The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1854-09-04

tea my suspicious as TO the honesty OF lilcli
motives or designs | never directed or
ordered any person to alter the en9rosSed
bill or any record of the House the most
that did say was, that if it could bc done
properly, | should be highly gratiiicd to
have it Gole.
july -, 1851.
Gorge TT. Billings recaNei.
In regard to the arrangement with Mr..
Hunt after my return to New York the
second time, the point with myself was to
avoid giving the individual security. Mr..
Hunt proposed to waive that for a cOnsit!c-
ration in money, as learned from NJ. 0.
Roberts and II. w. Lowbcr; and also
learned from them that Mr. liant proposed
that, as he had many fs;cnds here lie would
assist the bill through as the parties desired,
for the sum of from three to five thousand
dollars said that the money WAS wantc'!
for his friends here, and if that was done he
would waive any security which was first
required to be given The arrangement, on
these terms, was perfected. | came back
to Washington at once, and went to the
room of the Committee on Public Lands,
and inquired who had tie bill in charge,
and was told that General Stevens, Of Mich
igan had it, | went to General Stevens,
and said to him that the objections to the
new bi-being as the old bill stood-wCre
removed, and that the bill should be rcstor
cd to its original form. | saw him the
next day he told me that the bill had
been altered so as to correspond with the
old BILL | had no further conversation
with him or any other party iii regard to
the former bil!-suproscd the question set
tied and that all parties were satisfied.
/ The bill was reported, | think, ON the
9th Of May, and some days after went to
New York and some time after this |
wrote to Mr. Washburne to inquire when
the biil would come up:
New York, May %, 1854.
DEAR SIR: have delayed writing you
for some days, hoping that the Nebraska
storm would blow over, and that your House
would lie i'll good temper to transact bust
ness. Please give M yonr opinion as to
the proper time to lring UP the Minnesota
land BILL 1t is important t'lat it should be
acted Oh at the earliest moment. " oultl
it be polite to hurry and take Il vote on it
before tie first or second week III June :
Please let me hear from YOU
GEO. ". BILLINGS.
Hon. I. Il. WAsnBuENE,
Washington, d. c.
: Mr.. Hunt is treasurer, and Mr.. WASH
burnc attorney, of the Airline Railroad
Company, as Mr. Hunt told me, and as
think MIR Washbirnc told me. | came
back to Washington al out the 10th o!
Junc, and about the 18th Imct Mr. WASH
burnc and had repeated interviews with
him us to tie va!uc OF the Airline railroad,
) what the stock would lie worth, &c. Mr.
q Washburne said tie company that had tbs
grant woull max: great deal Of money il
the bill passed. differed with him /; W,
had discussions rs to the value Of railroad
property. He asked me who the parties
: were who were to take the stock and Dc at
the head Of the concern. tohi him who
they were, and he was satisfied, us wci'> his
. friends in New York.
From the last Of April to the first G.
. Nay | tod him that the books were oj,cnc,
/ at the Bank Of the Republic, and aS kr'
t him if lie and his friends would Ike to tuk'
d stock. His reply was, that as he was alo"
aong to Europe, and was sick OF railroad
i property, he would not take amy himself
i it would depend Oh his friends in New Ioll
J. whether they would take stock.
:. Nothing OF moment occurred till after th
e passage of the bill. | went to TIE SclE,t
and found the blu lying on the table, tool
' it up and read it; saw General Jones, an,
called his attention to the error in the Wor
j "n," and asked him whether it could b
+ corrected ; lie said certainly, that it rca'
- very badly, and that he would go and sc
L it corrected | saw him. | think, in the al
h tcrnoon, when he tod ne that the crro
+ was corrected
o Question. In your interview with Nh
N Washburnc, did he say that he was oppose
3 to the Minnesota bill, or say that he wa
,c friendly to the bill, but wanted it so frame
1t that al! roads should have an equal chance
g and that the benefit of tie grant should no
he inurc to the benefit of any particular con
VI pany, to the exclusion Of any other comp;
~ ny equally deserving
j Answer did not understand him So
cr In my interviews with him, the drift of h
II. opposition was agains the Illinois Cent?;
or Railroad Company and friend Of nil
e (Robcrt Smith, of Illinois, understood til
IL Is same, who Was present at one Of our int
~ views.
n ~ -., Nv
~, Question. Did Mr.. WaShLurnc not stat
NC to you that he was perfectly willing that Il
Illinois Central railroad should stand on IL
st same footing with any other road!
ey Answer. | think he did not.
i'm n,nstin, D;I Mr. \V,Shl,,rno NOT +,+