Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-04-25
In Support of this Denial he Ad
duees the Evidence Of Those
who were Alleged to be
his Partners In Crime.
ID story of the Little Rock and
Fort Smith Railroad Bond.
Transaction in FulI-NOW
Let Harrison Tel
what he Knows.

MIR. SPEAKER-With leave of the
house 60 kindly granted, shall Proceed
10 submit certain factl and correct Ger.
tain errors personsl to myself. Tine
dates OF the correspondence er.nraced In
ny statement will show mat II was i'm.
possible for me to lake 1t earlier, and
shall be as brief rs circumstances will
permit. For some months pasta charge
against me has been circulating in priv.
ste, lad was recently made public, de.
siSntng TO show that had in some In
direct manner received the large sum oi
siEty-four thousand dollars from the
Union Pacific railroad company in 1871.
for what services or for what nuEnose
has never been stated, The aIleqet'
proof Of this Serious accusation was
oasedr according TO the original story,
npon the authority OF Z. II. Rollins,
treasurer Of the Union Pacific company,
who, 1t ayers, had full knowledge that
got the money, and also upon the au-
thority Of Morton, Bliss & Co., bankers
Of New York, through whom the draft
for sixty. four thousand dollars was said
to have been negotiated for my benefit,
as they confidently knew. Hearing OF
this charge some weeks in advance Of
publication, l procured the following
statements from two of the principal
witnesses, who were quoted as having
such.defnits knowledge against me:
The statements alluded to were made
in the letters of E II. Rollins and Nor
ion, Bliss d Co published on the morn
ing Of the twelfth instant.-EDs. AP-
PEAL
Some persons on reading The letter of
Morton, Bliss & Co., said that its denial
seemed 70 be confined to any payment
that had passed through their books,
whereas they Eight have paid q draft
in which i was interested, and yet no
erssry of it be made on their books. This
criticism being made known to the firm,
they at once addressed me the following
letter:
NEW YoRK, April l3, 1876.
Hon.J. g. Blaine, Washington, D. c.:
DEAR SJR-lt has been suggested to
us that our letter of the sixth was not suf.
ficiently inclusive, or exclusive. In that
letter we stated that no draft, note or
check, or other evidence Of value had
ever passed through our BooKs IN which
ynu were known or supposed TO have
any inter]t, direct 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 corporation,
in which you were known, believed or
supposed to have any interest whatever.
We remain, very respectfully, your obe-
dent servants,
MORTON, BLISS & CO.
The two witnesses quoted for the oriSi-
nal charge having thus effectuslly dis
posed Of it, the charge it1elf reappears in
another form, to this eff CT, viz: That a
certain draft was negotiated at the house
OF Morton, Blis3 & Co., in 1871, through
Thomas A. Scott, then president Of the
Union Pacific railroad company, for
the sum of sixty-fouT thousand dollars,
and that seventy. five thousand dollars
worth of bonds OF the Little Rock and
Fort Smith railroad company were
pledged as collateral, thst the Union
Pacific company paid the draft and
took up the collateral, that the cash pro-
ceeds OF it went to me, and that l
furnished or sold, or in some way con-
veyed or transferred to Thomas A. Scott
the Little Rock and Fort Smith railroad
bonds, which had been used as collateral,
that the bonds in reality had belonged
to me, or some friend or constituent of
mine, for whom was ACTING. endeavOr
70 state the charge in its boldest form
and in all ifs phases; 1 desire here aud
now to declare that all and every
part Of this story that connects my
name with it is absolutely untrue, with
out one particle Of foundation in fact
and without 1.-THE of evidence to sub
stantiate it. I never had any trs,nssc-
ton Of any kind with Thomas A.
Scott concerning the bonds OF the
Little Rock and Fort Smith rail-
road or the bonds of any other
railroad, or had any business in any way
connected with railroads, directly or
indirectly, imme diately or remotely. l
never had any business transaction
whatever with the Union Pacific rail-
road company, or any Of its officers or
agents, or Representatives, and never in
any manner received from that COM
pany, directly or indirectly, a single
dollar in money, or stocks, or bonds, or
any other form Of values; and as to the
particular transaction referred to, never
80 much as heard Of it until nesrly two
years after its alleged occurrence, when
1t was talked Of at the time Of the credit
mobilier investigation in 1873. But
while my denial ought to be conclusive,
[ should greatly regret to lie compelled
to leave the matter there. am foItu-
nately, able to sustain my own declsrs-
ton by the most conclusive evidence
that the case admits OF, or that human
testimony can supply. If any person OF
perSons know the truth or fslsity OF these
charges 1t must be the officers of the
Union Pacific railroad company. / &C.
cordingly addressed a note to the presi-
dent OF that company-s gentleman
who has been q director of the company
nom its organization believe, and who
has a more thorough acquaintance with
It's transactions probably than any other
man. The correspondence which
here submit will explain itself and leave
nothing to be said. will read the letters
in thsir proper order. They need no
eomp lent:
WAsHIEGToN, April Is, 1876.
sdns Dillon, Esq, President Union Pacific
Rsfrtoad:
DA. 9 SIR-You have doubtless OBJ
serveo( the scandal now in circulation in
regard to my having been interested 10
certain bonds Of the Little Rock and Fort
Smith road, alleged TO have been pur-
chased by your company in 1871. It is
due 10 me, think, that some statement
in regard to that subject should be made
by yourself IS the official head OF the
Union Pacific railroad company. Very
respectfully, J. G. BLAINE.
OEEACE ONAUN EAGlElN NoAEAN1f
NEW YORK, A prtl Is, 1876.
Hon. James q. Blaine, Washington:
DEAR SIR Il have your favor Of the
thirteenth instant, and in reply desire
to ssy that have this day written to
Colonel Thomas A. Scott, who was pres
ident Of the Union Pacific railroad com
pany at the time Of the transaction re-
ftrred to, letter of which l send copy
herewith. On receipt Of his reply will
inclOse it to you. Very respectfully,
SIDNEY DILLON, President.
OFFICE UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD Coil
NEW YORK, A pTil Is, 1876. J
Colonel Thomas a. Scott, Philadelphia, Penn.
gylvauta:
DEAR SIR-The press Of the country are
making allegations that certain bcnCs OF
the Little Rock and Fort Smith railroad
company, purchased by the Union Pa
cific railroad company in 1871, were OBJ
tained from Hon. James q. Blaine, oi
Maine, orr that. the svails in some
form went to his benefit, and that the