The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-01-26
THE PRINCE OF LOBBYISTS.
THE INFLUENCE OF GOOD WINES ON
LEGISLATION.


THE INFLUENCE OF GOOD WINES ON
LEGISLATION.
HIS EXPERIENCE RELATED by HIMSELF
WHAT SAM WARD KNOWS OF THE INFII,-
ENCE OF GOOD DISNERs-A sUMPTUoUs
DINNER MADE OF PICS FRET
The New York Suns account of the Pa
cifc Mail investigation on the l4th inst.
gives the following version Of the testimony
elected from noted lobbyist OF Washing
ton: Sam Ward, famous. for his grand en-
tertainments and convivfal qualities, was
the most amusing and frankly spoken wit
ness that has yet helped to enliven the pro-
ceedings Of the committee. His testimony
is as follows:
By MIR. Kasson-I suppose you were sum
moned in consequence of your name having
been associated in connection with the dis
tribution of monev for the Pacific Mail sab
sidy? Al received subpoena about an
hour ago, particulars not specified.
Q.-Therefoie the committee desires you
to state how much money you received in
connection with the Pacific Mail subsidy?
Al think it was alter the first failure of
the measure in the House that Mr. Berret
called at my rooms one afternoon and said
that he bad been requested to see if would
accept retainer to help this subsidy along.
| asked him how much, he said $500, and s. 600
contingent on success. / said, IAN
right" He sent 70 me that afternoon or
next morning check for $500 signed by a
| and some days afterward congress adjourned.
| was agreeably waited upon by MIR. Berret.
who said to me, "They have cut as down
50, OOO and there is 81 900 paid, shall we insist
on more?" i said, mo, let us take what
we can get; it is all right" He handed me
50, 500 in bills and went to New York that
same night.
o. suppose it is unnecessary TO ask you
If you retained all that sum and applied it
to your own use?
Al did. 1 must 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.
Estate the nature of the services rem
dersd by you.
A.-SiEply stating on all occasions,
where 1t was proper to do so, that / was in
favor of the measure; that thought it a
good measure. 1 bad a right to say that,
because, as an old Californian, having sailed
often on those steamers, i had a sort of
| friendship for them. 1 thought well of the
line. / thought that it was a national I'M
dertsking; that our ship-building was going
| to the dogs, and that, if these ships were 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 a proper thing, particularly as
sidy from the English government, and had
attained a colossal success. 1 wanted to see
| the American flag flying again on the seas,
and would have helped the Pacific Mail
Company without one penny of compensa-
| ton.
Q.-You used all your influence to secure
| the passage of the subsidy? A.-Certainly.
There was not much time to act; only a
| fortnight, think. / was rather agreeably
surprised at being retained, because that
clinched my determination to do what I
could for what / regarded as great national
enterprise.
Q.-Do you know of any other sum OF
money being paid TO any parties for their
| services in procuring that subsidy? Al
never heard of-and until / was surprised
the other day by Mr.. Abert's list, which
| saw in the Start never knew who was in
| the combination. ] did not know that there
was any combination, except that / found
| that people generally were very favorably
| inclined toward the bill. / did not know
| Mr.. Albert; / had never seen him 10 my
knowledge. never saw Mr.. Irwin till the
| day the vote was taken, when / saw 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, directly or
| indirectly, in connection with the subsidy?
| A.-Not penny. 1 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? Ayes, payable to my order
| on the Metropolitan National Bank of thi
city.
Q.-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.
suorrr roppur~n
Mr.. Beck-I have heard it suggested that
you had remarked that there was great diff
Guilty in gentleman living in Washington
on the oxygen of the atmosphere. and
| that gentleman was obliged to do some
thing.
witness-This business of lobbying, as it
ia called, is as precarious as fishing in the
Hebrides. You get all ready; your boats go
out-suddenly there comes storm, and
away you are driven. Everybody, who
knows anything about Washington, knows
that ten times-aye, fifty times-more meas
ures are lost Than are carried; but once in
while pleasant little windfsll of this kind
recompenses us, who are always toiling
here, for the disappointments of the ses-
sion. 1 am not at all ashamed-I do
not say that / am proud, but / am
not at all ashamed of the occupation. 1t is
very useful one. In England it is a separate
branch Of the legal profession. There they
have parliamentary lawyers, who do no
other business. There the committees sit
all day to hear these lawyers, and they sit in
parliament all night; whereas here COM
mitees are only allowed to sit for an hour
and a half, and so it is very hard to get
through 1900 bills in a session. The 0isap-
pointments are much more numerous than
the successes. i have had many very
rIoooont Noonfinoanfv knocked 0Way