New-York tribune., 1873-01-16
THE CREDIT MOBILIER.
ANOTHER FIELD OF CORRUPTION DIS
CLOSED.


SENATOR HARLAN-vALUABLE PERSoNAL
FRIENDsHP-AN EXCITABLE wITNESS-ihA
EXAMINATION NEARLY ENDED.
iBY TELEGRAPH 70 THR TRIBuNRl
WASHINGTON, Jan. 15.-The Poland investigating
Committee hit upon discovery to-day 'ha' may
lead to important results Rumors have aoO"nueu
IN Washington for several years past TO the ehect
that number of Senators and Representatives
owea their elections to the Union and Central
p.o;eo pai1roaSs and were in consequence the
ohedeut servants of those corporations when their
votes were wanted for any measure IN which the
roads were interested. These rumoTs have always
been credited by people who know the ways Of the
lobby but there has heretofore been no way of yeri-
fying them. II was proved, to-day, that they were
true so far as one Senator is concerned at least At
the close of Mr. Durants testimony, Mr.. Niblack
asked him If it was true that he had sent check
for $1,000 to Iowa to help elect MI
Harlan 70 the Senate. Mr.. Durant replied,
"it is not true ! sent two checks of S5,OOO
each" He then said, in an explanatory way, that
Mr. Harlan, although living on the line of rlval
road had always been a good friend to the Union
Pacific and that he thought he would well represent
the State, by which he probably meant the railroad
Mr. Harlan was Secretary of the Interior at the time
the money was sent to Iowa. Mr.. Durant was asked
if he had contributed any money to elect Senator
Carpenter but he denied that he had. He was not
questioned any further about the particulars in the
transaction with Mr.. Harlan, asked if he had
helped to elect other Senator's The Committee I'M
derstOod that the Wilson Committee were about to
enter upon this line of investigation, and therefore
decided not TO pursue il. The following is verbatim
report of the portion of Mr.. Durants examination
which concerned Senator Harlan
By Mr Niblack-State whether the U. p r. r. Co., or
the connected with that enterprise were not called
upon assist in the Senatorial elections in the state OF
Iowa in 1866 a. dolnot reoollect; did assist my
self had large interest in Iowa. personally and dur
Ing the canvass assisted.
O. It was stated that you gave a check of $4,000
10 assist in that election \. No did not two
checks Of 5000 each.
@ Can you explain the history Of those checks, and
for what purpose they given A, They were given
Tor the purpose Of securing the election.
O. Securing whose election A. Mr.. Harlans for the
purpose securing the influence OF newspapers
do not know how it was applied may say here that
H. Grnnen subscribed 5000 TO the funds Of the
Republican General Committee to aid in Gen. Grants
rectOn it seemed TO be pretty well passed, and paid
that
O. It has been suggested TO me also that IL was urged
upon you strongly give Senator Carpenter an interest
Tor Congressional reasons; do you recolect anything
a.
did not do it; Mr.. Harlan had been old personal
frend personal intercourse had continued for Is
S0 years he lived, 10 be sure rival line OF road.
but thought he understood the wants OF the State and
that he had been in Washington long enough to know
how 70 look after the interests Of the State.
O. He at that time Secretary Of the InteriOrY
A. believe so; he not in Congress at the time.
Duant, in the course of his testimony cleared up
some obscure points about the Credit MObilier. He
said that it was just before the Ames contract was
made that the directors and heavy stockholders in
the Union Pacific Railroad became the directors and
stockholders in the Credit Mobilier. They were
about to contract with themselves to build the road,
when he enjOined them in court, and threatened
them with Congress investigation. He wrote
letter to the Hon. c. G. Washburn exposing the
scheme and afterward, having induced its abandon
ment, he gave Ames, Alley, andiothers order on
the Postmaster to get it out of the mails. so that
Wasbburn should not get il. The result was the
Ames contract which was made in the Fall of 1867.
This contract together with the discovery of a
favorable route over the Rocky Mountains than
the one first adopted entirely changed the prospects
of the Credit Mobler. In the Spring of 1867 the
stock could not be sold at any price In the Fall it
was worth 200 per cent 1t was after it had become
valuable that Ames got the 23 shares assigned him
as trustee. Mr.. Durant said that he claimed that
all this stock belonged to the Company, and that if
papers on him, he would make him pay it back
Beside Messrs. Hooper and Grimes and Gen. G. NJ.
Dodge Of Iowa, who were original subscribers of
the c. NJ stock. the latter in the of his wife,
and James Brooks whose stock transaction was yes
terday described, Mr.. Durant knew of but one Con-
gresham who was ever in the concern. That was
Mr. Boyer of Pennsylvania, member Of the XLth
Congress, who had 30 shares.
Mr.. Brooks asked Mr. Durant few questions
which showed pretty clearly the ground upon which
he means TO stand in his defense. In answer to
these questions, Mr. Durant said that Mr.. Brooks
had made great efforts to get the stock taken when
no capitalists III New York would touch it. He took
great interest in the of the Pacific Railroad
and his action as public man was highly patriotic
in trying 20 place" the Credit MObiler stock, be-
cause, if the stock had not been sod the railroad
would have gone to the wall. When Mr.. Brooks
first spoke for the stock there sale for It, and
he could have had half million if he wanted it,
Mr.. Durant said he had promised him 200 shares in
1865 and, when the stock became valuable, he con-
sdered himself under obligation to keep his prom
Use, but not wantingto part with 80 much stock he
gave him 100. aud $4,000 worth Of other securities.
The last witness was Cornelius Bushnell director
IN the U. p and G. NJ. Companies. He came volun-
tarlly and made vehement speech, emphasized
with vigorous thumps upon the table, in which he
declared that members of Congress who promised to
take Credit Mobilier stock in the Spring of 1867
ought to be proud Of their action. He did not
understand why there should be such panic about
It, 1t caused great injustice TO the present holders
of the stock. He owned SlO2OOO worth and it ought
to be worth seventyfve cents on the dollar but he
had sent some to bank lately, and could Mt borrow
dollar on 1t. His understanding of the Ames
transaction that in the Spring of 1870 he had
a.. o3oo IL