New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-01-18
THE PACIFIC MAIL INIOUITY.
AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY.

DISPOSITION ON THE PART OF THE COMMITTEE TO
SHIELD MEMBERS or CONGREss-A LIST OF MHM-
! BERs WHO RECEIVED THOUSAND DOLLAR BILLS
| TO BIZ PROCURED FROM THE BOOKS OF THE
| sERGEANT-AT-ARMs-FvE MEMBERS AND Rx-
MEMBERS WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE RE-
| CEIvED 1000 EACH-THE WAY THE MONEY WAS
| DISTRIBUTED.
| tBY TRLHGRAPH TO THR TRIDUSE.l
| WASHINGTON. JAN 1.-THE exposure of the ap-
| parent design of the Ways and Means Committee in
the Investigation Of the Pacific Mail corruption to
shield members of Congress and to make scapegoats
of few lobbyists dOOrkeepers. newspaper men. and
persons who were not Representatives in Congress
at the time the bill passed. has caused great excite
ment in Washington during the past two days, es-
pecially among members Of the Committee and those
Representatives who received sthe thousand
dollar notes. Before the publication of the
fact that Dillon. the clcrk in tho Office
Of the Scrgeant-at.Arms, had given the Committee
in 1873 tho of six members of the House who
had deposited $1,000 notes with him or had
brought them TO be broken up about the time the
Subsidy bull passed, and that the Committee had
voted TO suppress his testimony. individual members
of the Committee had said that tho investigation
about close and that the Editor of THE TIIB-
UNE was to be tho last witness. I'm other words,
having traced nearly $5O0,OOO INTO the hands OF
three men-Messrs. Schumacher, King and Albert
and failed TO learn how the first two OF
these disbursed the Sums they received, having
caught few persons who picked up some OF the
crumbs distributed by Aberts hand, shut up Irwin
in Jail and so closed his mouth in regard TO many
things about which he is willing TO testify, and sup
pressed the only Glow that led directly into the
House OF Representatives the Committee proposed
to close the and report to the House the result
of their work. BILL King. who cannot be found,
and Mr. Schumacher. who has apparently COM
nitted perjury, would be sacrificed, and,
so far "a the political parties were con-
cerned. honOrs would be even. For the
rest the Committee would report that Irwin had
refused TO testify and that the only money that had
been followed to its final resting place wont into the
hands Of lobbyists and quasi journalists.
Some of tho Washington correspondents, believing
that the country would not be satisfied with any
such result as this if Congress act to work
TO ascertain the facts from other than thetes-
timony taken in tho cOmmlttee-T0Om. have made
the discovery that has caused so much alarm here
Further investigation proves that the case IS
even worse than was at first supposed ana
tbo, the number Of members OF Com
Oress who h,,lI tho suspicious $1,000 notes
Just after the passage OF the h was score or more
Ii seems that fifteen or sixteen nembers called at
the Office Of the Sergeant nArms at about the time
the corruption fund was distributed and either de-
pos,ted = 900 notes or got them exchanged before
the clerk Mr.. Dillon, gave the subject much atten-
ton. But his curiosity having been aroused he
kept list of those who appeared with similar notes
afterwald and this list containing the names OF SIX
members, WAS produced before the Commit
tee Tho books in tho office of the
Sergeant.at-Arms would. without doubt, show the
names of the other fifteen sixteen, since the de-
Al. ,ta. thaUx
broken up, payment was probably made by check.
The names of We of those on the list prepared by
Dillon have been ascertainCd with q considerable
degree of certainty. They arc believed to be as
follows: Charles Hays of Alabama, j. Hale Sypber
of Louisiana Boyd Winchester of Kentucky, Daniel
w Voorhees, Of Indiana. John u. Storm OF Pennsyl-
yania The first two are Republicans and the last
three Democrats. Ono of them Mr Storm. ia said
TO have voted against the bill. The manner in
which the money distributed was very
simple and az was supposed. perfectly safe. The
thousand dollar note was placed IN an envelope
and sent to the member OF Congress Win no accom-
papying communication. This enabled tho agent ol
the Pacific Mail Steamship Company TO swear that
he never Vaid any member OF Congress any money
to vote for the bill, and the recipient to swear that
he never received any money From the Company or
anv of it's agents Tho Representatives on Mr.. Dill
lon's LIST il Is reported were informed by the Com
mttee of the fact and they were all given chance
to appear and explain the suspicious circumstances.
Some OF them did appear and gave very unsatstac-
tory statements. For instance one member said
that he had won tho money at poker Others did
not appear at all OIL attempt to mako any cxplana-
ton.
II must be remembered that all these facts have
been in the possession of the Committee during the
whole progress of the present investigation, and
that, while they have been summoning witnesses
from all over the country and talking very loudly,
some Of them about their determination to go to the
bottom of this matter, they have refused to step
across the hall and look iate Mr.. Ordways banking
books or to summon Dillon, whose attendance may
easily be secured and for this the Democrats upon
the Committee ere equally responsible with the Re-
Duhlicans.