TWAIN QUOTE (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On Thu, Dec 11, 2008 at 8:19 PM, Benjamin Zimmer
<bgzimmer at babel.ling.upenn.edu> wrote:
>
> On Thu, Dec 11, 2008 at 7:39 PM, Mullins, Bill AMRDEC
> <Bill.Mullins at us.army.mil> wrote:
>>
>> _Daily Evening Bulletin_, (San Francisco, CA) Wednesday, October 17,
>> 1866; pg. 3;  col A
>>
>> "Political Corruption in England " [from the NY Times, no author cited]
>> " "I call a man honest," said a New Jersey politician, "who, when he is
>> bought, <i> stays bought</i>." "
>>
>> I cannot find the corresponding story in ProQuest NY Times.
>
> New York Times, Sep. 8, 1866, p. 4, col. 6
> Proquest Doc ID 83458476
> Title is "An Astonishing Display of Corruption" (misspelled by
> ProQuest as "...Corraption")
> Also here: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9A02E3D7133DE53BBC4053DFBF66838D679FDE

Barry Popik has posted an entry on his site:

http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/honest_politician_when_bought_stays_bought/

He's got the 1866 cite as well as an earlier, though less canonical,
example from the Times:

----
5 December 1865, New York (NY) Times, pg. 4:
FRIENDS IN NEED.—HECKER'S radical organs began to hedge yesterday. His
morning organ, leaving HECKER out of account, proceeded to adjure the
electors to vote for the man they thought most likely to render
faithful service to the city. The evening Hecker organ occupied itself
with a defence of Mr. ROBERTS against the aspersions cast on
hischaracter by Copperheads, and closed with the announcement that
"the best experts predict confidently the election of Roberts." This,
we supposed, is what may be called backing one's friends. POOR HECKER!
Doubtless, he pays enough for friendship. But the trouble apparently
is that his friends wont stay bought. He will go to bed to-night a
wiser, if not a happier man.
----


--Ben Zimmer

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