Rensselaer Union, Volume 5, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 February 1873 — Credit Mobilier. [ARTICLE]

Credit Mobilier.

We are indebted to lion. John C. Shoemaker, Auditor of State, for a copy of his annual report to the Legislature. , lira. Cutler and Mrs. Longloy woman suffrage missionaries, wlio addressed tl.e assembled wisdom of Indiana, a short time since, could rot get an audience before the leg. islatuce of Kentucky. Mlrideusiuakelove to young men out in lowa, invite them to marry them ami if the yor.n ' men decline they shoot the unloving brutesy It is probable that of the two evils the young men out there choose the least. Those wl*o trap prairie chickens between now and. the loth of August will be violators of law.—Plymouth Democrat. Correctj and they are violators of law if they trap prairie chickens or quails at any time. De Forest of the Remington Journal intends to pack up his “shebang” on the loth of July next and is going west to grow up with the country! lie can be spared as well as not, and the loss to the west will be the eternal gain of Remington. If the ground hog was not blind and the presumption is that he was not, lie distinctly saw his shadow on the day he was to make his appearance, and now unless the whole ground hog theory is a delusion, we are to have six weeks more of polar wave this winter. Leon Ritchey, a former resident of this county, now residing at. Topeka, Kansas, has our thanks for late Kansas papers containing a full account of the proceedings of the Joint Convention of the Senate and House o*t Representatives of Kansas convened to elect a Furred States Senator. The Franeesville Local Topic say< that “Dr. Winegarden has suffered scvefclv from henyeernnia”. There is cosidcruble discussion among the numerous friends of the Doctor as to whether that New Year’s address was the result of the hemierania, or the h< micrania the result of the New Y ear's address. —Will the learned traveller of the Fopfe-ex-plain to an enquiring public which is tlie cause and which the effect? • , Y We have no fears that the legislature will fall into any extravagance in the matter of making an appropriation for the' State geological survey, and therefore have less hesitation" in urging it to lie-decidedly liberal. - 1 11dianapolis Journal. - The Journal is right, our “bast working legislature” are only ex travagant in those little things that go to make up their own salary. The man who would for a moment Suspect that tl ey would be guilty of. any extravagance in appropriations for the general good of the state, is a-galoot, whom it would be base flattery to call a pumpkin-head. - A Perhaps no event since the breaking up and exposure of the Tammany Hall ring, has created such ait intcrest as 'he disciosures of the Credit Mobilier investigation. Men who have stood high before the .country, bare.-suddenly fallen ft pm their high estate in the esteem of the people,.before the blasting evidence which has been given before committees appointed by Congress to investigate the matter. Among the prominent public Sh»s*ms who have had their character blackened are Vice President Colfax. Senators - 7 'i Pattetson, Wilson (Vice President elect) and Harlan; Representatives Ames, Allison, Alley, Brooks. Bingham, Dawes, Garfield, Kelley and Wilson. Of all this- number non# perhaps stood higher than Vice President Colfax, and none had a brighter political future. He may not have been bribed to act corruptly; lie may not have received stock and dividends, but the evidence is strong against him—so strong in fact that the confidence of his best friends in bis honesty is shaken, Mr Colfax, however, emphatically denies fever receiving any stock or dividends, and says that the array of evidence against him that he will prove to the satisfaction of the Committee that the statement of Oakes Ames, the principal witness is false. It is well for us to suspend judgement until all tlye evidence is heard, nnd then ifitis proven that Colfax has been guilty of corruption Jet him be impeached, and let every niemjnr of the Senate or House who has v had lyjs fingers tarred with the Credit Mobilier or any of the other lobby schemes which have been .carried through Congress by bribes in the last ten years, be promptly expelled

