Arkansas true Democrat., 1858-03-02
Further Testimony in the Lawrence, Stone
 & Co.,, Bribery Business


 The stockholders of the Bay State Mills held a m"eting in Boston, on Friday, 1t which the rtlort of the investigating committee was read w the chairman, Mir. !. E. ClowuiIshield.- lhe report makes over four ewspaper columns, embracing detailed history uf the company .l d its connection with NJ McsSrs. Lawrence, Stone & Cn MT. Lawrence, as tred,u.y, received a salary ol 5000 per anlum, anu the firm d com misslon ot two and a half Der cent. on all their sales. Ihe entire amount ot .helr commission tTo M 1918 to 1856, from the Bay State Comp- ny alone, Was over S335 9UO, besides doing large commission business fer the MdileseX, Pemberton ant Eugiul WorsteI Companies heIr aggregate commissions Tor tha year 1856 amounted to nearly 595ODU OA thc failure Al the firm they owed tHe Bay State Com auv nearly S32IUOO of which, with the exception of So7 ,UUO paid on account ot the tariff bill. flo trace can be discovered. The report says:
 Ihis large sum of money las been taken from the company by its coniidtn agents, of whom the treasurer was one, without the knowIt dLe consent or even suspicion Of the directors, and the facts have been carefully and stuliouslv concealeI from them, and it has been appromi- aled to thelr own use, lu eucn manner as they have seen ht Whatever tbat application may have been, or however they may have foudiv or toolIshIy hoped or intended to have made it good at some future day, does not change the nature of their acts, which can De characterized only as fraudulent, criminal conduct--an appro pria'lon to thelr own use of the property of a too conhding company by it's agents, appointed and munitcently compensated to guard and watch over its interests and manage its most important concerns.
 The report alluding to the tariff disburse- ments says:
 What shall be said, however of the large sum ot S07 ,OOO, which in effect forms part of that so taken from us and from others, which was applied to the procuring of the passage of the last tarllt; that panacea which was to cure all our evils? Is that application of money such as to commend 1t to our approval, or to that ot the public? IL is true that we know not win any certainty where it went, or how it was applied, II We eNeep5 rom3 So O)J, wnich was spent Tor publications, newspaper articles and the like. Ot the balance we know that 1t has gone, and a0e kaot0 person by t0aom t aoas dis bursed. We know that there were at one time certain memorandum the possession of our agents which would, 1t is supposed, expland in part this mystery, but they have disappeared While we have figures for matters which do not ap- pear obj bectionable- the diffusion of light. of in formation and arguments--there Is careful omission of anything which would show what became of the balance of the money. This gives rise to dsagreeable sllS pcions that it must have gone for purposes which would not bear exposure, and which needed to be hidden and concealed. Was it employed in costly enter tanments at Washington. given to those sup 1 posed to be able to influence legislation there
 las 1t expendel in the employment of d corps of lobby membors-Gau.ers on to the | skirts of the members of Congress, to worry | them into giving votes n favor oi such measures as might be supposed lavorably to effect their Interest? or was 1t employed for still darker and more objectionable purposes? We only know that of the tirm-Mr S.one-has told h. that while he was at Washington aborng q l!i- 1 gently and with all his might to diffuse inlor. matlon, by all lawful means, to persuade Con- sress into the passage of tariff which would prove less onerons and more advantageous to the wooden interests which have long been de- pressed, he was told that if he hoped for success It would De necessary for him to adopt quite another course of measures, and to be less scru. puous than he was in the use of the means al his disposal; that letters were written home, sav. Ing that some other agent-one of a more plia be temper-must be amployed; aud that il consequence thereof he was withdrawn, anc another member of the firm was sent on to rep resent them, and who, as ne supposed, paid ou and disbursed or controlled Ae application Q the rest of the money. So our money wen without our knowledge or consent.
 We have no account of it. and are not able t( tell how much of 1t was ours and how much be longed to others. We are not assured that i even did go for the tariff It is hinted that i did not There Is darkness about 1t that w, cannot penetrate. Perhaps it may be bette that we should not. There might be hrouyb to light matters which it would be d.saqreetJl to some people to have exposed We are tol. that what was done was done with good inten tions and for our good. If that much vaunte,