The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1869-03-18
Letter from Senator Harlan.
UNITED STATES SENATE CHAMBER,
WASHINGTON. March g. :6g.

UNITED STATES SENATE CHAMBER,
/ nd Washington, March 6, go. !
To the Editor of tho Dav. Gazette !!
SIR notice in your paper
of Feb. 9th, under the head of "iIM
itorial Correspondence, "a letter from
Washington City, datch Feb. 22d, in
which The writer, referring to certain
newspaper slauders, based on my al
legged wealth, among other things,
says of me: ego LbH~
F "That gentleman is not wealthy.
He does not own dollars worth of
bonds, stocks, dcbentures, railroad or
bank shares, nor any description of
scrip. He does not own the Waeh-
ington residences. That property was
purchased naote than four years ago,
mainly on long credit, at six per
cent The purchase was mainly Of
fected with the proceeds Of u lst.lu
property which fell to Mrs. Harlan
from Two deceased relatives. Very
properly the residence when paid for
will be held in her name and right.
He has not one foot of real cstate
outside of iowa, and owns nothing
there except his Mt. Pleasant prop.
erty, h sixty acre fartf, in Henry Co,
bought SEVERAL years ago at 81 per
acre, and thfcc hundred and twenty
acres Of wild prairie in Guthrie Co.
The value vi the whole of his real
estate possessions may be inferred
from the fact that the total annual
taxes thereon-State, county, school
and municipal-as shown BY the tax
receipts for last year, exhibited to
me with letters of the agents attend.
ing to the business, is less than one
hundred and fifty dollars" ! @ol
Although l do not admit the righ'
of any enc to- pry into my prtvate
affairs, and have uniformly declined
to notice the ridiculous stories circu
lated by political cnemies-sanction
ed, sometimes, by envious and posi-
bly, disappointed political friends
cannot complain Of this letter, for II
has evidently been indited by tho
spirit of friendship; but, as it is not
entirely accurate, it is best perhaps
that the errors, however small, shoe
be corrected. ssg w
LIST. l do own bank stock in tn,
First National Bank of Mt. Pleasant
Iowa, to the amount OF fifteen hun
dred dollars; and bonds on the Ter
ritory (now State) of Nebraska tt
the amount of twenty-five; hundree
dollars. 4a s@
I'd. My farm of about fifty acres il
Henry county, near Mt. Pleasant
cost me more than g four dollars PEI
acres" bought it eight or ter
years since for just two thousand dol
lars. a-aaj#e aea
Sd. In addition to the three hun
dred and twenty acres of wild lane
in Cass county, (not Guthrie boz
of the United States at ono dollar
and quarter per acre before / en-
tered the Senate, l own eighty acres
of unimprovcd land in Henry county
which cost me four or five dollars pei
acre.
4th. The taxes levied and collect
ed on my entire property last yea
were q little less than one hundred
and seventy-fvc dollars. a @
The other statements in the Letter
are correct. 1t is true that | own M
property outside of Iowa, and have
had no income worth mentioning
except my salary as Senator. Ii
short, that am not rich, chiefly, a
/ think, is because ] have never dc
sired TO be, and could not take ad
vantage of opportunities to acquire
property, as 1t seemed to me, withou
neglecting my public duties, which
deemed to be paramount.
If you see proper to publish thi
letter, you are at'libcrty to do so.
With great respect and esteem,
Your sincere friend,
JAS. HARLAN.