| It will be seen by the published j ' proceedings of the Jasper County : .Central Association of Patrons of Husbandry that they are taking ipto [consideration the feasibility of lowering the channel of the Iroquois I - river from* its source to some point j beiow the lulls at Rensselaer. This is a move that deserves more than a passing not.ee; and if the report should be favorable, and theyoik 1 carried ton successful issue they will I have done a work that will be an honor to them for all time. -This i is an idea that has been quietly agitated am bug parlios inrereMcd for- ! several years past, and wo are glad I to see an effort upon the part ol this ; powerful and flourishing society to accomplish that which every one i lias long since recognized as a prime | necessity.. When this work i* accompli? lied, thousands and thousands of ackcs of land that are now partially or wholly covered with water will be brought into cultiva- ! lion, and add so many thousands of acres of arable land to the culivali---hlfe area of our county; and in addi• lion to that the health of the people in the district of country along the Iroquois and Pinkaifttnk wall be immeasurably improved. It is the duty, of all, whether members of the ! order or ‘not, to encourage, by * word and deed, the prosecution of I this great work. From cur acquaintance with the officers of the Grid or,' 'and the class of men who . i.....;. - compose the society in this county |we are satisfied that they'mean bus- | iin ss, and have confidence that | with the earnest support which they j ought to, and we believe will receive , from every person whose lands are i affected they . will go at tliis work with the energy that characterizes ’ : them in their private enterprises, J ! and that they will carry it through..| Below we copy from our exchr.n- j ges opinions about our “best work- ' , ing Legislature”, who have voted : themselves £8 per day and mileages land .at the same time have endeavor--1 td, by cutting down the wages of printers, sheriffs and jurors, to ini- 1 press the people that they were | working hard for economy; stophiing an inch bung -hole at one end ■ of the barrel while opening a two ; inch bung, at the other. Neither i Mr. Dwiggijis nor Mr. Hatch voted ! for an increase of pay, and from the denials that are going up from every ' pait of the State we cannot conceive where the “grabbers” found rTinrijoi ity to utmy then::;:, men.suie through. Our belief is that no Legislature for the past eight years has done so little for the general ■ good of the State, and so mfteh for -themselves, as the one now in ses- . si on, and it would be better for the State if they would vote themselves pay for tileif full time until the term would close by operation of' law and at once adjourn: The Legislaturetalks of abolishing the Common Picas Court and substituting same other Court in its. stead. The “best uworking'Legis hit lire'.' had better abolish itself. — Valparaiso Messenger. The Legislature ‘ 1 sh 6 weTTex eeedingly bad taste” in cutting down the compensation of tlu; official “organ”. They should have known that that would cause trouble in the camp.— Vulpariso Messenger. Elsewhere we publish an article from the Plymouth Democrat; on the per divni Dill. The members of tlu: | Legislature had better wake tip and take the badk track, for the people are jn earnest. — Valparaiso Videtle. The new Fee and Salary Bill cuts do Wirt he compensation of county : sheriffs. What explanation can j our legislators make for increasing- ! their own salaries? Fair play, I Messrs. Legislators.— Valparaiso j Messenger. j The vote in the Senate increasing j the pay of members from $5 to $8 j per clay—stood 23 for and 16 against. The vote shows that 16 ! Republicans voted for the bill, and 'l2 bloodsucking Democrats. Six cowardly. Democrats played Neth--1 erton, dodged and run awajv—- | Stark County Ledger. —- I.t is, we believe, now admitted by all parties that unless the regular session of the Legislature shall pass a law repealing the eight dol- : lars per diem law recently passed, their days are numbered. It is not enough to have voted against it, a bill must be introduced in both houses, repealing-the law passed St the special session, or the people | will hold the members of this Legislature to a. .full responsibility for the measure.— Virlpajiaiso Vedette. When the members of the Legislature raised their pay to 48 per day, andss for every 25 miles travI eled to get to the capitol,, it was unj derstood that this should do away ' with all •‘perquisites”, and that 1 there would be no,more, voting to themselves “stamps”, or papers, or ; law books. But the propensity of ' members to make the people “pay ' the piper” was too strong, and they I had hardly got their seats warm in : the present regular session until : they voted four copies of the zUnity j Journal and a like number of tile j Sentinel to each member, to be j “wrapped and stamped.” How this j “best working Legislature” do work j —for the 1 ill selves Winamnc fiepnfy j ■ i 7

