The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-02-16
ELEVEN MILLIONS,


The Hon. Morton G. Hunter has written
the following letter to the Terre Haute Ex-
press in explanation Of his connections with
the Memphis, FL Paso & Pacific railroad.
House OF REPRESENTATIVES,,
WAsHINGToN CITY, ID. c.
FEBRUARY 4, 1875.
Your dispatch received. My friends need
not give themselves particle OF uneasiness
about the article published in the
New York Sun, so far as my name
is connected Herewith, although it is cal
culated to disturb them until the facts are
known. The bill spoken of in that article,
which was presented by the Memphis s. Eel
Paso Company, which asked for a subsidy,
knew nothing about when it was intro
duced. l was not even acquainted with
Gen. Fremont or any of his party. If any
action was ever taken on the bill beyond its
mere presentation and reference to the com
mittee, L am not aware of it: After my
term in congress had expired, Gen. Fremont,
having become acquainted with me, de-
sired my services as an attorney to aid him
in passing bill in the 4lst congress that
would give his company the right of way
through the territories OF New Mexico and
Arizopa, his company having by their char
ter from the state of Texas right through
that state, and the company having bought
a charter granted by the state of California
gave them the right through that state; so
that by getting the right of way through
New Mexico and Arizona his company
would have a continuous right of
way from the eastern boundary of TEXAS
TO the Pacific ocean, on the sd parallel.
His bill asked no aid from the government,
either in land or money, but simply the
right of way. The only trouble that he had
to contend with was a simple legal PROPOSE
ton, and that was this: His opponents
eOntended that the charter granted to the
Memphis & Ell Paso Company by the state of
Texas had been forfeited, on account of its
provisions not having been complied with.
The war having interviewed work had not
been done as required by the charter. SEN
ator Howard, of Mich, who was an able
lawyer, and
VERY BITTER TOWARD FREMONT,
was confident that the charter had forfeited,
and he was opposed to legislats so as to give
it new life. General Fremont and his asso-
cistes were much alarmed about it, as they
had invested considerable capital in it's pur-
chase. went into the law library of the
capital and examined with great care all the
acts of the state of Texas from the time
the charter was granted to 1869. Some of
them being badly indexed turned them leaf
by leaf, and in so doing found an act that
neither Fremont nor his enemies seemed to
know anything about, which saved his char
| ter and some others from forfeiture. His
bill passed the House without any trouble
The only trouble was in the Senate, over
this legal question, but the session of con-
gress adjourned before the bill could be
reached III the Senate. For this service, the
company having no money, paid me two
hundred and fifty of its bonds; at the time
| they had no market value. and proved to be
absolutely worthless. i kept them about
three years., sold them to a gentleman
| in Texas, and took his note for
| them, with the understanding that if he
could make anything out OF them that we
would dividei il. He failed to make them of
i anV value. The company having gone into
| Bankruptcy, the receiver desired to gather
up these bonds, and made an arrangement
| with the man to whom l sold them to get
them from him if 1 would give up the note
which did, on condition that the receiver
would pay me what Thomas A. Scott or
General Fremont would say my services
were worth for which the bonds were paid
| L have not as yet received that pay on ac-
count of the company,
HAVING NO FUNDS.
L have no interest in any way in those bonds
or the stock of the company. As to the
stock that was given me, I do not exactly
remember the amount. 1t was worthless,
and for that reason never had it transferred
to me, or to any one else, on the books of
the company. Until it was so transferred il
did not belong to me, and by not having it
done did not in fact ever own any of the
stock What has become of it know not. as
III sent it to the secretary of the company in
New York shortly after receiving it. The
amount of bonds and stock sound large
for fee, but they were like self-righteous-
ness, the more man had of them the worse
he was off. Five thousand dollars in money
at that time would have been worth to me
far more than the trash L did get, but not
} having the money took what 1 could get.
| At the time all this took place / was not a
member of congress, and had right to en-
gage in any business / saw fit. If nv eli
ents do not grumble, certainly none others
have any right to. unless their rights are in
some way affected.
The article here has created no sensation
! and every friend with whom 1 have con-
versed has advised me, knowing my rela-
lions 10 the whole transaction to pay no at
,, tention TO it.
L have written this in great haste, without
taking any time to revise l.; hope that il
will be satisfactory. Your friend,
MORTON G. HUNTER.
p. ST. will further state, that il any
bonds, money or stock was ever given Out
by the company or any person in its em.
ploy, to aid in the passage of the bills before
congress, i never knew anything of it.
certainly never engage in any such business