Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-02-16
THE COUNTRY HOME
BY MRS. W. H. FELTON,

tees-two of the house and one here-that
every step of that mighty enterprise had
been taken in fraud. ! have heard in high
est places the shameless doctrine avowed
by men grown old in public office that the
true way by which power should be gained
in the republic is to bride the people with
the offices created for their service, and
the true end for which it should be used
when gained is the promotion of selfish
ambition and the qualification of personal
revenge. | have heard that suspicion haunts
the footsteps of the trusted companions of
the president"
General Belknap resigned and the i'm
parchment would not lie on a private cti-
zen.
1t went into a presidential campaig On
1S76-as the Teapot Dome is going into
the campa ign of 1924. The New York Times
says the Belknap sin was only for $4,000
My recollection is it covered $4,000 at
the time in 1876. | was on the ground mo
| sat i'll the senate gallery and istened)
The scenes in the senate at this time were
not hotter now than then.
1t was printed far and wide and Mrs
Belknap left Washington City and the gem
eral died under the shadow of the charges
against him a cabinet officer | did
not see or listen to the exposure and ex-
pulsion OF Cakes, Arless and Brooks
of. New York. One was a Republican and
Brooks a Democrat, but l in Washing
ton City when the Pacific roads were mar
shaing their votes in 1873, and when open
charges were heard in cafes and in the
corridors of the capitol against men from
south as we'll as north who dared not ex-
plain their votes when challenged to clear
away the stain of their regulations
Just as Judge Hoar declared in the course
Of the Belknap trial--concerning the cor
ruptlon OF public men-the courts of San
Francisco went the records of many
pubic men OF both parties, who were bought
like sheep in the shambleS-With cash--to
serve the Pacific railroads.
President Andrew Johnson was mpeach-
ed by congress, but he had taken no money
brides, but was only relieved by the ma
jority of one vote. 1t is the money faint
that sticks like glue to an officials repu-
tation.
public man can be caught with bribe money
in his pocket and expect to outlive it.
United States Senator James Beck, Of
Kentucky, succeeded in passing a resoiu-
ton through the senate that senators should
not be permitted to appear as attorneys and
plead cases in the supreme court on which
they had voted in that body. He said
men who voted for the Pacific railroads
could go before the courts with 100000
Of corrupt money in their pockets as sena-
tors and claim to be attorneys before the
courts. In the present whirligig cabinet
ministers appear to figure most largely.
They were paid to appear before the presi-
dent. and the special counsel were engaged
in such offensive business because they had
been cabinet members and had more influ-
ence. Alexander Pope thus wrote
Judges and senators have been bought
for gold" Shakespeare said and sell
the mighty space of our large honors for
much trash may be grasped thus"
There are hundreds who escape attention
conviction, but these men appear to take
gamblers risk when they sell their large
honors'' for so much gold.
Listen to Shakespeare again: "Oh, that
estates, DEGREES and offices were not de-
rived corruptly that clear honor were
purchased by the merit of the wearer."
l repeat again, the high officials who
are moved by bride money can never clear
off the stain of it. They will take it to
the cemetery when they make the final
trip and, like treason, it is always odous.