We haven’t heard that a bill has yet been introduced into our Legislature fixing the price of a pair of shoes, a. bolt of calico’, tdMCfregk--eoat. I Why such important tilings as these to tlie people should be neglected so long is a mystery, and anxious inquiries come to us eveiy day why it is not done. It is true that a law lias been passed providing that work done tor the county, in the way of ''printing shall hereafter be less than half the price charged our local, advertisers; but people must have patience; everything can’t be done at once, and it may be that a law will yet be put through fixing the price of muslins at 5 cents it yard; a pound of sugar at 4 cents, and a box of starch at 25 cents; then we can all stiffen up to the last man, as well as our lawmakers. — Northci n Indiunian. The average human mind would be puzzled to know of what kind of stuff the present Legislature is iaad e. M any partisan jou in a? sli av e exhausted their energies latiding the great efficiency of that body; jiJTVtr as the acts of our legislators are- brought to light, it is difficult to imagiue why any legislature that the state ever had was not equally entitled to flattering comments from the press. Taking the Legislature as a body, without any reference to the political proclivities of the members, it is safe to say that the only great deed with which they may be credited up to this time, is the increase of their own salaries, and that of tlie governor, judges, etc., entailing upon the people the hurden of paying probably a quarter of a million more money to saljaded officers than they would under the laws m force when the present Legislature met in extra session. But it is claimed that the increased ! salaries will secure a higher, order of talent than could be commanded by the old order of things. llow much better governor will Hendricks beat SS,OOJ than he would at 83,000 "or §5,000; ox what increased ability have we in the supreme court by the increase of the judges’ salaries? Where is that bright particular star in the legal firmament whose talent could not be obtained to adorn the position of trust and honor, by j'easoti of the inadequacy of the salary? But the coolest piece of impudence ever recorded by adegi-lative botly, unless it be some of the scalawag legislatures of the southern states, and among them we cannot recall a similar proceeding, —was the increase of the pay of the members of the b gislature from live dollars to eight dollars per day. While five dollars per day was considered ample during the war period, when it was not greater in value than half that amount is now, it remained for.our astute legislature to perceive the great advantages that would accrue to the people by increasing, their salaries to $8 a day, | w 1 rtJtr nisei r exp v nses 1, are Ivssr tha ll they have been for 12 years, thus securing better men-for legislators: themselves being the “better men.” The increase of salary may enable our legislators to give a lew more ehainpaigiie ' suppers, anil indulge in wine and women more extensively, but as an instrument of good to tlie' people there is no probability that it will be anything but a failure. The increase of salaries, it made to apply to future-legislatures, would have been an imposition oil the people; but for the members to vote ii to themselves, is a legalized grab which no legislature but the present would sacrifice its dignity to accept. In making these remarks we have in our mindls eye the 150 members of the legislature, with such individual exceptions, as may justly claim exemption from them. We mean neither political party. The “grab party” is the one to which we refer, and which seems to have a good working majority in both houses. —Plymouth Democrat.

.Several years ago, Congress, with the consent of all parties hi the country, donated a belt of land ten miles wide on each side of the road to a company to aid in building the Pacific railway. It also gave to 'the company a subsidy in national bonds of 816,t100 per mile for the first 207 miles, of 832,0Q0 per mile, for the next 600 miles, and for the mountain region $48,000 per mile. This company was organized with a capital stock of many millions, upon which 5 pur cent, in cash was paid in. The subsidy . bonds were to be a first mortgage on the road. Some time afterward the managers of th& company appeared before Congress and solemnly declared and protested that tlu road could not be built with the amount of the Government subsidy. It should be remembered that both parties had been pledged in their platforms to the speedy completion of this road.— To wards- the close of the session of Congress in 1864, a bill was passed releasing theN railway from the Government mortgage, and giving the company authority to assue its own first mortgage bonds to an amount, equal to the government subsidy. This bill was passed without any record of the names of those who voted for it. While this bill was pending, or about }lhat time, Messrs. Oakes Ames, Dr> Durant and others purchased a cliarter, granted by the Legislature ot Pennsylvania, and under it organized the company known as the Credit Mobilier of America. The officers Of this'eompany were the same persons who weie the executive officers of the Union Pacific Railroad Company. The latter, acting for the railroad company, made a with tbemseives as officers of the Credit

