The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1875-02-04
Influence of Good Wines on Legis-
latinu.

|
fed.
q. Therefore the committee desires you
to state how much money you received in
connection with the Pacific Mail subsidy ?
A. | think it was after the first failure of
the measure in the House that Mr. Berret
called at my rooms one afternoon and said
that he had been requested to see if |
would accept retainer to help this subsi-
dy along. asked him how much, he said
5000, and So 900 contingent on success. l
said, "All right" He sent to me that alter
noon Or next morning check for $500 sign
ed bya gentleman had never seen, Mr.. h.
| b. Irwin, and some days afterwards con-
gress adjourned. | was agreeably waited
| upon by Mr. Berret, who said to me, They
have cut us down So 600 and there is 81
| 900 paid, shall we insist on more?" | said,
"No, let us take what we can get; it is
all T. ght" He handed me S., 800 in bills
and went to New York that same night.
Q. | suppose it is unnecessary to ask
you if you retained all that sum and ap-
piled it to your own use?
A Ibid Imust say that it was very
liberal compensation for the moderate
amount of work which that subsidy seemed
to require.
WHAT SAM DID FOR HIS MONEY.
O. State the nature of the services rem
dered by you.
A. Simply stating on all occasions,
where it was proper to do so, that | was
in favor of the measure that thought 1t
a good measure. | had a right to say that,
because, as an old Californian, having
sailed often on those steamers, | had
sort OF friendship for them. | thought
well of the line. | thought that it was
national undertaking. that our ship-build-
ing was going to the dogs, and that, if
these ships We're to be built in this country.
it would give an impetus to iron ship
building, | thought the subsidy to the
Pacific Mail Steamship Company was
proper thing, particularly as the Cnnard
Steamship Company had u subsidy from
the English government, and had attained
a colossal success. l wanted to see the
American flag flying again on the seas, and
| would have helped the Pacific Mail Com
pany without one penny OF compensation,
Z. You used all your influence to Sc
cure the passage of the subsidy? A. Ger
tainlv There was not much time to act;
only fortnight, | think | was rather
agreeably surprised at being retained, be-
cause that clinched my determination to
do what | could for what | regarded as
great national enterprise.
q. DO you know of any other sum OF
money being paid to any parties tor their
services in procuring that subsidy? A. |
never heard ot-and until | was surprised
the other day by Mr.. Abert's list which l.
saw in the Star-I never knew who was III
the combination. | did not know that
there was any combination, except that l
found that people generally We're very
flvorably inclined toward the bill l did
not know Mr. Albert | had never seen him
to my knowledge l never saw Mr.. Irwin
till the dav the vote was taken, when | saw
a pale man standing around this corner
and was told that it was Mr., Irwin.
Q. My question was, if you knew OF
any other sum of money being paid, di-
the subsidy? A. Not 4 penny. ! might
have been at liberty to suppose that the
whole thing was confined to Mr.. Berret
and myself.
q. The $500 which YOU received was
paid by check? A. Yes, payable to my
order ON the Metropolitan National Bank
Of this city.
@. DO YOU know of any money being
paid to any member officer, or employe
of either house of congress in connection
with that subsidy? A. No, sir,
WHAT SAM KNOWS ABOUT LOBBYING.
MI Beck have hoar. it suggested
that you had remarked that there was
great difficulty in gentleman living in
Washington on the oxygen of the atmos-
phere, and that gentleman was obliged
to do something.
Witness-'Ihls business of lobbying, a.
it is called, is as precariouS rs fishing IN
the Hebrides. You get all ready, your
boats go out-suddenly there comes
storm, and away you are driven Every
body, who knows anything about Wash
ington, knows that ten timeS-aye, htty
tlmes-more measures are lost than are
carried but once in a while Il pleasant
little wndiall of this kind recompenses
us, who are always toiling here, ior the
disappointments of the session. | am not
at all ashamed-I do not say that | am
proud, but am not ut all ashamed OF the
occupation. 1t is a very useful one. In
England it is separate branch of the le-
gal profession. There they have parlia-
mentary lawyers. who do no other busl-
ness There the committees sit all day To
hear these lawyers, and they sit in parIla-
ment all night whereas here committees
are only allowed to sit for an hour and 4
half, and so it is very hard To get through
1000 bills in n session. The disappoint-
ments are much more numerous than the
successes | have had many very pleas
ant contingent knocked away laughter
when everything appeared prosperous and
certain, and would not insure any bill If
were paid 30 per cent to secure its pas
sage That is the general rule in this
subsidy matter. | think that the gentleman
(Alr. lrwin) paid more money than he
need have paid.
Mr.. Niblack-And he distributed it rath-
er badly.
Witness-I am satisfied with what got,
Laughter
Mr. Nblack-You get much less than
others got.
THE UPS AND DOWNS OF LOBBYING.
Witness-I do dot know was retain
ed, suppose, because the 'king's' name
is u tower Of strength Laughter, and !
am called the king of the lobby, but | am
not the treasurer of the lobby, that is GER
tain If you were here tor entertainment
| could entertain You with histories of well
concerted plans which all disappeared at
the crack of one members whip; perhaps
Il matter of caprice, perhaps Il matter OF
accident, you can not tell which. We who
are of the regular army know when we
are whipped [Iaughter], but gentlemen off
little experience come down here, and
peg and peg on till the end of the
session and never understand why they
had better 90 home. Laughter 10
introduce bill properly; to have it re-
terred to the proper committee; to see
that some member in that committee; to
see that some member in that committee
understands its merits to attend to 1t, to
watch it, to Lave a counsel, to 90 and adj
yocate it before the committee to see that
members of the committee do not over
sleep themselves on the mornings of im-
portant meetings; to watch the coming in
of the bill in congress, day alter day, week
after week; to have your men on hand
dozen times, and to have them as often
disappointed; to have one of those storms