impossible to accomplish
such an inquiry within the few remaining days of the session.
But if we failed to attempt it the political newspapers and
what are called Independent newspapers, always much less fair
to public men than political opponents, would have charged
us with failing to make the investigation from a desire to
screen the offenders. The charge would have been greedily
believed in the excited condition of the public mind, which
our explanation would never reach. So I advised the Committee
to call Mr. Huntington, the President of the Central Pacific
Railroad, and ask him to produce the accounts and records
of his Company. To this it was anticipated that he would
reply that these records were in California and that he could
not get them before Congress and the authority of the Committee
would expire. Mr. Huntington was accordingly summoned. He
brought with him Mr. William M. Evarts, as counsel, and
testified as was expected. He then, however, asked leave
of the Committee to make a statement in regard to the relation
of his road to the National Government. This was granted.
He then went on to say what a great public benefactor his
company had been. It had connected the two oceans by a great
railroad across the continent, saving millions upon millions
to the commerce of the country. But beside that he said it
had saved to the Government more than all the moneys the Government
had advanced toward its construction, by preventing Indian
wars. One winter especially his railroad corporation had
fed a hostile Indian tribe when the Government supplies had
failed to reach them, saving them from the danger of starvation
and saving the Government from a bloody and costly Indian
war. I said, Mr. Huntington--Was not that ultra vires for
a railroad corporation? He answered, "No, Sir! no, Sir! we
never gave them anything as strong as that." He evidently
thought he was being charged with supplying the Indians with
liquor, and that ultra vires meant extra strength.

The only other important committee work that I now recall
during my service in the House related to the investigation
of the conduct of Mr. Speaker Blaine. He was charged with
having received stock in a railroad at a price much less than
its then value with the expectation of paying for it by aiding
the passage of legislation in which the road was interested,
by political service as a Member of the House of Representatives,
and especially by his g