resentatives in the
fall of 1874, and brought Tilden so near to an election in
1876.

But it may fairly, I think, be said for the majority of the
Republican Party in both houses of Congress, and the majority
of the Republican Party in the country, that they did their
very best to deal firmly and directly with any fraud or wrongdoing
that came to light, even if their own political associates
were the guilty parties. The political atmosphere has been
purified as compared with the condition of those days. The
lobbyist is not seen in the Committee Room or the Corridor
of the Capitol, as was the case when I entered Congress in
1869. I ought perhaps to say that I think the acquittal of
Belknap on the ground that the Senate has no jurisdiction
to render judgment against a civil officer on process of impeachment
after he has left office, was influenced by political feeling.
I do not think most of the Republican Senators who voted that
way would have so voted if the culprit had been a Democrat.
But there were many able lawyers who thought the opinion of
these Senators right.

CHAPTER XXIII
THE SANBORN CONTRACTS

The forty-second Congress, at its second session, repealed
all laws which provided for the payment of moieties, or commissions,
to informers, so far as related to internal revenue taxes.
But a provision was inserted by the Conference Committee,
which attracted no attention, providing that the Secretary
of the Treasury might employ not more than three persons to
assist the proper officers of the Government in discovering
and collecting any money belonging to the United States whenever
the same might be for the interest of the United States. The
Secretary was to determine the conditions of the contract,
and to pay no compensation except out of money received. No
person was to be employed who did not file a written statement,
under oath, stating the character of the claim under which
the money was withheld or due, and the name of the person
alleged to withhold the same.

Under this law John D. Sanborn of Massachusetts, an active
supporter of General Butler, applied for a contract which
he obtained on the 15th of July, 1872, for the collection
of taxes illegally withheld by thirty-nine distillers, rectifiers
and purchasers of whiskey. He was then himself an employee
of the Government as Special Agent for the Treasury Department.
Secretary Boutwell being then absent or otherwise unable to
attend to his duti