Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-04-26
Mr.. Blaine Makes a Personal
Explanation In Regard to
His Connection With
the u. II. IL. IL.

WASHINGTON, ID. c., April Pain
the House Mr. Blaine proceeded to
make a personal explanation in re-
gard to the newspaper charges con-
meeting him with the Union Pacific
Railroad Company. He stal ted out
with general review Of The charges
against him recently, to the effect that
in 1871 he received $4,000 from the
Union Pacific Railroad Company, for
some services, not stated. The story
is based on the authority of f. III.
Rollins, Treasurer of the Union Pa
cific Railroad Company, and upon
the authority of Morton, Bliss & Co..
who paid the draft. Mr.. Blaine said,
having heard of this charge six weeks
before published, he procured state
ments from two of the principal wit
nesses. These statements he produced.
They are the letters of f. ii. Rollins
and Morton, Bliss & CO., already pub
llshed. In addition he, produced the
following letter to himself:
RDEAR SIR: 1t has been suggested
to us that our letter of the 9Th inst.
was not sufficient inclusive OF exclu-
sive. In that letter we stated that no
dratt,uOte or check. nr nthnr nvidn- 20
of value, had ever passed through
our books in which you were known
or supposed to have any interest, di-
rect or indirect. 1t may be proper
for us to add that nothing has been
paid by us in any form or at any
time TO any person or any corpora
ton in which you were known, be-
lieved or supposed to have any inter-
est whatever. We remain very re-
specially your Obediant servants,
MORTON, Bliss & Co.
The charge originally made having
thus been disposed of it was repro-
duccd in this form, namely that GER
tain draft was negotiated at the house
OF Morton, Bliss & Co., i'm 1871,
through Chas. A. Scott, then Prcsi-
dent of the Union Pacific Railroad
Company, for the sum of $4,000, and
that $751; 600 of the bonds of the Little
Rock and Fl. Smith Railroad Compa-
ny were pledged as collateral; that
the Union Pacific Company had paid
the draft and took up the collateral;
that the cash proceeds Of it went to
him, and that he had furnished or
sold, or in some way conveyed or
transferred to Chas. A. Scott these
Little Rock and TT. Smith bonds,
which had been used as collateral !
that the bonds in reality had belong
ed to him Blaine or some friend or
constituent for whom he was acting.
Mr.. Blaine here gave most cmphat-
ic assurance that any part of this sto-
ry connecting his name with this trans
action was without a particle of
foundation or evidence. He never
had any transaction with Tom Scott
concerning the bonds of the Little
Rock road or any other railroad, di-
rectly or remotely, He never trans
acted any business with the u. p.
Railroad Company's officers or agents
or received a single dollar of stocks
or bonds, and never heard of this
transaction until nearly two ears af- |
ter its alleged occurrence. This dec
laration he would sustain by the most
conclusive evidence. Its President,
Sidney Dillon, who had been q di-
rector from the incipiency of the road
and who probably knew more of its
business than anybody else, had been
written rs follows:
WASHINGTON, April IL.
Sidney Dillon, Esq, President Un-
ion Pacific Railroad, dear Sir: You
have no doubt observed the scandal
now in circulation, in regard to my
having been interested i'm certain
bonds of the Little Rock g. Fort Smith
railroad, alleged to have been pur-
chased by your company in 1871. IL
is due to me, think, that some state
ment in regard to that subject should
be made by myself or by yourself as
the official head of the Union Pacific
Railroad company. Very respectfully,
j. G, BLAINE.
Mr.. blaine summarized what he
had presented, in very impressive
address which he delivered from
written slips and was listened to with |
eager attention by every member
and person within the crowded hall.
AS he concluded there was a murmur
of applause from both sides of the
hall and one group Of prominent
democratic members having tempo
rary seats near.
A reporter exclaimed, as he finish
ed his asseveratiOn of innocence, 81
y -