Mobilier, by which the Credit Mobilier undertook to build the road, receiving therefor all the bonds wired ".byt-thfr-'P-acifl'C- Com pan v, all the.bonds granted by thejljnited Stales, and all the cash capital, lands, receipts and earnings of said” Ray fie Railway Company. The first mortgage bonds above mentioned sold rapidly, at par. The re ad e r ean die re fore easily estiin at e ill# amount per mile tlie 'Credit Mobilier received for building the road. It is now alleged that the road did not cost to exceed 82<T,000 per mile—tliat the Credit Mobilier obtained th# reriiaindfer by fraud and misrepresentation, and —that “its stock was distributed, among Congressmen to procure their votes*, or pay for them, on the passage of the bill allowing the Pacific Company to take the proper place of the Government by issuing first mortgage bonds equal to the subsidygranted by the laUcr.' - This, statement of the case, which we believe is substantially correct, presents but two or three points to be settled by the pending investigation. The people* will want to know first, if the principal and interest of the Government subsidy bonds is perfectly secure, or it by the act making those bonds a second mortgage tlie amount of 827,237,000 and tlie interest thereon,‘has been squandered. Next they will want to- know what the cost of building Tlie Pacific road actually was. If it appears that the Government lias been a loser by the Credit Mobilier operations or that anybody has been swindled thereby, then the con n ection of 1 e gisi a rip n wi th that swindle" shouid be unearthed if possible. In other words, the fact that Congressmen speculated y,i Credit Mobilier stock lias no significance unless it is shown that the stock was fraudulent and the Congressmen knew u, or that it was p;iveii to them for the purpose ot influencing, or paying lor their votes. k P to this writing, the investigation shows that Senator Patterson, of New Hampshire; and Congressman Brooks, of New York, have lied desperately about their connection with Credit Mobilier.— This is a suspicions circumstance. The dividends.of the Credit Mobilie r show immense profits. This is another suspicious circumstance. Oakes Ames, has woven a web of suspicion around Mr. Colfax, but we still have faith to believe that the latter is innocent of any wrong in this matter. Congressman Kelley, says he wants and will take his Credit Mobilier stock and • dividends, as if he had never ..heard of them. John ,A. Logan stems to have smelled a mice, some time ago, and returned his dividend with interest. ■ We hope the investigation will reach the bottom of the business. no matter who is hurt by it. If the Government or anybody else has been swindled by the Credit Mobilier, every man who contributed aid of any kind to that swindle should be exposed and punished, but we are getting a little tired of the gossipy evidence which only arouses suspicion. Let us know, gentlemen of the eo'mmittee, wluV was swindled by the Credit Mobilier, what the swindle was, and who had a hand in it; not who purchased its - stock, or who Ames can produce dividends for. Give us facts—the plain unvarnished, unwhitewashed truth. —Logansport Journal. ~ xv . 1: —I—- 1 —-

The following iteuT from the’ Puget Sound Express, Washington, Territory,will be read with interest by the many friends of General MilrOy in this county. General Milroy, Superintendent of Indian Affairs for Washington Territorj, has inaugurated a system of government for the Indians under ins charge, which is new and novel. The governing principle or idea of the system is to prepare the Indians to exercise the rights of American citizens, by a careful, system of education of which the following are some of its principal features. Every tribe is to elect a chief annually, by ballot; each agent is instructed to prepare ballot boxes, have the Indians to nominate candidates, and have the election con drifted in the manner prescribed by the laws of the Territory This is the first step in the system to make the “wards” of the government active and useful members of the body politic. It is also proposed to have the reservations suryeyed and subdivided agreeable to the United States survey, and then allot the head of each family a small tract of land, to be managed and cultivated for their own use and benefit; and when they beeome sufficiently advanced in civilization and the science of government,’they will sever their tribal relations, and become worthy members of society and useful citizens of the republic. The Superintendent has also issued stringent orders forbidding the custom of pressing the heads of the children, ms he believes such a custom tends to lessen tlieir intellectual force and activity. The Indians also taught that when they commit an act that would be an oCeuse against tlie laws of the land, they will be punished accordingly, and that no free “potlatch” will wipe out the offense. From the Puget Sound daily Courier, published at Olympia* Washington Territory, January 16, 1573 we copy the following local items: The day has been quite warm, the sun shining at intervals. '* We were shown a boquet of flowers, gathered to day from a garden, in the open' air, that consisted of five varieties. *- ' A distinct shock of an earthquake occurred irr this place at thirty-three minutes after tw'o oclock this afternoon. We don’t pay any more attention to these little tremors now than to a shower of aaln.

