Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1873-01-16
WASHINGTON.
Further Details of the Credit Mo-
biIier InVestigatiOn---The StO-
~ Of Bribery.
Congressional PrOceedines--Ru-
mOrs and Movements at the
National Capital.
CREnIr mnRILIER.

The Credit Mobilier Committee re-
sumed its sittings.
Mr.. T. S. Durant testified that the
shares given to Brooks were the result
of q special agreement made with him
\ in 1857. Brooks claimed more than one
hundred shares, and he compromised in
| Union Pacific stock and bonds; did not
want to give so much Credit Mobilier to
| Brooks, as It had advanced materially;
prior to the Ames contract, dividends in
Credit MObilier were very light; had no
| knowledge of Congressman being infiu-
enced by Credit Mobilier; stock stand
ing in Ames' name belongs to the COM
pany, and Durant will sue Ames to re-
cover if ever he can catch him in New
York; il was never arranged to give any
Congressman stock except in the cases
of Boyer (Pennsylvaniaj and Brooks;
supposed the road did not want further
legislation, and thought the bonds and
| Union Pacific stock given Brooks worth
about nine thousand dollars; witness
calculated that he was about one thou
sand dollars better off by this compro-
mise; never knew of anything belong
ing TO the Credit Mobilier being used to
influence Congressman; Brooks tried to
have Credit Mobilier stock taken in
New York, but was not very successful,
although he made a favorable impress
sion; Brooks might have had half a
million in Credit Mobilier if he had
wanted il.
Question by Mr.. Niblack. - State
whether the Union Pacific, or the men
connected with that enterprise, were not
called upon to assist in the Senatorial
election in 1866 and 1867 in Iowa.
I Il nf I n nrf
assist myself; I had q large interest in
Iowa myself, and during the canvass 1
assisted.
QuestiOn.-It has been stated to me
that you gave check for ten thousand
dollars to assist in that election.
Answer.-I did not; gave two checks
for five thousand dollars each.
Question-Can you explain the his
tory of these checks, and for what
purpose they were given?
Answer-For the purpose of securing
an election.
Question-Whose election?
Answer-Harlan's and for the purpose
of securing theinfiuenceof some newspa-
pers. / don't know how it was applied.
Moses II. Grinnell, l believe, SUBJ
scribed five thousand dollars to the
General Republican Committee, to Sc
cure the election of Grant. 1t seemed !
to have rather gone past, and / paid it. /
Mr.. Bushnell testified that when the |
Credit MObilier got ashore, Mr.. Ames |
went to his friends, in Congress and out |
of Congress, to get them TO take stock; |
witness had a letter from prominent |
bank where the Credit Mobilier was
thrown out, as the bank would have |
nothing to do with it, because they |
thought there was fraud and corruption; !
he thought there was want of moral |
courage on the part of certain |
men who did agree to take |
stock, but now would not stand up and |
say they agreed to take it. Never
heard Ames mentioned as having Of
fered stock TO either Colfax, Blaine, |
Kelley, Schofield, Garfield, Bingham or
Senator Wilson. Witness never offered |
it to any member of Congress but /
McCreary. Witness thought member
of Congress having stock in the Credit
Mobilier had a perfect right to vote on
Pacific railroad matters He saw no
more improperly in it than one voting
owing National Bank stock.
By Mr.. Bland-It was the understand
ing that Ames got a large amount of
stock, to enable him to fulfill engage
ments which he had entered into previ-
ously; he felt, as Ames had expressed it
in one of his letters, that if they went
back on the Congressman after the stock
had gone up, when it had been promised
them, when twas down the Congress
men would go back on tAem. Laugh
ter
The committee adjourned until to-
morrow.