The Gilded Age


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jocularity that the more one agitated this thing, the worse it was for  
the agitator. He was not able to deny that he believed Senator Dilworthy  
to be guilty--but what then? Was it such an extraordinary case? For his  
part, even allowing the Senator to be guilty, he did not think his  
continued presence during the few remaining days of the Session would  
contaminate the Senate to a dreadful degree. [This humorous sally was  
received with smiling admiration--notwithstanding it was not wholly new,  
having originated with the Massachusetts General in the House a day or  
two before, upon the occasion of the proposed expulsion of a member for  
selling his vote for money.]  
The Senate recognized the fact that it could not be contaminated by  
sitting a few days longer with Senator Dilworthy, and so it accepted the  
committee's report and dropped the unimportant matter.  
Mr. Dilworthy occupied his seat to the last hour of the session. He said  
that his people had reposed a trust in him, and it was not for him to  
desert them. He would remain at his post till he perished, if need be.  
His voice was lifted up and his vote cast for the last time, in support  
of an ingenious measure contrived by the General from Massachusetts  
whereby the President's salary was proposed to be doubled and every  
Congressman paid several thousand dollars extra for work previously done,  
under an accepted contract, and already paid for once and receipted for.  
Senator Dilworthy was offered a grand ovation by his friends at home, who  
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