New-York tribune., 1874-12-15
PICIFIC MAIL CORRUPTION.

CONFESSIONS by RICHARD b. IRWIN.
THE COMPANY ANXIOUS TO PREVENT HIM FROM
TELLING WHAT lie KNOws-MR. HATCHS TESIl-
BONY IMPUGNED-IRwIN THE UNWILLING AGENT
or sToCKwELL IN PURCHASING CONGRESSIONAL
vOTEs-sTOCKwEIL OF OPINION THAT con-
GREssMEN CAN BE BOUGHT LIKE PORK OR WOOD
A FEW HINTS TO THE COMMITTEE fUT FOR
WARD by THE WITNESS,
tBr TELEGRAPH 10 TIE rRIBUyE.l
WASHINGTON, Dec. H. Mr. Richard 3. Irwin
arrived here to-day and is quartered IN private
bouscson HIST, under guard Of Deputy Sergeant
alarms In conversation with friends he speeks
freely about most matters concerning his relations
to the Pacific Mail Company, and the buying OF It's
additional subsidy through Congress, avoiding an-
swerng one or two questions only, which refer
directly to tho disposition OF the corruption
funds placed in his hands. He says that
the Company is exceedingly anxious to prevent him
from telling what he knows, and that. had he de-
sired to escape the investigation, be could have had
the City Of Toxic to take him to sea, and land MN
at any destination he might have selected The ob-
ject of the suit against him blackmail. and to
induce him to come to Washington and save the
subsidy by employing means similar to those which
secured it.
Mr. Irwin is very severe the testimony OF Mr..
Hatch before the Committee, and is confident that
he viii be obliged to retract it before long, 1t was
absurd for him to intimate that he tlrwinl had come
out of tho wills of Arkansas from China, or else
where. to strike tho Company for a large sum OF
money. when Hatch knew that no had been
ten years in the Company's service, and
had been sent for from San Francisco
to come to New-York because Of his knowledge OF
its affairs and especially of its Pacific trade. After
he had made all the arrangements in Washington
for passing the Subsidy bill, Mr. Irwin says be
strongly urged StOckwell, who was then President
of the Company. to recede from the arrangement
He did not believe the subsidy would be worth
the pice TO be paid for it, because 1t
involved running u semi-monthly line, which
wouId be q losing business half the year.
Stockwe'l insisted however. that the matter should
be PIT through. The checks were drawn and gwen
TO Irwin but so 10th the latter to proceed mat
he begged Stockwel to think it over for two days
Az the end of that time he gave him two days more,
allowing tie money to remain four days Ill DahN 90
that Stoclwell might cancel the checks If
he could be persuaded to drop the matter.
lie remained firm, however. and Irwin proceeded
with the business. 4 portion Of the money, Mr.
Irwin said, went to parties who had rendered
s.ryices and W., re entitled to compensation. Some
Of il was begged by strikers who brought lists OF
member, TO Stockwe whom they pretended they
had for sale Stocllwell believed he could buy Con
gress ~ he could pork by the barrel or wood by the
cord liza member was represented to nave refuSed
81 OO0 be was for offering him $1,000, and II that
would not effect the object he looked Jon him as
hgh-plced fellow. who might bo worth having at
$4,000. or even more. 1t never entered bis mead
that there were anv members who were not Tor SAFE
and on the lists brought him there were some
times names of men whom no ono WHO
know them wonld dare approach with bribe.
Irwin himself never dealt with these st0ckers
Whom cid he deal with That is question which
he SAYS he may OF may not answer. He intImateS
that tbe Company would be glad to have such direct
questions AS this thrust at him at tho outset, in
the belief that ho will be driven inta corner.
and will refuse to answe Re laughs at the idea
that the Committee can force him to tell anything
that he does not wish to tell. He may answer
ninety-nine questions and refuse to answer the
hundredth, and il the Committee want to
get at tho facts in tho case, 1t would De
policy for them to ask him the nnety-nine hrss,
and not put the one he may not choose to answer.
first, and then lock HIM up as contumacious
witness Such a course would please the Pacific
Mail Company, but would not further the pro-
fessed object of the Committee. What the Com
panv wants is to save its subsidy and it only
do this by preventing the facts coming out that
they bought it and paid for it.
Mr.. Irwin's conversation left no doubt in the
minds of those who heard it that Mr.. Stockwell
bought, OF believed he buying, the votes OF
enough members of Congress to pass the increased
subsidy bill that he paid the money to Irwin to
effect the purchase, with no hesitation than he
would have paid for stock which he wanted that
Irwin either dealt with the purchased members
himself OF employed agents to do and that the
amount expended in this way was much larger than
is generally supposed