The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-03-14


THE LOBBY CORRUPTIONs- ExcuLPATIoN OF
SENATOR JoHNsoN-We publish in another
part of this paper, the correspondence sent to US
by Senator johnson, of Arkansas, in his per-
sonal vindication against certain offensive
charges in recent letter published in the
HERALD, from Washington correspondent, in
reference to the bookbinding lobby jobbing Of
Congress. We are satisfied that the innocence
of Mr.. johnson in the premises is established ;
and with this acknowledgment we hope he wiz
be content. The fact, however, that Mr.. Boteler
has secured the binding in question, remains; ;
and considering his peculiar political assoca-
tons and antecedents, and considering the
number of hungry democrats at Washington
who would have been glad of the job in ques-
ton, we hope that Mr.. Johnson and the men,
beers of the Senate generally, will aid us and our
undiscovered correspondent-Mr Peter j. Smith
in getting at the truth of this matter.
We think it remarkable, in view of the
numerous letters we have published from time
to time concerning the lobby jobbers of the pub
lie printing and bookbinding of Congress,
that no more serious mistakes have been
committed by our correspondents than
those of Mr.. Peter j. Smith. The lobby
jobbers work in the dark, and it is only by a
little accidental thread of discovery here and
there that their rogueries and the parties con-
cerned therein can be detected. This fact has
been very happily illustrated by the various in.
vestigating committees into the lobby corrup-
tiOns of the last five or six years; and thus, al
though Mr.. Peter j. Smith has fired his gun at
an innocent man, it is still possible that his
theory may afford a valuable clue to the investi-
eating committee upon the public printing.
Here, too, it strikes us that secret Congress
sional committee of lobby detectives would not
be bad idea. 1t would he fighting the lobby
with their own weapons, and shrewd commit
tee in this way might bag good many pleas
ants and cartridges.
We announced, the other day, that the special
committee on the Congress printing would in
few days be ready to report, and that with their
report some very curious and astounding dis
closures of the lobby rougueries and villanies
upon this subject might be expected We await
the report. We do not know that in the new
commend, of government bureau for the gov
eminent printing, boOkbinding and engraving,
that daily journal will be embraced, including
full daily stenographic reports of the proceed
ings of both houses of Congress; but we hope
that this important feature in the proposed re-
form will not be omitted. Meantime, in view of
the understood conclusions of the committee, we
may fatter ourselves that the efforts of this
journal in behalf Of this projected reform have
not been without their good results.
1t is certainly high time that something were
done in the publication of Congress, touching
the rapacious lobby jobbers for the enormous
spoils of the government printing and its ac-
cesseries. Only think of four millions of dol
lars as the expenses of these spoliations for the
last two Congresses And then, to mend the
matter, we have deficiency claims put in to the
extent Of S750,000 for the last year or two,
which, when they come to be examined, will le-
gally cover only the margin of S350,000. But
for the public agitation of the subject, however,
we are not entirely positive but that the whole
s75O,0OO, through the negligence Of Congress,
might have been allowed.
We have no doubt that these printing spoils
have been the fruitful source of all the other
plumber jobs, schemes, plots and combinations of
the hungry vultures of the Washington lobby.
The magnificent dividends of spoils and plumber
from this source, divided, from time to time,
among these lobby birds. have furnished them
the supplies, or the machinery, with which te
carry on their patent jobs, their steamship jobs,
their tariff rascalities, their railroad land jobs,
their fat contracts, and bogus claims of all sorts
Abolish the present corrupt system of dispensing
the millions of these printing spoils to the
starving hacks Of parties and factions, and to
the chiefs of the lobby and the principal foun.
tain Of these lobby rogueries and spoliations
will be dried up.
Establish government printing bureau for
the execution OF the printing engraving and
bookbinding of Congress and the executive de-
psrtments, and leave the lazy spois newspaper
organs at Washington and their lobby confede-
rates high and dry, and much will be done not
only for the treasury, and for the suppression of
lobby corruptions Of all Sorts but much also for
honest legislation and much for the improve
ment of the general morals of Washington 90
ciety-an Improvement which is very sadly need
ed Let the committee report.
A GENERAL BASKRvPT LAw-we referred
the other day to the seasonable and sensible
speech of Mr.. Jones, of this city, in our State