The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-05-02
This Time the Kansas Pacific
Story is Disposed OF.
J. F. WILSON OF, IOWA SUB
STIMULATES MIR. BLAINE'S
PREVIOUS STATEMENT.
And Another OF Mr. HarrisOn's
Authorities Does the Same.

flectipg upon him in the matter of certain
bonds Of the Kansas Pacific Railroad Co. and
suggesting that in his explanation last week he
had found it too embarrassing to be answered
and had therefore taken refuge in silence.
The paragraph having been read Blaine said:
This story is an old one and though Twas
perfectly aware Of les industrious circulation in
spoke last week Of the $64, 900 SANDER. because
did not wish to confuse the two in the mind
of the public. Being in possession of all facts
needful for complete refutati0n of this second
SANDER desired to wait untillI could see it
fully and commercially stated in print The
story consists of two parts, one as to my having
certain interest in. the KansaaP Railroad
and the other as to my receiving coin bonds of
that road from j. B. Stewart in the law Office
of Stewart & Riddle in this city several years
since. When the circulation of this story was
attempted some three years. ago, Hon. A. 6.
Riddle, who was then as now, relied upon as a
witness by those who concocted the Islander,
| made the following statment in writing,
which has never before been published.
WASHINGTON, d. c., Feb 1, 1873
81 have not the slightest knowledge of the
transaction referred to, in any shape, way or
| form, and never saw Mr.. Blaine 10 the office
of Stewart & Riddle. From July or August,
1864, Col Stewart and myself were law part
| ners and we bad our Office in the Colonization
building at the corner Of Four and:.a half street
and Pennsylvania avenue. The company was
| never formally dissolved and was an actual
| concern for several years. / have no knowl-
| edge whatever of any bonds having been de-
livered by Col. Stewart to Blaine or anything
| else of value being paid to him by Mr.. Stewart"
iSigned,) A. G. RIDDLE.
JOS B. Stewart also wrote me square de-
NAL of it at the same time and within a few
weeks has written me the following more CON-
plete and detailed contradiction of the false
hood in all its phases:
NEW York CRY. April 2, 1875.
Hon. j. G. Blaine Washington, D. c.:
Dear Sir,-I have once before corrected the
absurd rumor and false report 10 regard to your
being interested in the Kansas Pacific Railway
Company, and of your having received from
me certain bonds of that company, said to
have been delivered to you by myself in the
law Office Of Stewart & Riddle in the city Of
Washington Let me repeat then that so far
as have any knowledge you never had at any
time any interest whatever in the company re-
ferred to, and my means of information as to
those who were SO interested were very extern
sive and complete As to the story of my
bonds of the company, let me say again that
it Is without any foundation in fact, false in
whole and in detail. 1 never saw you in my
law office in my life, and have no knowledge
or belief that you were ever there. 1 never
delivered to you there or elsewhere any bonds
of the Kansas Pacific Railway Company or
any other railroad company. never had any
business transaction of any name or nature
with you in my whole life. The young man,
Mr.. KnowltOn former law student in my Office,
who seems TO have innocently or carelessly
been the author of a story 10 regard to the de-
livery of bonds to you, which found its way in
to the press, was swift to retract it and ex-
pressed great regret to me for the publication
and was used without his knowledge or appro-
baton, and should be instantly revoked, which
was done. Your brother, John Ewing Blaine
Of Leavenworth, Kan held an original interest
in the corporation known as the Leavenworth,
Pawnee & Western Railroad Company. char
tered by the territorial legislature of Kansas
about the year 1856, and which the evidence
that came into my hands showed he acquired
very early in the history of the enterprise.
This road by successive merges became the
Kansas Pacific, and his interest was preserved
through all these changesof organization. As
early as 1868, and before had ever seen you, 1
became his attorney as was also for several
others who had like interests, and through tedi-
GUS proceedings and negotiations finally Sc.
cured a settlement by compromise and if re-
member correctly, writing without 1.-THE papers
before me, your brother became entitled to if
teen construction bonds afterwards changed
and reduced to smaller number of bonds of
another issue. This whole transaction was
open, honorable, above board and free from all
grounds OF imputation as to all parties con-
nected with it,
If without my knowledge you ever had an in.
terest in the Kansas Pacific railroad, it must
have preiudiced you very strongly against that
corporation, for in 1866 when the bill was pass
ed BY Congress giving the company additional
lands with enlarged powers to swing its line
southwark and build to Denver, I remember
you was one of its most. stubborn opponents.
