The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1872-10-04

room and asked me if | was willing to do
that-to furnish the money. No, L re-
piled, Cameron didn't come to see me-
Wen, said Quay, you ought to have done
that-lt was great mistake
"Ihe Legislature adjourned and the men,
bers didn't get their money, and heard
nothing more of it for some time. There
was
ANOTHER LITTLE ARRANGEMENT
which Don Cameron and Quay had fixed
up, which if it had worked all right would
have afforded them the means of getting
out OF this Scrape. 1t was this A bill
had been prepared in room AZ, Girard
house, Philadelphia, by Bob Mackey, NJ.
;. Quay, Don Cameron and sam Moon.
1t was to place State tax of one cent per
gallon on every gallon of oil produced in
the State of Pennsylvania, and authorize
the State Treasurer and Auditor General
to appoint inspectors and collectors, and
thus get the control of the revenue to be
derived from this source i'll the hands of
two of Cameron creatures The snake in
this bill came in certain clause which al
lowed drawback of three-quarters of a
cent on all oil shipped from Philadelphia.
The ring intended to buy up all the oil in
the State, and ship it to Philadelphia first
and thence ship it to any point where it
could be sold. This would allow them, of
course, thTee-quarters of a cent margin on
every gallon, and would have raised them
million and three-quartsrs every year.
Sam Moon was engineering the thing
through, and Tom Scott, who was then III
the west, was but specifically advised of
the nature of the BILL and was of course in
favor of it, as the Pennsylvania Central
monopolizes the oil carrying trade. 4
friend of Tom Scott's, who was advised of
the nature of the bill, and thought it was
hardly possible that that shrewd, far see
! knew rO-tr
mined to wait upon him and advise him.
He accordingly went to Philadelphia on
Saturday night, and on Sunday he went to
his house and had a long conversation with
the great railroad magnate, and told him
that this bill had already passed the
House, and that Moon had everything set
up i'll the Senate to put through on Tues
day. lie also told him that if this bill
passed the inference would be that it ori-
ginated with Scott himself 1t was SO
transparent fraud on the people that it
would raise cry of indignation through
out the oil regions, and he couldn't afford
to be made party to any such transaction.
Scott readily admitted that he knew but
little about the thing he had no idea it
was such 4 fraud, and said the thing must
be stopped at once. He therefore gave the
gentleman note to Sam Moon, ordering
him to hold up. The gentleman came to
Harrisburg Gil Monday morning, and gave
at once saw his men and told them the jig
was up they could vote as they pleased
So that night there was grief in the Came
ron camp. Their only hope was 10 make
4 compromise with me, and SO Quay tried
his power of persuasion as already de
scribed, but i'll vain. | told him that
had found out all | wished to know, and
Don Cameron and his friends might go to
, 4 warmer climate for all | cared. Beng
disappointed i'll both of these little games
the CamerOns bethought themseHe es of
how they might fix
A LITTLE PISCHER.
as Sam Moon would term it, for Colonel
Thomas \. Scott. An act had been passed
during the last session known as tie low
grade bill, which authorized the Allegheny
Valley railroad to take out of the treasury
the bonds of the Philadelphia and Erie
, railroad company and replace them with
the bonds of their own company, guaran-
teed by the Pennsylvania and Northern
Central railroad companies. The object
was to use the Philadelphia and Erie bonds
to extend and improve the Allegheny Val
ley road. The bonds had not yet been
, prepared, and it was claimed by some that
the act was unconstitutional, and as |
would go out of the office and Mr.. Mackey
come III on the first day of May, but short
time remained in which tomakc this trans
, fer, if it was to be done during my term
LIE ODJcCI Ol tIC SaHlerOnS was TO prevent
this transfer, if possible, by me, for if it
: wasn't made until after Mackey came into
: office, they would be enabled to control it
and before Mr.. Scott could obtain the
bonds he would have to come down for the
$25S, 900, which the CamcronS needed so
badly to foot the bills incurred in the cleo
ton of John Scott and Mackey. If they
had kept the matter entirely to themselves
r it Is altogether probable that neither nor
Colonel Scott would have suspected the
little game they We're going to play. But
, SO eager was Don Cameron to pinch"
| Colonel Scott that he dispatched his fugle-
man Quay to manage me. 1t seems strange
that they had learned nothing by their two
failures in that direction, but Quay is a
sanguine individual, and imagines he can
play the most difficult roles without any
danger of detection whatever. lie accord
ingly called upon me few days after the
adjournment of the Legislature, and
opened the conversation i'll about this way:
: . y ou refused to take my advice on two
occasions lately you will lind ont in the end
! that you have made a great mistake
There is no use of your being on unfriend-
ly terms with the Camerons. They are
anxious to bury the hatchet, and if you
are sensible you will agree to treaty of
peace. Now you remember there was an
act passed during the last session allowing
: the Allegheny Valley railroad to make an
exchange of bonds of that road for like
!, number of the bonds of the Philadelphia
and Erie road. This act is unconstitution-
al The attorney general says SO, and he
has made decision to that effect. Now,
what | want you to do is just to leave these
=: bonds alone-keep clear of the matter en-
tirely. Let A1ackey take the responsibility
of making the transfer, if any transfer is to
7 be made. You know very we'll that if the
attorney general decides that the act is un-
constitutional after you have made the
, transfer there will be great deal of litiga-
! ton, and you will be put to great incon-
l venience and be annoyed running here or
to Philadelphia for several years
l - Il don't see what connection this has
with your talk just now of the treaty of
; peace between the Camerons and myself,
[ renlied. Mhat have Won To- do will these