Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1876-03-08
The following letter has beer

sheerfuIly comply with Mr.. Stron2's
request, because it is more agreeable
10 us to sail in coItradicting reports
nreiudical to the character of any
one than to aid in giving currency
to them. Mr.. knowlton is well
known in this judicial circuit. lie
resided for many years at Shu!lsburg
and in 1851 removed to GAINESVILLE,
md Afterwards to Chicago. in 1854
and 1856 tie was q member of the
Legislature from La Fayette county,
ana in 1853 was a Republican mem
Der FROM Rock county. He was
foremost in the Land Grant investi-
cation in 1853, and his statements IN
relation TO any matters connected
with it, will have great weight. Mr..
Strong has always denied any agency
in the alleged bribery of the mem
bers of the Legislature of 1856, and
any improper conduct in relation to
the disposition Of the land grant, but
still the charge has been made
and repeated, and seems to stick to
him as the shirt of Nessus did to Her
cules.
The voluntary statement of Mr..
Hnowlton, made in view of the near
approach Of death, will have great
effect in putting a final quietus upon
this charge.
The following is the letter:
WHEATON, ILL, Feb. -, 1876.
lion. Hoses ". Shong.
in Chicago, |, a few days ago, learned
that YOU We're q candidate for Judge
Of the Fifth Circuit, and that some
who We're opposed to your election
were reporting that You in 1886 had
been connected with the disposition
inadu Of the Railroad Land Grant by
the Legislature of Wisconsin and
that for such service you had re-
ceiveu SO 200 of what were general
~ called "C0,Yuptio1 Bonds" of the
La Crosse and Milwaukee Railroad
Company.
AS the matter OF the corruption of
the great mass of the Legislature of
1856 in the disposition which was
made of that Land Grant, was thor
onghly investigated in 1858 by a
joint committee OF the two Houses
Of the Legislature, of which commit
tee was a member and writer of the
report made upon that subject, l feel
that | have as good knowledge of
those who were implicated by the
testimony taken by the committee as
any one.
In the discharge of a duty which l
owe to truth and in justice to you /
write this letter.
had u few copies of that testi-
mony and report which with all my
books and papers, were on the morn
ing of the 9th October, 1871, con-
sumed by the great Chicago fire. In
consequence of that loss | have to
rely upon my memory for facts. But
the impressions which were made by
the testimony when made that re-
port were SO strong, that feel en-
tlrely confident that my present rec
objection OF the facts which | state in
this letter is correct.
] am sure that there was no testi-
mony which ever tended in the re-
hottest degree to show that you had
done any act or thing to prompt or
Influence any member of the Legis-
lature to vote one way or the other
upon the question Of the disposal of
that Land Grant: or which tended
to show that you had been guilty of
any improper or reprehensible act in
connection with that disposition, or
in the receipt of the $4,000 of bonds
which were passed over to you.
AS to the bonds which you re-
ceived the proof in substance was,
that the Executive Committee of the
La Crosse and Milwaukee Railroad
| Company after the list had been
made out lin Madison) of the mem
bers of the Legislature who were to
q be recipients of the bonds, and the
q amount which each was to have di-
fected that there should be given or
ssassigned TO Moses Kneeland, to YOU.
s@to l.. H. Goodrich, Charles +. Jenkin,
@and, ! think, to Byron Kilbourn.