National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-01-12
THE LOBBY UNCOVERED.

Albert has spoken. 1t is fair to presume
that he has told all he knows. 1t is certain
that what he has told has made great
many people uncomfortable. The names
of those people may be found in our news
columns. Who and what are they? Men
whose names and faces are as well known
as household words to many of the perma-
ment and nearly all Of the temporary resi-
dents of the Capital. Men who, with rare
exceptions, either have no political princi-
pies, are political bushwhackers, guerrillas
in morals and in finances, or are pronounced
Democrats. 1t is true that the mention of
the names of few of them in connection
with such scheme as the Pacific Mail
lobby has astonished the Washington pub
lie, but, with the exception of these
names, we ask the loungers around the
hotels and the linen about town"
ifthey are surprised at the exposure? Would
they not have selected these persons as
lobbyists if they had been requested to
point out the same number of characters OF
that kind? And the excuses, the apollo
gies and explanations these persons have
made! They are as simply transparent
and gauzy as mosquito netting. Like tke
spirit of Katy King, a bad smell betrays
their materialism. One has been at the
business q dozen years; and in other cases,
as well as the one under consideration, was
so consistently and persistently disinter-
ested that he refrained, notwithstanding
the contingent at stake, from asking a
Congressman TO vote for the subsidy. The
cool determination. the frigid unsel1shnesS
which this betokens, strikes one with awe
that is, ifone believes it. Another, employed
to spy upon the minions Of Uncle Daniel
Drew, who were clearing" Pacific mail
stock, also had contingent" at stake; but
he likewise testified to the crisp, frosty disre-
gard of his future interests in his inter
course with Congressman. In short we
learn that all The Lobby did, pending the
passage of the bill, was to ask Congress
men the question, GLOW does Pacific Mail
stand?' VIII 1.-THE bill pass?" This was
enough The bill passed, and The Lobby,
which has always maintained that its argu-
ments are all powerful, now confesses, in the
4l4OoI llloL4ANAJ NA4tAt ~ u
There were no attorneys on the stand
yesterday, or we might have been accom-
modated with logical discussions Of moral
ethics AS it was the witnesses who
testified in their own behalf bluntly
pleaded guilty to having received
sums of money in payment for services Of
a very insignificant kind, though one of
them, after he had left the committee
room, was assaulted with clear case of
what the French call staircase wit"
"Why didn't l." said he, "when had
"the chance, say that a newspaper man
"who conscientiously believes in job has
ga better right 10 support it than lawyer
''has to take the side in a case which his
conscience leads him to despiSe p
Seriously, the exposure has hurt no one,
except Mr.. Irwin. 1t has proved that he
placed money where it would do the most
good to those who received it, but it
cannot be safely inferred that any Of the
money reached the pockets of third parties
or that it was corruptly received by any
official except the unfortunate door
keepers, whose "price is a matter
of surprise. 1t also proves that Mr.. Irwin,
in his positive statement that he did
not pay money to any official Of the House,
suffered a slight lapse ofmemory. Ofcourse
this was owing to his nervous attack,
which, by the way, became contagious
when Albert decided to answer. In truth
there was an epidemic of Pacific Mail
nervousness about that time. 1t may con-
tinue in a more violent form when the dis
trict attorney begins to bring indictments
for perjury and bribery. There may be
other disclosures 10 come. Irwin may as
tonish us with refreshed memory, if he
decides to tell all that lie knows and give
us the result of his "reminiscences, refreshed
by the quiet cogitations he is now enjoying
in the District jail. But, if we understand
the case, nearly all of the so-called corrup-
ton fund has been accounted for. And
what is the result? Simply that
lot of sharpers feeced another lot of
sharpers. No corruption of high Off
Gals; nothing more reprehensible than
a condition of decentralization in unofficial
places the existence of which has long been
known. Politically speaking, it shows that
the reputation of dead men of both parties
was not respected by The Lobby, and that
the live men interested dwell in glass
houses over which float the ensigns of every
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