The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-04-25
CON G r E s s.
HOUSE.
WASHINGTON,

HOUSE.
WASHINGTON, April "a.
The following are among the bills in,
troduced and referred under call Of The
States: 1 u'
By Mr.. Campbell, TO increase the circu.
lation Of National Bank notes, and re-
lieve the National Banks from tax on
circulations, TO liquidate the National
Debt, and to strengthen the public
credit.
By Mr.. o'Brien, to reorganize the
Navy. II provides that there shall be
an active list OF 6 rear Admirals, IS Com
modoreS, so Captains, and 70 Command
ers, and sthat the reductions ID these
grades shall cease until those numbers
shall be reached. a..r ~ p H.
By Mr.. Raymond, 10 permit the
National Banks TO issue circulating notes
equal in amount 10 one hundred per cent
Of the current market value Of bonds de-
posted by them. ,.,..... gy.... 80.
Mr.. Faulkner from the Committee on
Foreign Affairs reported q joint resolution
requesting the President to take such
steps as may tend TO obtain an early re-
lease OF Edward o., NJ. Condor, from his
imprisonment in England. Passed.
Mr.. Sayler presented petitions OF the
tobacco manufacturers Of Cincinnati and
Coyington for the reduction OF taxes on
tobacco 10 10 cts per pound. Referred.
The House then considered the business
Of the District Of Columbia. Z
NEW ORLEANS CUSTOM HOUSE.
Mr.. Gibson offered resolution for the
appointment Of a select committee Of
nine 10 make an examintion into the
management Of the New Orleans custom
house and other Federal Offices OF that
city, with power to sit in New Orleans
during recess,
Mr.. Hurlbut objected 10 q special COM
mittee, and suggested that The subject
should be referred to n regular committee.
Mr.. Gibson then moved suspension
Of the rules. rU uus. ... We. y
Mr.. Hale asked Gibson to lei the sub
ject 20 to one OF the regular committees
Of the House and TO strike out the re-
markable clause as TO the committee sit
ting during recess. Ii he would do so the
resolution would 60 through without OBJ
lection.
Mr.. Gibson declined to accedc to that
suggestion. usi
Mr. Hale-Thcn we must have the yeas
and nays on the suspension OF the rules.
A vote was then taken, and the rules
we're not suspended-yeas hl4G, nays u:
noL tea. .tl.;rLs voting In the atiirmauVe.
The vote was strict party vote.
Mr.. Buckner, from the Committee for
The District, reported bill 10 regulate
the assessment and collection OF taxes
for the support Of the government OF the
District, and then proceeded 10 explain
and advocate il. Without action on the
bill Mr.. Buckner yielded the floor TO Mr..
Blaine who proceeded 10 make personal
EXPLANATION in regard 10 newspaper
charge connecting him with the Union
Pacific Il. L. Company.
THE HON. J. q. blaine ADDRESSES THE
HOUSE IN HIS OWN DEFENSE.
The following is Blaine's speech:
Mr.. Speaker, with leave Of the House
so kindly granted, l shall proceed TO sub
nit certain facts and correct certain er-
rors personal TO myself. The dates Of the
correspondence embraced in my state
ment will show that it was impossible TO
make it earlier. / shall be as brief as
circumstances will permit, For some
months past charge against me has
been circulating in private and was re-
Gently made public, designing to show
that ! had in some indirect manner re-
ceivcd the large sum Of SG4 900 from the
Union Pacific Railroad Company in 1871,
for what services or for what purposes
has never been stated. The alleged
proof Of this serious accusation was based. !.
according to the original story, upon tho
authority Of E. II. Rollins, Treasurer Of
the Union Pacific Company, who, it is
avcrred, had full knowledge that l got
the money, and also upon the authority
Of Morton, Bliss g. Co., bankers OF New
York, through whom the draft for S64,-
900 was said 10 have been negotiated for
my benefit, as they con6dentially knew.
Hearing OF this charge some weeks in ad-
vance OF its publication, procured the
following statement from two principal
witnesses, who were quoted as having
such definite knowledge against me:
There follow letter Of Morton, Bliss d
Co. and E. Ii. Rollins, published on tue
18th inst. ~ 4, f
Some persons in reading the letter Of
Morton, Bliss & Co., said that its denial
seemed 10 be confined to any payment
that had passed through their books,
whereas they might have paid draft in
which was interested and yet no entry
of il be made on their books. On this
criticism being made to the firm, they at
once addressed me the following letter: {
Lister A
New York, April 10, 1876.
Hon. j. q. Blaine, 'IKa.hinglOn, D. Csc
DEAR SrR-It has been suggested to us
that our letter OF the 9th inst. was not
sufficiently inclusive or exclusive. In
that letter we stated that no draft, note,
check or other evidence oil value had ever
passed through our books in which you
we're known or supposed to have any
interest, 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 or believed Or
supposed TO have any interest whatever.
We remain, very respectfully, your obe-
dient servants,
[Signedl ,,i, MORTON, Bliss 4 Co.
The.two witnesses quoted for the orig
inal charge having thus been ei1ectually
disposed Of, the charge itself appears In
another form, to this effect, wigs That a
certain daft was negotiated atthe house
Of Morton, Bliss & Co. in 1871, through
Thomas A. Scott, then President OF the
Union Pacific Railroad Company, for the
sum Of SGi 900, and that the sum OF S75,-
600 OF bonds Of the Little Rock s. Fort
Smith Railroad Company were pledged
MS colIateral; that the Union Pacific R.R.
Co. paid the draft and took up the collat-
eral; that the cash proceeds went to me,
land that | had furnished or sold, or in
some way conveyed or transferred to
Thomas a. Scott those Little Rock
& Fort Smith Railroad bonds which
BD-End Of A
lad 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 TO state
the charge in ia boldest form, in all its
phases. L desire here and now 10 declare
tlat all and every part Of this story thai