Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-08-08
A STRONG PLEA IN FAVOR OF SIR JOHN A. MAC
DONALD-wAs TIE GREAT LEADER BOUGHT
FOR FEH DOLLARSy

A STRONG PLEA N FAVOR OF SIR JOHN A. MAC
DONALD-wAs TIE GREAT LEADER BOUGHT
FOR FEV DOLLARS?
The following letter dated New York,
July 20, appears in the New York Herald
of Wednesday, as letter to the editor;
SIR,-In Saturdays Herald you publish a
communication that does injustice to the
Finance Minister and the Prime Minister of
Canada. As friend of the latter gentle
man, | ask at your hands the favor Of pub
fishing some statements in his defence. As
| have no interests whatever in Canada, in
the Pacific scandal, or in Sir John MacdOn-
aid, ask you to believe that | write under
sense Of justice to a man Of eminent abil-
ity and position. The Pacific Railway of
Canada has been made a subject of cOnten-
ton by political factionists. The reckless
assertion incident to partisanship here holds
in full force on the other side of the lakes.
1t has been carried to an extraordinary
height in the case of the Canadian project
for a railway to the Pacific. The heading
and the text of the letter sent YOU on the
subject from Montreal Is a reproduction of
the exaggerations of party violence, and
should, therefore, be taken by all just men
with more or less suspicion.
Mr.. McMullen publishes Sir John Mac
donalds receipt for $4,000. The contest
shows, however, that that money was paid,
like the money paid to SIR George Cartier,
for " general election purposes" Few men
of sense will hold that the receipt Of SI0,-
600 for election purposes, by the head Of
great party engaged in political contest
throughout all the provinces of Canada,
reflects in any wise upon his personal hon
or. Neither does the receipt Of double that
amount, for the same purpose, suppose any
1isrrp1ft n the -neno-r- of ~ f,oorfra Co.
tier.
But Mr.. McMullen states that the promo
ton of the Pacific Railway of Canada ex-
pended in the last general election in the
provinces $3.50, 600. This outlay. even
though actually made, i not connected
with Sir John Macdonald, and therefore
cannot be held fairly to invoke a question
of his personal integrity. Its amount Is
probably not fraction of the expenditure
made during the last contest for the Cover
norship of the single State Of Pennsylva-
MIA. That company, having a contract
amounting to probably three hundred mil
lions of dollars with the Canadian Govern
mont should have deemed proper to keep
that Government in the hands of its friends
rather than Of its enemies at an expendi-
ture of One-eighth of one per cent of the
amount of the contract, involves neither
charges, however, that 81 900 was lent to
Sir John Macdonald and 81 500 to Sir Fran
els Hincks. Who can suppose that. even
though Sir John Macdonald and Sir Fran
chs Hincks are men to be bought, they can
be " knocked down" in a transaction 50
great at sum so paltry? If these advances
OF : 900 and 50, 500 were made at ali they
evidently have been made like those of the
$4,000 and the $50, 900. for" general elee-
ton purposes"
II, after these explanations, any faint re-
mains from Mr.. MeMuilen's statements on
the character of the eminent men he ac-
cuses of baseness, let it be met by com
parisOn of the accuser and the aecnsed
The letter of your correspondent describes
NJ. McMullen as one Of class of men very
common in the lObbies of legislative bodies
"A sharp adventurer. Sir Francis Hlncks
Is, on the other hand, an Irish gentleman,
who, having served with distinction as
Prime Minister of Canada, was honOred for
his fidelity by promotion to the government
of the Windward Islands Sir John Macdon-
aid Is lifelong Canadian who, having con-
trolled the Government for nearly twenty
years, has been rewarded for his devotion by |
the special favor Of his sovereign. Is Mr..
McMullen 5 unsustained statement sufficient
to blur the fair fame Of two gentlemen who |
have been declared, after lifelong duty to |
their Queen, good and faithful servants? A
disappointed or cast-off adventurer, as Mr..
appears to be by his own letter. |
we can refer his statements. without viola !
ting the reason of things, to persona, spite |
against Sir Francis and Sir John, even |
though those statements did not receive the |
he direct in the public fact that Sir John |
4. Macdonald, after a quarter of century |
Of almost supreme power in Canada, is to- |
day virtually poor man. M.B.H.