The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-07-22
The Dominion Scandal.

Elsewhere, we publish brief abstract of a
very lengthy letter from Mr.. McMullen, who
was the principal American negotiator with
Sir Hugh Allan, respecting the Canadian Pa
ciAc Railway scheme, which not only discloses
the duplicity of Sir Hugh in the disreputabe
transactions but duplicates the leading mem-
bers of Sir John A. Macdonald's government
in the most corrupt practices that ever dis
graced public men, and unless Sir John A.
and his, associates can bring forward testimo-
ny to break the force of the declarations of
the writer, they stand convicted as the most
despicable of bribe-takers.
1.-THE public had only the word of Mr.. Nc
Mullen to place against the solemn declara-
tions of the parties accused, it wonld GER
tainly be bad enough, but unfortunately for
them, his accusations are supported by the
letters of the parties implicated, AID other
documents, the authenticity of which, it will
be simply idotic to disclaim. The charges
made, as stated last week, were, that the
ministry connived at the negotiations with
Americans, in violation of the act of Parlia-
ment-that the ministry was bribed to give
Sir Hugh Allan the contract to build the Ca
madam Pacific road, and that Sir Hugh Al
Ian furnished large sums of money to- carry
the elections in 1872. Each of these charges
Mr.. McMullen proves in order, in such man
ner that none but the blindest partizan can
fail to be convinced. He asserts that his first
negotiations were with the Premier-that he
was first put into communication with Sir
Hugh, by the minister of Finance Sir Fran
els Hincks-that Sir George Cartier agreed to
the bargain with Sir Hugh to secure his own
election, and becoming alarmed at the magni-
tude of the affair, refused further aid unless
the whole of the government should sanction
it, which it did-that the ministry sanctioned
the negotiations with the Americans long af-
ter the passage of the act of Parliament pro-
hibiting them in the enterprise. Senator
Foster, conservative supporter of the min
istry confirms the statements of McMullen on
these points. The other points-relaiive to
the payment of money to members of the
ministry for personal and political uses, are
supported by kilograms and other documents.
Some of the government papers attempt to
break the force of the damaging revelations
by saying that McMulen offered to sell the
correspondence to the ministry, and otherwise
attack few points, but the task is hopeless
The st. John Telegraph, the ablest supporter
of the government in New Brunswick. closes
its leader ON the subject in the following
words:
True, we have only the allegations of Nc
Mullen, fortified by documents which are al
legged to be genuine, and which ale, in part,
corroborated by the statement of Senator
Foster, but then these documents wear such
an aspect of credibility, that, though We
should be glad to see them proved to be for
geries, we scarcely dare expect that such will
be the case. If this be the true state of the
matter, then our government and our young
dominion are disgraced and Inundated to an
incredible extent, and it is proved that the
men in power are utterly unworthy of the
position which they now occupy, but from
which they must be speedily elected!
ANONYMOUS onrrocnopdort IF ho A rooc..