not the public. They treated it as if they were
transferring money from one pocket to another.

When Congress met in December, Mr. Blaine, the Speaker, who
had been one of the persons implicated by public rumor, although
in fact he had refused absolutely to have anything to do with
the transaction, left the Chair, and, calling Mr. Cox of
New York to his place, introduced a resolution calling for
an investigation of the affairs of the Union Pacific Railroad.

Two Committees were appointed. One, of which Judge Poland
was Chairman, undertook to deal with the charges against the
members of the House of Representatives. The other, of which
Jeremiah M. Wilson of Indiana was Chairman, was directed to
inquire into the entire management of the affairs of the Union
Pacific Railroad and the Credit Mobilier. I was a member
of this last Committee. A Committee was appointed also in
the Senate, with direction to inquire into the charges so
far as they affected Senators. The whole country was profoundly
excited by the affair.

I stood third on the Committee on which I was a member. It
was thought best that Mr. Wilson, the Chairman, who was a
very able and distinguished lawyer, should go to Boston where
the books of the Companies were kept, and make a searching
examination of their books and accounts. Mr. Shellabarger
of Ohio, the second member on the Committee, one of the ablest
lawyers in the House, was in poor health. He consented to
serve only on the condition that he should not be compelled
to do any duty requiring any considerable labor. So I had
to a large degree the charge of the investigation in Washington,
where the witnesses were examined, and in the end the duty
of preparing the report.

We did not deal in our report with the alleged misconduct
of the individual members of the House, but solely with the
two corporations. The report sets forth the transaction at
length, and contains the following summary of the Committee's
conclusions:

The purpose of the whole act was expressly declared to be
"to promote the public interest and welfare by the construction
of said railroad and telegraph line, and keeping the same
in working order, and to secure the Government at all times,
but particularly in time of war, the use and benefit of the
same for postal, military, and other purposes."

Your committee cannot doubt that it was the purpose of Congress
in all this to provide for something more than a mere gift
of