The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1868-12-30
No. 22 i.
The Alleged Corruption in the Passage of the

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The gossip about Alaska seems to be without end
Where there is so much smoke there must be just
little fire. We copy as follows from the Washington
correspondence of the WorcesterSpy:
OF the ST 200, 900 in gold voted for Alaska, the
amount it is now reported, Russia actually got was
5000 900 in gold-about one million pounds ster-
ling This leaves So 200 900 to be accounted for How
much of this to pay for the collection, prepara-
tion and publication of documents and reports OF
favorable character published in all sorts of ways and
by all sorts of persons is more than can ever De guess
ed-dOubtless good round sum.
But with regard to the outside ring-the third house,
the press, editors and correspondentst Is reported
that above $500 900 in grcenbacks was spent among
them Mr. Riggs banker here, is said to have OBJ
tanned from the Secretary Of the Treasury just at the
close Of the Debates etc. which terminated by the pur
chase of Alaska, loan of the amount just speched
The loan was fis had any real existence tor obvious
reasons, never made public Immediately on the re-
celpt by Mr. Riggs, newspaper men and others known
as lobbyists wereSthe of drafts of various
the Treasurer Of the United States which
it is declared Gen. Spinners books will show were
cashed.
A list of persons who are stated to have been thus
paid has been circulating here for some time past 1t
certainly includes the of persons to whom such
statement is decided matter of surprise.
Among the sums specified in these reports are such
tGms as New York Tribune $4,000 manager of its
Washington Bureau $4,000; publisher of Washington
Chronicle S25 900. The correspondents of the Times,
World, Boston Journal Philadelphia Press, Chicago
Tribune, Boston Advertiser Evening Post, and others,
are all set down as having been paid various sums
each, from so, 900 upwards Some of them are anx-
iously nquiring what became of the money as it has
never been paid to them.
BY the way, find the belief is quite general among
well informed journalists here, that money really
PAID out to some parties who represented their ability
to Influence the correspondents and journals aforesaid,
but who played shrewder game by trusting to the
drift of discussion and events bring opponents round
TO the measure and keeping the money paid to them
selves. The daughters Of a member from Ohio got
$4,000 each but this, it is affirmed, Immediately
sent back. An incident of similar honorable charac-
ter, told of the gentleman, is very generally be-
lieved In this scase it the whisky ring that
wanted to influence the important voice, and $4,000
was forwarded to one Of his daughters. 1t was sent
back Immediately. To return TO Alaska however,
Robt. J. Walker got S25 900 in gold The certificates
for this amount were, believe, stolen from him in
Boston or New York. He makes no secret of having
received large sum- but says it professional
tner from the Russian government lie appears also
have been acting professionally for his own govern
ment, part Of the $500, 900 appears to have
passed into his hands. These some of the rumors
afoat and the persons whose identified with
them.
Now comes another chapter, to which it is declared
the threatened expose is due. As before stated the
$500 900 referred to in greenbacks. The lobby
lists, etc, were paid therein, they having been urgent
for such payments as soon the Alaska bill passed.
But it is now reported that Mr. Riggs received from
the "high contracting parties' this amount in gold
with which he paid back to the Treasury Mr.. McCul-
ochs loan, and netted to himself thence little per
cent. of seventy thousand dollars being the difference
Of 50 per cent between gold and legal tenders
This commission is said to be outside of hat H..
paid for services rendered. The ''harpies yexcd
1t being so!d are now talking about the matter Some
ay that the difference has BEEN or is to be, divided
among the camorous in order to hush matters UP
Among other transactions it is declared that the Per
lins claim" which at one time threatened to be an
astoppel to the c0rs.u3na1o: Of the Durcn
bought off, NOT by settling It, Uac D., citing
;harge to soE pcs f., pur-e.
At any rat, l1rc is ,att., :rnJ il Ills matt
nand and r2Ius,@ ar .:vas T.. .f;cu by CON-
he facts, if ar@ hH3w npt,h~ TIE r.uo:s in 49,
ulaton l giy a. plainly as ro,slale