New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-06-17
SENATOR CARPENTERS APPEARANCE IN
THE GENITAL RAILROAD CASE.

Hon HORACE GREEIEY-Dear Sir: On returning
from West Point. found in The TRIBUNE Of yester-
day an editorial article in which wanton libel was
dragged into an allusion to few remarks made by
me last Monday to the Cadets at West Point The
article begins by saying:
1--WE that there has been feeling at West Point over the
effort Of Carpenter Of Wisconsin to lecture the Cadets
honor The young gentlemen be confessed have in
their gruubng who deliberately commits renenay
oGense might await his pardon before uudug hmsefss moral
teacher younger and ess guilty men,"
1t then says:
the March d ourselves the honor call the Seniors
attention to his oaense in these terms:
comment is properly provoked BY the appearance Of The Hon
STYo cears in The Argument before the Commission Internal
Revenue the question Of paving Income tar On ne great FTP n
the well Member q Congress should eyeI appear
After this revival of old and often contradicted
calumny, 1t quotes a paragraph from The Chicago
| Tribune, which, under its present management, IS
bitterly hostile to me- and whose Editor has before
this attacked you so unJustly and venomously that
YOU ought to appreciate its spirit and style of war
fare This paragraph which has once before been
paraded in the columns of your paper during your
absence is as follows
Sens Carpenter recently figured leading counsel in arguing be-
TIE Of 9i the 5o n"'lA on & peg cent &
Cear vsy said that he Ola THIS shogt any
But this in orr Judgment nobody be,e Inc Genital Loa oo
das services Of cIyairoas Caen
S Of ch corporations without eug paid or it. But receive
agree to receive any compensation o tbs service direct or indirect
then there act Of COrge passed June IL 1861 ard entitled AN
relating to members Cor beads Of departments and other
vee Of mieueano snc noi exceed 5000 AMI i'm
pond for term not eIeaing two yelrs and be oer a inca
q the United States"
This paragraph is purely libel. The facts about
my appearing before the Commissioner of Internal
Revenue in the matter referred to are these: was
Z l,1
the Company would authorize it; but L declined.
About ten days afterward, the young lawyer who
had charge of the case, and who had before applied
to me to know if l would be retained, and who was
formerly a lawyer in Milwaukee, and my friend,
came to my room, and told me that he feared he
should be driven into the hearing the next morning,
in the absence of the COmpany's counsel, and that
he did not feel competent to discuss the proper con-
sructiOn of the statutes applicable to the case; and
appealed to me to go before the Commissioner and
state my views upon the statutes, personal favor
to him. if would not be retained counsel for the
Company. This 1 concluded to do; and next morn
ing went, had perfect right to, and would do
again tomorrow 1 stated my opinion of the effect
| of the statutes as fairly as would have summed
them up to jury if had been on the bench; and
then left, without any participation in the subse-
quent trial or hearing. was not occupied over half
| an hour. And what did was done merely az per-
sOnal favor to the young lawyer who appealed to me-
not only received no compensation, but 1t was dis
| tinctly understood before went that would not
| receive any remuneration whatever.
l never was retained by this Railroad Company,
| nor on its behalf, in any matter whatever; and
never received cent from it, nor from any one on
| its behalf, upon any occasion whatever. / never
| had even pass over its road, nor rode mile upon
| the road without paying the ordinary fare
After seeing the second republication of this libel
in your paper. addressed note to the President of
| the Company and received from him last evening
| his reply as follows:
| THE NEw-YoRK CENTRAL RAILROAD CoxPLNT
(PfesiitnFs OGse', NEW YORK June IS, billy
Hon. MATT H. CARPENTER: Ny Dear Sir have your letter Of
this morning. and hasten that statement precisely true
You we're employed BY this Company its behalf
authority in the matter hearing before Com missioner of Inter
nal Revaue any other matter whatever since 1867 when became
! President Of the Company
Twas you expected appear you had
person requested counsel In the matter until
after the bearing place know that have received
dollar Company that any other service whatever and that
no authority your employment given by this Company
very much regret learn that act Of courtesy and kindness to
friend should have subjected charge Of senatorial improperly
which know to be wholly GriOunded. Yoars, respectfully
C. VANDERBILT, Pre-.
| Although the libel referred to has been treated
with contempt in the Northwest, where the Editor
of The Chicago Tribune and myself both known,
THE N. Y TRIBUNE, which goes to the whole cOun-
try with the Endorsement and under the sanction and
authority Of your name and reputation repeats
the libel and adds the charge that have committed
penitentiary ofense. This charge win be under
stood to have been made by you, though l know it
was not therefore appeal to your of justice
to publish this card, as prominently as the accusa-
ton was published MATT. III. CARPENTER.
NeD- York, June l6, 1871.
|