Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-02-07

dividends spoken OF!
"A. No, sir; l never received but
one dividend.
@. Was that money dividend?
A. That was money dividend.
Q. That was in June, 1868?
A. 1t seems to be. Mr.. Ames'
check is dated June goth. see his
memoranda makes it the goth; l
must have received it between the
Goth and 25th of June. l do not
precisely understand the memoran-
dun of Mr.. Amcs; there seems to
have been an omission of dividend.
There was dividend made between
January, 1868, and the time when
that memorandum was made, as l
understand it.
Q. A dividend in money?
A. No, sir; in stock and bonds.
Q. Here is statement Of the
first stock dividend ON the credit
side of your account, with $776, the
net proceeds ofthe bonds?
A. The committee may call that
a dividend, l do not so call it, be-
cause I did not receive it. Mr..
Ames sent PIE this credit mobilier
stock, but he did not send me any
dividend except the one | have
spoken of.
@. Did you pay him any money
except the s27l on account of that
stock?
A. / have 10 recollection fpay-
ing him the difference; I should
rather have said l did not pay him,
but he says l did, and therefore, l
will not say that | did not, but do
not know the amount.
Q. This account Of his, cores
ponding with his accounts given
in relation to others, was, in sub
stance, that he contracted for 1000
of credit mobilier stock, which he
sold to you for par and interest from
July, 81, O47; that he credited you
with the bond dividend of so per
cent, which he sold ut o., netting
S776, and that he received from you
cash s27l; that he then paid you in
June afterwards a dividend Of 5000
cash, and paid you the first dividend
by way of crediting it Oh your pur-
chase money?
\. | understand that to be his
statement. That statement of
course | know nothing about. /
only mention the fact that these two
classes Of stock were sent to me. 1t
may be that l paid Mr.. Ames $27I.
Until to day should have stated
that my belief was that the balance
due on the purchase of the stock
was taken out of the 5000 dividend,
and he may be correct, and l think
now he is, except as to amount.
Q. Did you apply to him origin
ally for stock or did he propose to
you to take it?
A. l could not say in reference
to that. Senator Grimes and my
self were living together at the
time. Senator Grimes had con-
siderable interest in it, and Mr..
Ames and l had frequent converse
tons about Iowa roads, and undoub-
teddy about this. could not say
whether he proposed to me to take
it, or whether | asked him. At that
time q mean in 1861 l did not con
ceive there was anything improper
in my holding it.
Q. Were you cognizant Of any
agitation in congress during that
winter in regard to the U. p. r. r.
Co.?
A. No sir, | was not.
q. Were you aware ofany move
ment by Mr.. Washburne?
A. There may have been move
ments made by Mr.. Washburnc, bnt
l do not remember when they were
made. Certainly not at the time
we were having these converse
tions.
q. Was yoar mind ever directed
to the fact that his movements bore
upon the Credit Mobilier stock.
That the interests of the stockhold-
ers were involved in any way in his
movements or contemplated move
men;S!
A. 1t may have been. cannot
say whether it was SO or not, at
this distance Of time.
Q. You do not know whether
these matters were presented to
your mind at that time:
A. No sir.
@. Did these agitations in con-
gress and agitatlons with reference
to this supposed lawsuit, have any
influence controlling or otherwise,
in your abandonment Of the pur-
chase?
A. No sir, think they had no
influence over my mind at the time.
l do not think l knew Mr.. McComb
had lawsuit until l saw the publ
cation in the newspapers during the
campaign last fall.
Q. Why did you abandon the
purchase?
"A. The chief reason was that l
owned little stock in ranch
road (thc Sioux City & Pacific rail
road) in my own state, and was for
time \ director. Friends and
enemies criticised my owning stock
in that company, and thought it
was not worth while to have this
little matter of ten shares of stock
in the company. l knew very little
about it, especially in reference to
its profits, that was the motive that
influenced me chiefly.
@. 1t was public criticism upon
your ownership in another COM
pany?
A. 1t was brought Immediately
to my attention in that way. My
constituents seemed to think it was
better for me not to hold any of that
sort of stock. l therefore desired
to obey them i'll this regard, as they
had just reelected me to congress.
@. Your attention had not been
called to any positive, actual impro-
prietv in holding this stock during