The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1876-03-24
ANOTHER sOHENOK AFFAIR.

Two conspicuous features mark the histor
Of Gen. Schenck's career as Minister to Enf
land To be sure they are not such feature
as usually distinguish diplomatic career
they do not indicate the statesman or tn
negotiator; but they are very marked feature
notwithstanding. They do not confer o.
Gen. Schenck the kind Of distinction whicl
the statesman and the diplomatist desire; bu
nevertheless they distinguish him from al
other Ministers and Plenipotentiaries to tina
extent that ii is quite impossible that any
other Minister or PIenipotentiary could eve
be mistaken for Gen. Schenck. Of course
everybody will understand that we refer t
the brief and brilliant campaign of Gen
Schenck against the British seekers after EN-.
ma Mine shares, and to his unexampled success
in introducing the festive and noble game Of
poker into the mansions Of the British arts.
tocracy. Gen. Schenck, we believe, gained
his military title as an officer in the service Of
the United States during the late war. We
do not know that be gained anything except
his lie, in that conflict, unless it was . repu-
tation for assiduous absence from the field.
Perhaps he hadn't the heart to fight with all
the courage of his nature, or to employ all
the resources of his genius against his own
countrymen; but when it came to raiding on
the foreigner, and maneuvring against the
British shareholder, it must be admitted that
he displayed valor and skill which fully
redeemed his reputation. He did not serve
with any noticeable distinction as Brigadier
General in the army Of the Union; but
a. q director Of the Emma Mine
Company he achieved q brilliant success.
Whether or not he was equally triumphant in
his campaigns at the poker table, we are not
informed. We are not permitted to pry too
closely into the mysteries Of the noble man
sions in which Gen. Schenck was favored
guest We can only conjecture that, as .
veteran of the game. he had the Same ad-
vantage over the raw British recruits whom
he encountered, as the veterans Of Lee or
Sherman would have had over an army levied
at . militia muster. We are not told whether
he adopts the dilatory policy of FAbius or
the audacious system of Observation-Disclosures
he plays waiting game or bluff game; but
from the way in which he went into the
Emma Mine business with "ne'er . pair"
and came out with full hand, We should say
he was particularly good on the draw.
But it appears that Gen. Schenck's claim to
renown does not rest entirely on the Emma
Nine and.the noble game Of poker. We are
indebted to the London Hour for o recital of
IN incident in the great diplomatist's Con-
gressional career which gives him the right to
claim place by the side Of Belknap and Bah
sock. In the testimony Of Mr.. Lyon before
he Committee of Congress that person said
hat one Fisher owed Sshenck certain sum
II money for services in certain land grant
The following is the explanation Of this part
# Lyons testimony given by the Hour:
Now. the history of this land gram" is
,ne which is as yet unwritten, but on some
,ther occasion We intend to write it. In the
by Gay of explaining the passage
q Mr.. Lyons evidence, we may say that this |
IS land grant refers to q company called the |
United States Freehold Land and Emigration |
company, which was formed "for the pur-
'hass Of the Trenchera estate in Colorado"
which Trenchera estate was described rs $780,.
|O0 acres in ex tent; one. half the area Of which
vas composed Of arabic lands, and the other
lalf of we'll timbered mountain lands, abound
ng in minerals, as to which the prospectus
dded, "there we're several gold mines on the
state which have been already worked to q
profit" and Colorado was de-
CT bed as the coming Ell Dorado Of the
7orld.
Now this "land grant" consisted Of what
J known as an "old Mexican land grant" or
Bacca Float. which means q sort of rowing
light in the possessor to locate his land grant
1herever be can find land not previously
etween "an old Mexican land grant" and
tile from the nited States Government, for
1hich the purchaser has to pay, say dollar
n acre, is, we take it, plain; but certain
nanciers in the city Of London, having be-
ONE possessed of this "old Mexican land
rant" set to work to draw up Q prospectus
nd try to get up q company. Tney accord
Ugly went SO far as to have q few proofs
rinted Of . very elaborate prospectus Of the
Colorado Freehold Land and Emigration
ompany O.imited)," with capital Of $780,
DO.
The prospectus was, however, never is I
led, because it was felt that the company
ou!d never float if it was got up in Eng
nd; so they changed the venue, and pro.
seded to establish the company IN tho
nited States, which would enable them to ]
sue bonds on the European market. Ac- /
,rdingly these 6nanciers applied to Congress I
r bill to incorporate "The United States
reehold Land and Emigration Company,
I'd to confirm certain legislation in Colorado {
srrtorv" and this bill was passed on the 4
b Of March, 1870, and this company be-
me incorporated under the names OF Will
I'm Gilpin, Ambrose E. Burnside. s. T. N.
arrow, Charles A. Lambard, William H. t
eynolds, Hiram Hitchcock, Henry W. Gray, I
ID Morton @. Fisher .
The first difficulty the happy possessors Of
is "land grant" had to encounter was to
t this bill incorporating the company 4
ssed, and in this extremity they sought and I
tained the assistance of Gen. Schenck, who,
ing ct that time chairman # the Commit
. OF Ways and Means, was possessed of 9
ficient public influence. Gen. Sshenck q
10 to act, fret of all, as trustee, and then "a G