New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-05-26
& Stone, money 90 far as the Committee were

on which ie ped 70 George Ashuus ofsprnshe'd MASS W.
n,1.-'.,s-,-w.,oo 5000
Paid 70 David NJ stone OF The Journal Of Commerce 800
p.Sd to n Rc,pci: Of New Yori: LTD
Ped Tiurow Wed Of Albany N IT, through 80. 200
Paid to ssnuei corbin Of l,tc stOr Chy...;.. ~"
Paid rrery persous printing pamphlets tsSeHIs Oh,
erpsnse. kc.........'''.''''''''''''''''
II further appears that some $4,000 to $4,000
was put into the hands of Mr.. Slade, JUNIOR mem
Der of the firm Of Lawrence, Stone X Co.. and
paid out by him, but 10 whom is not ascertalned-
Mr.. Sade being examined in Philadelphia, where
be lay sick and the books of the concern being IN
Boston. We do not yet understand, but presume
the Report will show, why a portion OF the Com
mttee did not proceed to Boston to scru:nHe those
books as well as to Albany to take the testimony
Of Mr.. Weed, who was detained there By severe
sickness in his family. Probably, however, the tes-
tiuoDy of Mr. Slsde sufficiently indicated that
pone of the sum d.bursed by him was spent in a
manner or for purposes to which Congress could
take exception.
It does not appear that any Member of Congress
is implicated in corruption BY this Report True, the
Committee DO not regard Mr. Walcotts word as
reliable on this point; but they we're unable to get
beyond it, The rtyalent impression would seem
to be that Mr.. W. put good share if not all OF the
so, goo into bs pocket, or rather, his bank, and
that bis transmuatOn from the chry sails OF clerk
chip to the full-blown dignity of banker Is due to
this appropriation. All this, however, is conjec-
| ture merely
Tie only person at all connected with flee who
appears TO have received any of the mo ~ Is Dir.
Samuel Corbin, recently Clerk to the Committee
on Claims, which position he has been constrained
to resign. 1t would seem that his testimony be-
fore TIE Committee was regarded as every way I'M
satisfactory. Being shown letter purportng to
be his to Mr.. Lawrence, demanding that $4,000
be put into his hands to secure the passage OF the
bill he admitted its authorship, and treated it as
device to rase money. We are not aware that he
was or was not an officer of Congress when ne
wrote that letter.
| Mr. Ashmun was paid $4,000 for his services in
influencing the action of Congress in favor of the
player of the Wooden men; Mr.. Weed was paid
partly for collecting statistics and arguments 10
favor of the change proposed, and bringing them to
| bear upon the views Of Members; partly Gas he
understood in repayment of sum Of $4,000
which he had expended out Of his own pocket in
the preceding Presidential Election; Mr.. Reynolds
was paid Gas he testifes for his professional SER
vices at Washington as legal adviser to Mr. Stone;
Mr.. d. NJ. Stone was paid for bis services in col.
lectipg, compiling and publishing statistics fayora-
Bile to the change desired Mr.. Weed was not then
connected with the Press; 50 that Mr. Stone was
the only journalist who appears to have been en-
ployed ard paid any thipg whatever.
Tho first reelection suggested by the above
facts is that Of the amazing foolishness Of the
Wooden men in this transaction. The President
and Secretary of the Treasury had both urged q
reduction of the Tariff Their party comprised
strong majority of the Senate, and with the South
Americans, we're a majority of the House. The
| Wooden interest was camOrOus for a modification
I of the Wool duties, with Obvious justice on its
SIDE seeing that it had for ten years been importing
nearly or quite as much Wool as was grown in the
County, and paying higher average duties on it
than wsre charged on the imported Wooens,
which rivaed the home product in our mar.
kets. Now, this interest was good for at least
the vote of Massachusetts,, if no more; and that
was sufficient, when combined with the Democrati:
advocates of lower duties generally, to pass bill.
What was the need, then, of fleeing lobby agents,
and hiring editors to compile statistics not to speak
| of dining and winning or otherwise enlightening
Members of Congress Unwise as the general
reduction of the tariff is now seen to have been,
the objection to that was remarkably feeble, the
prevalent tendency then being toward adding Sugar.
Salt, &c, to the free list, with a recklessness
which threatened TO leave the Government with
scarcely any tariff at all. 1t would certainly seem
if the disburst ment of money, whether in or out
| Of Congress, was most wanton and thIftess pro-
ceedDg, to say nothing here of its morality.
MIR. O. b. Matteson is the only Member of
| Congress whose name figures with any prominence
| in the Committees expose. lr. Stone testifes
| that Mr. NJ called on him some time in the Sum-
ner or Autumn of 1856, to consult about the pros
Y poets Of Tariff modification favorable to the
Wooden interest, and in the course Of the CONVEX
sation, suggested the prOpriety Of placing large
sum in tie hands of Mr. Horace Greeley. What
led to this suggestion does not seem to appear in
Mr.. Stones testimony, but in Mr. Mattesons his
remarkable proposal is accounted for in this way:
Mr.. Store, on being asked what was doing to inhu-
eHce public opinion favorably to the Wooden inter-
est and the Tariff modification required by it, an
swered that he had enlisted The Journal Of Com
mtree in its favor at considerable cost; whereupon
be 81. rejoined to this effect-"O, hang The Jour
nal Of Commerce! that has no circulation 10 the
"COuniIy-no influence with the constitaencies-it