The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-08-23


iDiims,iop 70 how " ,uld vote
This accounts i"r the extraord nary interest
which the ladies the gallery metimes be-
trey in the very drirss p,o ceilings of the
House. Kid gloves, rail road stocks, aid such
like il tie souvenir, ar ats axe The Wiscon-
sip railroad hi J was p ssed and sppr we'd but
a forsery h'v ng been detected upon its face, it
was subs. quently repealed.
With regard 10 the di t.ibut' on Of Colts re-
tbe committee -
have been IN formed that Col Caena IN his testi-
before your committee mentioned ny name, with
Others to whom p.to Of Co to patent he'd been pre-
sened That Cot. Clemens did present With pistol
an free to a"mit and have frequently spoken of IT
with pride but whetre' 1t the msnnseture Of Colt
some other person, am ignorant never bayins 70
my spo~jedge, seen more than three before.
Hon Presley Ewing, of Keotucky. says:
Mr. Clemens, second cousin and intimate friend Of
nine gave me Colts pocket revolver. At the time
did MT know MIR. Clemens bad connection With Co'ts
application Tor o patent extension, did even know
Ar. Colt was urfiDg such an application.
Hon. Fayette McMullen, of Virginia, replied
to the committee that he had got one Of the
pistols but says:
think there we're two three other gentlemen
pro IN, az the time showed pistol sessrsl gen
iIeuen Of both political parties, and told 1hem tina.
Col IL mems had presented it 20 ue. Col Cemeos did
Dot one word to me At the time nor did he refer "a
the extension Of Col C1ta patent, did know tn Ut
be The attorney of Col Colt for some four o. nj.
weeks after be presented ths pistol acco tel IL as
satisfied that Col Clemens Is incapable Of stempng I,
influence the vote Of any member Of Congress BY any
-uch means, &c.
Of course be is. Who dares doubt il for a
single moment? It was present from a friend,
in course.
Hon. W. A. Richardson, Of Illinois, chairman
on the Nebraska bill Q, nm ttee, says that he
asked the loan of one Of Colts pistols; &a'l hen
he says that
Col C. handed a revolver, with balls &c told me
10 keep It. No conversation was had seen Col and
myself Ell her then at any other time, In relation to
the extension Of Colts patent
Hon. Daniel Mace admits that Senator James
Of Rhode Island, gave his little boy pistol I;
.nd the reason which the Senator gives for it is
that be was attached to the little boy, because
be resembled con Of his own that he I'd lost.
Mr.. Cullom, Of Tennessee, got present Of
one Of the pistols from Col Clemens hut the
Colonel had never told him of his agency in the
Colt patent.
There pistols we're revolvers, worth p Jbably
from thirty to fifty dollars each, and we're, we
presume, made for the especial use Of Congress.
The disinterested generosity manifested n their
distribution is very much to be admired; and
all the more So from the fact that all this time
the bill was pending for the extension OF
Colts pistol patent for another term Of
years. Can any man suppose that be-
cause the recipients of these pistols had
each o vote in the House, there was any calcu-
lation upon the subject. Out upon the ill,beral
suspicion Could there be snything adducsd
more conclusive Of pure high-minded Friendship
than this distribution Of revolvers among mem
hers OF Congress, to enable them to shoot down
each other without fail, should occasion require
it /? Nothing, positively nothing
The committee make several reports. Mr.
Letcher, chairman, and Mr.. Ruftn and Mr..
Eddy, think there is something decidedly rot
ten in toe business, though the positive Ell
dence elected is hardly sufficient Tor oonvic-
ton Of felony They are down upon The
claim agent letter WRITER'S" and recomm' nd
their expulsion from the House In regard to
Mr.. Dickorson's contingent lobby fund Of
$4,000, in behalf Of Colts patent, they say
Tho money bas been used, as the e7iiea,s shows IN
raging the cost ana incurred in sostng IA cost
and extrayassnt en.ert;nnsots 10 which l4dios aaa
ms pbers tf Ctpsress sne Others invited viva
View of fuItbe'h the Of this measute. The
laHics having bten lr,t Gully depressed vi toe imp,r
gloves are invited 10 these ent nmsnts nd tce ey
dcnce hows that while there members Of Compress ne
appealed to BY them TO favor ths particular
at the Hon. 1,isert neaa 10 induce him go Or the
rei Gu al Of Colts patent" Whether the sort d
others who ", re invited 70 dine sup at that osas
estahlishmcDt, we have means OF asccrta.nins as
Mr. DcAerson has not given US the names of his gueat
getting 81 the facts M DcAe-t 70 h Te sdo,
Cd tho rule that
ITO reach the heart or got Il vote
The surest way ID down the throat
The three members Of the committee named,
recommend "a more careful, exten. % and
thorough examination" So do We. Mr..
Ztllicoffer. in separate report, thinks that
every improper practices have beea resor,ed
to by agents, attorneys, and letter-writers, to
secure the passage or defea. Of bills before Cen
gress." Mr. Eliot does not like those dinners.
kid gloves, pistols, and such things, and '.re-
commend5 that the committee have Leave to
continue their Investigations" Messrs. Wheeler
end Thurston Gang 70 he conclusion that
nothing has been proved" in the way OF brib-
ing and corrupting members Of Congress. And
the committee have adjourned to day not
designated.
We have thus given the cream Of The docu-
ment before us. Though insufficient to estab-
fish before the House the charges Of corruption
against Colts patent extension, upon which the
committee was raised, 1t is very likely that
the mass Of our readers will arrive at o differ
cnt conclusion. One important fact is at least
established, to wit: that the lasies who visit
Washington during the sittings OF Congress, do
not go there exclusively to show of their
charms and new dresses, nor to hunt up Con.
gressioual husbands at eight dollars per day
and their mileage, and the frlnking privilege
Al. ~