The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1858-06-03
Ravehiis, O., June I'D. 1858.
The Report Of the Tariff InteSti-
eating Committee.

The New York Herald publishes this re.
port at length. The object for which the
committee was appointed was TO inquire into
certain alleged expenditures Of money to
secure the tariff act Of 1857. Tie evidence
ELECTED by the committee exhibits lobby
affiliations, lobby corruptioas and lobby
schemes OF all sorts, but only about $l5 900
of the money alleged TO have been expended
can be traced by the committee.
The report, says the Herald, briefly but
clearly sums up the reason for, the objects
Of, and the development made by the in.
vestigation; but the committee have no fur.
Their action to recommend on the part of the
House, inosmuch as they have elected no
evidence criminating any member of the
body. The Clerk OF the Standing Com.
mitlee on Claims HAD received lobby tee
OF thousand dollars; bat having resigned
his post on the heels of this movement for
an investigation, no further action was nee!
ed in his case.
0i the $4,000 expended by the Mass.
Woolen Manufacturing firm. OF Llwrence,
Stone d Co., in behalf OF the Tariff bill OF
ie57-and in view of the abolition OF the
pre-existng duties levied upon the raw ma.
lerials imported trcm abroad, but indispens.
able IN the manufacture Of wooden goods
| OF this handsome. sum of $S9 900 thus ex.
pended by said firmi the committee, with oil
their witnesses and industrious researches
are not abie clearly to account for inucn
more than 8 900. The balance, (S74,OoO
more or less) which was put into the hand
OF the confidential agent Of the firm; Mr..
Wolcott, for lobby purposes, they traced to
the pockets Of Woicott where tie inves,iga.
tion stops. The commmttee believe, how.
ever, that he was authorized to pledge any
amount of money, however corruptly, to
secure the great object ofthe firm; but whilt
they believe this, they also believe thai
Wolcott appropriated the money to his own
use, and that it forms a part of the cash
capital Of the new Boston banking firm 6I
(ex GOVERNOR Gardner, Wolcolt u Co..
The committee pronounce the evidence o
this man Wolcott as "willuly and corruptly
ialse," and regret his discharge, discharged
! OH bail,) for the very satisfactory reason
that this discharge at once frustrated the
objects or the investigation.
Among the ascertained lobby money.
paid out by the firm Of Lawrence, Stone &
Co., the following items appear:
J. N. Reynolds, o! N. Y. X. N. $l,5o(
MIR. d. NJ. Stone, NY. Journal of
Commerce. $500
MIR. Corpin, House Clerk Committee
Of Claims. l,Oot
A Mr.. Bliss, of New York. 3Ot
A gentleman lecturing among the
mechanics. 2,5OI
A Mr.. Hotchkiss, of Penn Yam. l0t
Geo. Ashmun, of Mass, ex M. C. 400
Thnrlow Weed, from Ezra Lincoln. 500
Then, it appears that Matteson (Orsumu
Benjah,) made application for small lobb!
fund of 1915 .0eo, to be deposited In The hand
of Horace Greeley, and to be used in tn
way Of solid arguments fot "ffee wool
among some twenty-five available member
of the House. This money was not granted
however; nor was the application of tn
Chevalier Webb fct the rent of his hous
and the lobby expenses thereof in Washing
ton, because the firm chad no funds to dis
pose Of in that way" The granting of tn
Chevalier Webb's application would hav
amounted, perhaps, to bill Of $4,000.
follows that, il the firm did not actually saw
$50 900 in rejecting the application of Mat
teson and Webb, the result was at least
saving Of this amount to the lucky Wo
c0tt.-P Pittsbur9 Post. ,....