Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-10-03
CLEVELAND, O., Oct. 1

CLEVELAND, o., Oct. l.
Speaker Blaine made a speech at the
public square tonight, in the course of
which he alluded in the following words
to the personal charges made against him
in the New York Tribune of Saturday
last and also of yesterday;
[ am charged not only as a representa-
tive in Congress, but as a speaker of the
House, with having received 81, 937, 900
of stock OF the eastern division of the
Pacific Railroad Company for my ser
vices and influence in procuring the pas
sage of the original Pacific railroad bill
or 1862. The Tribune gives the date of
the act in the same article in which it
makes the charge, not seeming to notice
in it's blind desire to assail me that it was
simply convicting itself of falsehood
and folly. Now, gentlemen, please OBJ
serve that in 1862 when this act was
passed, | had not taken my seat in Con-
gress. | had not been elected to Con-
gress. Indeed / had not been even NOM
mated for Congress. When the act, to
which the Tribune refers, became law,
I was a member of the Maine legislature
and a speaker of the lower house. |
had no more to do with congressional
legislature than the hsh-Wardens and
tide-waiters on the KennebeC River;
and vet the New York Tribune asserts
and repeats that for my services and in
fuence in Congress, at the time | was a
member of the Maine legislature, | re-
ceived nearly So, 100000 in stock of a
great railroad corporation and now,
gentlemen. if | were to stop here after
demonstrating the utter absurbity OF
this charge, the Tribune would come out
coollv and say that Speaker Blaine had
not denied it. Let me. then, deny it in
the presence of this vast asSemblage,
and deny it in the most emphatic man
ner. Neither in 1862 or in any subse-
ouent wear did | ever receive Or own, di-
rectly or indirectly, single dollar Of
stock in the eastern division OF the Union
Pacific Railroad Company, or any other
division of the Pacific Railroad COmpa-
nv. nor did | ever receive a dollar. di-
| rectly or indirectly, from the sale OF any
stock of that company. In short, gen
tlemen. stamp the whole story as not
only false on its face, but absurd and
ridiculous. But ! do not expect to make
a denial that will satisfy the Tribune.
A few weeks since, when the story was
started that Secretary Boutwell,, Vice
President Colfax, Senator Wilson, Mr..
Garfield, Mr.. Dawes and myself and
| others had been bribed by presents of
stock in the Credit Mobilier, | published
card on the eve of the Maine election
saying that had never owned directly
or indirectly through myself or through
another a single dollar of stock in the
Credit Mobilier. The New York Tri-
bune pronounced this denial eyasive and
unsatisfactory, and said that did not
deny that | had received dividends or
profits theretrom. Any candid man
could see, should think, that my card
was intended to be exhaustive and to ex-
clude all suppositions of ownership.
Let ME say now, however. that not only
did never own a share in the Credit
Mobilier, but never received, directly
or indirectly, a single penny therefrom
in any manner or shape whatever. But
this mania for bearing false witness
against your neighbor has seized MIR.
Greeley as well as the New York Tri-
bune, for | observe that in recent
speech in Pennsylvania he states that
more than 800, 900 had been expended
In Maine in the purchase of votes at the
recent election. Now, in the very ma
ture of things it Wonld be impossible for
Mr.. Greeley to know that this was true;
but know it to be absolutely untrue,