A bill has been introduced in the State. Senate abolishing the Common P 1 e their business to the Circuit Courts, ami dividing the state into 36 judicial circuits composed as follows: 1 '1 lie counties of Vanderhitrg and Poaey. 2 Warrick, Spencer and t’orry. 3 Craw I ord, Harrison anil Waahingto 4 Floyd, Clark and Scott. 5 Jeiiersou and Switzerland. C Jenti'iiga, Ripley and Ohio. 7 Dear.,orn and-Franklin. 8 Decatur, Fayette and Kush. 3 Bartholomew, jack eon aiid Brown. Hi Orange, Lawrence and Monroe. 11 Gibson, Pike and Dubois. 12 Knox, Daviess and Martin. 13 Sullivati, Olay and Green. l - VigO. ' " ' - . Ja Owen, Morgan and Putnam. 16 Johnson and duelby. 17 W ayue and Unio t. 18 Henry and Randolph, 13 Marion. 2(1 Hendricks and Boone. 21 Parke, Vermillion and Fountain. 22 Montgomery pud Clinton. 23 Tippecanoe and White. 24 Hamilton, Tipton and Howard. 25 Delaware, Madison and Hancock, 26 Walls, Adams and Jay. 27 Huntington and Wabash. 28 Giant, Blucklord nod .Miami--29 Cass and Carroll, ’ 3U Benton, Jasper, Newton and Wayren, 31 Lake, Porter, Stark and Pulaski. 32 Laporte and St. Joseph. 33 Marshall, Kosciusko and Fulton. 34 Elkhart and Lagrange. - 35 Steuben. DeKulb and Noble. 36 Aden and Whitley, The following item is clipped from the Chicago Tribune : ' “The financial state of F. J. Purcupileand P. R. Israel, of Sheldon, Iroquois county, is about as desperate as can be. They owe 53,260 to creditors, and have sold the whole of their stock of hats and cans, dry goods, and boots and shoes, to John I. Purcupile, a brother of F. J, Purcupile. receiving therefor 8100 in easli and SOOO in mites which are not secured. The SIOO cash sjtas already disappeared in the payment of the bankruptcy fees, and the S6OO notes constitute the whole of tire assets. Among the creditors are Eddy, Harvey <& Carter, of tins city, for $287.74, who yesterday petitioned for the bankruptcy of this feeble linn. Froiii the books it appears that the parties sold $776 worth ol goods, at a profit of $214, at a period between tlio dispatch and reception of two letters to the petitioners praying for delay. A rule to show cause and provisional warrant of seisure were issued.” Thirty inches of snow in the woods of Marshall county. 7 It is estimated that there are 1,500 swarms of bees in Laporte county. Several cases of Cerebro Spinal Meningetis are reported in New.ton county. J. W. Viant of Low el, Lake county, wants 5,000 bushhU of corn for 22 cents per bushel. The Herald at LaPorte estimates that up to Fcbuary Ist, 100 inches of snow have fallen in that region. Our State Senate refused by a vote of 17 to 25 to add to its S.and.ing Committees one on woman suffrage. A portion of the county asylum of Lake county was burned do.wn last week and two insane paupers were burned to death in -it. In the last month 28 dead dogs have been found in the streets of Montfcello and still“sausage'retails at 15 cents a pound. A 72 year old man of LaPorte, who has been blind 28 years saws his own wood and goes about and does chores as though there was nothing ihe matter with him. The city authorities of LaPorte have resolved to have the stumps taken out of the principal streets because the firemen mistake them for hydrants. Asa Perigo, of White county who was sent to the penitent'ary last'spring for stealing cattle, has been pardoned by the governor and is now at home in that county. Somebody left a child on a door step in La Porte a short time since, and now, after nine days of wonder and inquiry, the father and mother are both discovered, and every one is happy.