The Portland daily press., 1873-01-17

session in Congress- was not as well inform.
ed in respect to the merits of this great work
as am now, but have never regretted the
vote gave at that time. then had but slight
seen him before entered Congress.
At a later period we were thrown together
aud brnupht into the relations of a somewhat
intimate friendship. Near the close of 1867,
when no man could have anticipated any FUR
Their legislation npon this subject, and since
tMHhen, II we except the transfer OIL tne once OF
.he company to Boston, there has Deen none,
unles giving construction to a previousactlon,
quesli1n raised unexpectedly by the secretary
a. H eiie treasury, may be so considered. MI.
1a All cams over to the Senate and proposed to
biler. He represented at the time that he did
this as friend looking to my Interest T asked
him to explain to me what the Credit Mobilier
was, and he did SO. l then asked him if II was
proper stock for a member of Congress to hold
He said he thought it was, as they did not ex
pect to ask for any further legislation, and to
give strength to his view he mentioned several
distinguished gentlemen Of acknowledged in
tegrity, who had either taken or proposed TO
take stock in the company.
l then inquired if he thought it would be a
profitable investment. He replied that he did,
OF he should not have offered it to a friend. l
said should be glad to take some of the stock
but could not as L had no money. "When you
get some money which you wish to invest"
have the stock At that time l proposed to
take the stock, and doubtless Mr.. Ames sup
posed would, but never found it convenient
to take it; before concluded it was not best to
take it, and so the purchase was not cOnsum-
mated, and never received directly or indi-
rectly, nor did any one ever hold for me in
trust, one penny's worth of stock of the Credit
MObilier have been thus explicit because l
have been msrepresented in respect to this
thing, and not because 1 see any breach of pro-
chasing or holding this more than paper, wool,
legal tenders bonds, bank notes, bank stock,
or any other species of property liable to be at
fected by legislation, but upon which legisla-
ton was not anticipated at the time of the
purchase. On two occasions, subsequently, 1
purchased of Mr.. Ames stock and bonds on the
Union Pacific Railroad, which were placed in
the hands of friend in New York for sale. My
friend sold them at a fair profit. For this stock
and bonds paid the full market price in mon
ey honestly earned by myself. These transac-
tons were bona fine purchases and not ex-
changes of stock or distribution of dividends
1t was small investment, but reasonably
profitable, and regret it was no larger, as it
was both honest and honorable, and l doubt if
there is any member of Congress who would
deny tho right or the propriety of such pur-
chase. This IS the whole of my connection
with Mr.. Ames or with the Union Pacific Rail-
road have never purchased or received any
property of any Kind which had any connec-
eioi, uiEoCt OF lHutrect, WIN my vote or polltl-
cal influence.
Statement by senator Wilson.
Senator Wilson next appeared, and made a
verbal statement He said bIr. Ames had
never come to him to offer him any stocks. He
and Mr.. Ames boarded at the same house, and
he said to Ames one day that he wanted to pur
chase one or two bonds of an Iowa railroad for
his wife, and out of money belonging TO her
Mr. Wilson then gave an account of the cele-
bration of his silver wedding and explained
how his wife had obtained this money, which
amounted to $500, as a gift from her friends
and neighbors. Out of this money an invest
ment OF $1,000 was made and it was lost; and
as his wife made the investment on his advice
Mr.. Wilson had returned her the money. Sub
sequently Mr.. Ames advised Mr.. Wilson to
invest in the Credit Mobiler, and he offered to
secure her and give her ten per cent If she
would give him, Ames, one-half of all that
was made over ten percent Mr.. Wilson OBJ
jected on the ground that there might be some
leg Station required, and he wanted to be above
the least suspicion. He had long ago learned
that rich man could do with impunity that
which poor man would not dare to do. He
had come to Congress poor man, and had de-
termined to do nothing that might excite sus-
picion. For that reason he had inquired anx-
iously as to the legislation before he would con-
sent to his wife taking the stock. Sometime
afterwards he heard that tho Credit Mobilier
Company was in difficulty, and he spoke to
Alley and Ames about it, and wanted his wife
to surrender the stock. Amus said Wilson was
very foolish to give it up but Mr. Wilson in
sisted and at the settlement of the matter there
was 1914 due Mrs. Wilson as interest He, Mr.
Wilson, did not wish to take this, but it was
given to his wife, and he felt that she should
not not lose it; but he wanted nothing to do
with it, and he subsequently returned the 1914
to Mr.: Ames He always considered that the
bargain was never fully consumated He fear
ed some legislation wonld grow ont of the mat
ter. He had never been benefited dollar, and
if one thousand dollars had been due as in
crease for the investment he would not have
touched dollar of it, He was therefore 1914
poorer in consequence of this Credit Mobilier
When his wife died in 1870 all her property
went to her immediate relatives and the church
of which she was a member. He therefore
never got cent of benefit from the gift to his
wife, and all he had to-day, except his house,
would not sell for $500