fact. 1t amazed the 1
eople 10 learn that the railroads of !
he State had been running a separate :
nd independent political campaign. Civ {
ny money secretly to members 10 aid \
hem in their election and thereby plac- :.
lg those members, as members of the |,
legislature, under pecuniary obligations I
o the railroads Everybody in the State u
kept the committee felt the deepest =
interest in wishing to know how far that a
hing had gone. They wanted to know
ow far the Legislature was the repre- =
of the people and how far of n
ne railroads. The committee was per- a
sctly Indifferent to this question, and a
will never be forgiven by the people :,
)r being so. n
But let us see how the case as con- o:
ected with this railroad money grew -
D the committee and on the public at in
he same time. Before the committee
adj been sitting half an hour the wit te
sss Bryan told them that he had heard -,
ON Mr.. Tom Martin that Mr.. Barbour "a
thompson had received $500 from the III
edmond and Danville railroad, which
: had not turned over to the Democratic II
ommittee. and in ten minutes more the 50
itness Meredith told them that he-Mr. ~
hompson--received $500 more from the a.
lesapeake and Ohio. and Richmond and Is
awhile. which had not been turned over. z
his ought to have been most inter- q; a.
ting lead" In ten minutes more the w
tness Royal told them, or gave them Of
e means OF lea ming. that Or. Priddy. nd
Charlotte. had been for Lee, that he 60
d afterwards received money from m
Irbour Thompson. and that he voted for
lrtin. He also told them, or showed
I'm how they could learn. that Dr. n
riddy carried money from Barbour 10
80