Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-03-22
1Conhdential.1

if the writer could have conferred with all
the chief officers of railroad companies in
terested, but the large number to visit, and
the time it would necessarily occupy, make
it impossible: and / am therefore compelled
TO submit the plan through correspondence,
and to refer you to those railroad officers
who have been conferred with, if this does
not sufficiently commend itself to your
mind for immediate action. The plan is to
effect the passage Of an act Increasing the
present compensation, toitbOllt regard to er-
iSting contracts, fifty per cent. To accom-
plish this it is thought it will require thirty
three and one-third per cent. of the increase
for one year, three and one-third per cent.
of which is to be advanced to meet contin-
gent expenses, and the balance to be paid
when the act becomes law.
l enclose herewith a statement, showing
the amount received by your company, with
the contemplated increase of fifty per cent,
and the amount Ct three and one third per
cent. TO be advanced on such increase, (fOr
which draft on New YoIk, payable to my
order, may be remitted,) also, a circular let
ter, whir will partially explain the plan of
operation, to be signed and returned to me
for the amount to be paid, contingent on
the passage of the act. With this action,
and determination on the part Of the chief
officers Of railroad companies to personally
aid IN such manner as they may deem proper
through focal members Iregdrd the passage
oftbe act as certainty. 1t is desirable that
you reply at once to this, and, if the propO-
sition is accepted, to further communicate
with me, giving names Of such persons Gas
soon as they can be ascertained) as will of
your own knowledge support the measure.
l enclose the names Of some Of the prOmin-
ent men who have already entered into the
arrangement, any Of whom you can cores
pond with on the subject should you desire
further information as to the feasibility of
the plan, or my fitness for the undertaking.
AH communications on the subject should be
strictly confidential, as any publicity may
cause defeat. Respectfully, your obedient
servant, GILES A. SMITH.
The names Of the railroad officers who,
Mr.. Morrill, says, ct is asserted have al
ready entered into an arrangement of this
kind" are published in the Congressional
Globe of March Z. In calling attention to
this extraordinary plan for plundering the
people, for the benefit of jobbers and cor
porations, to the extent of three millions a
year, Mr.. Morrill, said:
at viii be perceived that this circular is
from a person who was a distinguished of
hcsr in the army during orr recent rebel
lion, and recently an officer Of the POstOf-
fee Department. bat 1ctO has resigned, dp-
pdreRtiy to enter into this kind of business.
i hot IA
latiOn to It, and that the officers Of these
railroads will relieve themselves from the
charge made that they have entered into
any such conspiracy 1t viii be seen that
the amount OF gain proposed by this
person would amount to about one million
dollars Ia q single gear. The amount that
we pay out for railroad transportation is
about six millions or more. The advance
of fifty per cent would amount to 100000
ORe-thrI Of trI,jch these railroads lrere to
guarantee 10 the parties engaged IN this
undertaking, amounting to 100000.
suppose, Mr., President, that it is only neces-
sary, for the entire failure Of this gigantic
scheme, to have it exposed and presented
here, as have deemed it my duty TO do, as
it proposes to affect the votes of Senators,
the votes of Representatives. Having done
my duty, l leave it to the Senate"
That this is most iniquitous proceeding,
and that it so impressed itself upon the
Senate without reference to party, is obvious
enough, not only from the strong language
used by Senator Morrill,, of Vermont,
Republican, but by Senator Wilson, of Mas
sachusetts, also Republican, who felt him
self constrained to say:
Il wish simply to state why desire it to
go to the Committee on the Judiciary.
wish that committee to see if some legisla-
ton cannot be inaugurated in this country
to arrest one Of the greatest eUilS and most
corrupt practices IN this nation. l refer to
the practice Of persons 1gbO hare been in
Congress or hare been in the public service
setting up here as SbySterS in this cjty
and using the knowledge they obtained
1gbile IN public life to cheat the Government
Of their country. It IS thing lchich is
carried on to a great erte1lt; and if there is
any way in this world by which it can be
corrected, it viii be the greatest reform that
can be inaugurated.'
Of all the Senators present who had any
thing to say when this Gigantic scheme"
as Mr.. Morrill, denominates it, was brought
before them, Mr.. Cameron, of Pennsylva-
MIA, is the only one who ventured to belittle
the Importance of the revelation, or who
felt like eulogizing defense of one of the
railroad officers, said to be implicated, and
whose name appears among those, as given
in the list, who have entered into the agree
ment. What he said had an air of defense
in it; but he did not seem to think that he
could let the matter pass without endeav-
Oring TO account for it in some way, and
so be called Giles A. Smith, the
writer of the confidential letter, re-
Gently Gen. Grants Assistant Postmater
General, "a fool" He said "This person,
l suppose, is a fool, who thought he could
make a great deal Of money out of the
railroad companies" And again: 'sThis per-
son having been employed in the Postoffice
Department, has taken it into his head that
he could make large fortune in some easy
way by using the railroad companies.
But, says the Patriot, this device of Sena-
tor Cameron is too shallow to deceive any
one. This job, wherever it may have
begun, does not end with any one man.
There is no wbistling it down the wind by
any such means. There are three millions
of dollars year to the People-which it is
proposed to rob them of-involyed in it.
Great railroad corporal ons, according to
high Republican testimony, are committed
to it. Let the light Of day be thrown in
upon the scheme.
THE Washington correspondent of tie
Richmond Dispatch says the colored dele
gates TO the Philadelphia Convention will
insist that Summers supplementary civil
rights bill shall be endorsed as a new plank
in the Grant platform, and the Central
Committee Of the Colored Republican AS
ISOLATION has determined to demand it as a
sine qua non 10 their support of the ticket.
The Radicals have long toyed with the ne
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