You voted against the bill in all its stages and
you did so against the earnest requests of my
self and others who were interested in the in
terests of the company in Washington at that
time. Yours very truly,
Late of Stewart & Riddle of WASHINGTON ID
Gen. Thomas Ewing of Ohio who Is always
quoted in this matter as a witness having
knowledge of some fearful facts. wrote me
quite recently the following letter:
LANCASTER, O., March 20, 1876.
Hon. James G. Blaine, Washington, D. G.
Dear Sir:-I am surprised to learn that some
persons are reviving the long since exploded
story OF yous having acquired an interest in the
LeavenWorth, Pawnee & Western Railroad
Company, afterwards the Union Pacific, east
ern division, and now the Kansas Pacific. Four
years ago this charge was set afoat, and pub.
lished card denying it. I was director of
the company at the time when you are accused
time in 1868, and knew that you had no in.
terest whatsoever in the company. Tho report
referred to seems to have originated in the fact
that your brother, John E. Blaine, one of the
early settlers of Kansas and clerk of our courts
at Leavenworth, had stock in the company, le-
ultimately aud properly acquired long before
you were ever candidate for Congress, and
with which you had nothing whatever to do.
Beyond this there was no interest in the COM
pany held, directly or indirectly, by any one of
your name. The similarity of the names, j.
=. Blaine and j. G. Blaine, have led to the con-
fusion on which the allegation is based. In
that SINH larity can possibly see some excuse
for the origin of this misstatement, but see
none for the persstency which urges it after a
frank and full denial
Very truly yours.
(Signed,) THOMAS EWING.
Three years ago the Knowlton story was told |
in the N. Y. Sun. A. M. Gibson then, as now,
the we'll known Washington correspondent OF |
that paper, wrote me few weeks since the fol- |
lowing letter:
WAsHINeroN, D. c., March II, 1876
Hon. j. g. Blaine: lt.'
Dear sir-In February, 1873, Geographic |
despatch from Washington was published in |
the New York Sun charging that you had re-
the Union Pacific Railroad, eastern division. |
from Jos. B. Stewart at his law Office at the |
Colonization building, Pennsylvanla avenue.
The man who was understood to be responsible |
for the charge was Jas. w. Knowltop, then |
correspondent of the Chicago Tribune, and who |
had been law student in the office of Stewart |
& Riddle. On the evening Of the same day |
that the despatch appeared in the Sum- Mr. |
knowlton called upon me to disclaim all res. |
possibility for it, and said there was no ground |
ior makl0R tne charge against you, ana tnat ne L
was satisfied that he had been entirely mistak-
en- in saying that he had even SO much as seen |
you in Stewart & Riddles office, and if called |
upon would have to testify to that effect |
was so we'll satisfied that there was no feunda-
ton for the statement, that l at once sent
contradiction of the same. also advised Mr.. |
knowlton to go and see you which he after. |
wards told me he had done.
20. Very truly, &C.,
tSigned) A. NJ GIBSON.
Mr.. Joseph Mcfarland, correspondent we'll
known in newspaper circles and of whose Sc.
rious illness at this time regret to hear, furn-
ishes the following statement:
WASHINGTON, March 10, 1876.
In the winter of 1873, when the statement
was made in the N. Y. Sun about Jos. B, |
Stewards delivering some bonds to Hon, Jas.
G. Blaine, was the Washington correspon-
dent of the Philadelphia Press. Mr.. Jas. w.
Knowlton, then correspondent of the Chicago
Tribune, since deceased, occupied the same
Office with me. The day after the article ap.
peared in the Sun with Mr.. Knowlton as its
presumed authority, he came to me and asked
me if 1 would accompany him to Speaker
Blaine's residence and introduce him, as he
had an important communication to make to
the Spoakor 7 accordinUlv went with hin, |