New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-01-29
made it their business to scour the country fol
negro gossip and old women's fables.
TIE TRIBUNE AND PACIFIC MAIL.

zone of the Pacific Mail thieves, he had no
"persOnal knowledge of tho stealing.
"Therefore, there will be a loud song from
thefdom that he did not know what he was
"writing about.r While we cannot help
agreeing with The Commercial in its cordial
contempt of the newspapers which make haste
to discredit their own business in this unnec-
essary way, we must not at the same time,
omit to say that our exchanges do not con-
firm the prediction of our Cincinnati coll
league A majority of the papers, OF
all parties, received at this office, speak of
the incident referred to i'll the terms to be
expected Of men who respect themselves and
their profession. There is certain proper
ton, of course, composed of those who con-
slider it their duty to show their teeth at all
who are not of the household of their owners,
who have taken q different tone. But as
general thing the press of the country has not
taken counsel of personal or political preJu-
dice in this matter 1t is an affair Ill which
every newspaper is more or less interested,
and it is the hight of folly and carelessness
to neglect its Importance and its ultimate
bearings.
For two years THE TRIBUNE has been say
of money was spent in Washington to procure
the passage of the Pacific Mail Subsidy. 1t
said this so often that public attention was
called to the matter, and the most important
Committee of Congress was ordered to inquire
into it. At the very beginning of the inquiry
the great substantial fact charged by THE TRIB-
UNE was abundantly proved Nix Irwin (who
seems, after all the abuse, to have been about
the frankest and most straightforward witness
| called testified to the distribution of nearly a
million of dollars to obtain the passage of the
subsidy. 1t manifestly became the duty of the
| Committee to find out who got this money,
and especially wat portion of it, If any. went
! into the hands of members Of Congress. Their
powers in the matter were unbOunded. They
could control persons and papers without
| limit. They could intcrrOgate any one in the
United States and compel him to answer.
They could imprsOn recusants and send any
distance for requisite documents. Their wit
nesses had no refuge from their questions but
in perjury, and the Committee certainly knew
enough Of evidence and human nature to tell
truth from bald lying. They made great
deal OF progress In their investigations, obc-
diently following the trail which the news
papers had pointed out, but could not follow
up for lack of the requisite legal powers.
| Thrce-quarters of million dollars were
| traced into a few hands; among these were
! two men, members elect Of Congress, one of
! them former member, and one Of them a
former Postmaster of the House of Represent
atives. One of these was examined, and got
off with frivolous falsehoods. The Other has
| A a; In.
called to account for some hundred thousand
which he had distributed. He claimed to
have thrown it away on cheap lobbyists. door
keepers, and the like. These are called, and
confirm his story.
AT this point it occurred to the Committee to
subpoena the Editor Of TIE TRIBUNE, to ask
him to tell them what they, with unlimited
powers. had not been able 10 find out They
had spent week or 90 at New-Ior and had
there ascertained from the bank officers them
selves the substantial facts known to him
! about the matter. Such further rumors and
! suggestions as had come to him, he either
communicated in private or printed in his
paper They had not chosen to call him be-
fore them at that convenient time, but after
| they had exhausted, to all appearance, their
own powers, they went back to Washington,
and thereupOn straightway telegraphed for
| him to come on to tell them what be-
came of Mr. Twins corruption fund !;
and because he could not, some of the
Committee seemed to think he ought never to
have mentioned the matter, and some of the
lesser sort of newspapers say he has failed to
"substantiate his charges" What THE TRIBUNE
charged has been abundantly proved-that a
/
! by the Pacific Mail Company to get its subsidy
passed. Who got the money, no honest man
can know That secret is in the possession of
| the bribers and the bribed. Congress can make
them tell or put them in jail-the Editor of
! THE TRIBUNE has no such powers.
| II is a foolish waste of time to call upon
Editors for details of the crimes they de-
nounce to public reprobatiOn. 1t is their
business to print what they know Of such mat
ters and to leave the rest to the proper au-
thOrities. We learned that the Pacific Mail
Company had spent money like water in
Washington. We asserted this, and the Com
mittee has proved it, If we knew what Con-
gressmen got the money we would print their
names; it would need no subpoena from Wash
ipgtop to makeA9 do thgt We Dc Cur best,
and that is a great deal. We cannot always
wait for exact legal evidence before de-
nouncing a dangerous Wong. If we had
waited for that Judge Barnard and his cor
rupt associates might have been to-day upon
the bench. Over and over we made charges
against them of which We were morally sure,
but as to which we were not fully
prepared with strict legal proof. If
they had not been true the corrupt
Judges might have sued US and obtained
| dnr,n nns-.hnt wa nur rislE ono which We