The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-04-04

Committee. in which there have been fire.
quent allusions to myself in some manner
connected with certain contracts for mail
transportation which this Committee is
stated to have had under investigation.
have waited until this time for some notifi-
cation from the Committee that my per
sonal or official character had been aSsailed
here, and for an invitation to appear before
you to explain and meet whatever charges
may have been made, by implication or 9th
erwise, impugning my motives as a public
officer or citizen; but, not having received
any such notification as has heretofore been
usual to come from committees of either
House to members of the other in cases of
this sort, desire to ask the privilege of
| making brief statement in order that false
reports which have gone forth to the cOun-
try concerning my connection with matters
you have got under consideration may no
longer remain uncontradicted, I desire to
place upon the records of this Committee
the following statement:
FirSt-That aided Mr. Peck. Mr. Miner,
and others in every way that | legitimately
could in procuring their bonds. | wrote
several letters in their behalf to different
persons l indorsed notes for them and
rendered other aid. l only regret that
could not do more than I did for them. /
am glad to know that the bids which they
put in saved to the Government about
$4,000, and that their ability to perform
their undertaking is ample and undoubted,
and l wish to call the special attention of
this Committee to the fact that the bonds
given by Messrs Peck, Miner, Watts and
Dorsey are as good as any, if not the
| best, on file in the Department, based al
most wholly upon improved and unencum-
bered real estate in the District of Colum-
| bia, which, it seems to me, is sufficient evi-
dence of the bona fide character of the men
as well of their bids.
Seeond-I aided Major Adams and Mr..
Chidester in securing their bonds by asking
personal friends to become their securities.
In this case also there is saving to the
Government on their contracts alone of
about 100000.
Third-During my whole term as Sena-
tor, now over five years, | have been as
active, probably, as any man in Congress in
attending to the legitimate business of my
constituency before the several departments
of the Government, as the record of the
Post-office and other departments will show;
and hope to be able to continue these
services as long as | remain in the position
l now occupy. ~
Fourtl-That I ever received, or that l
ever expected to receive any pecuniary con
| SluerdtlOn Whatever, lrO1n any VI tlllS sSiF'
ice, directly or indirectly, deny in the most
unqualified and emphatic terms. The state.
ment that have an interest in contracts
whatsoever with any department of this
Government, remote, contingent or posi-
Bile, pronounce malicious and unqualified
falsehoods. In all l have done for these
people have acted for the best interests OF
the Government and without reward or the
hope of reward and my motives have been
to assist my constituents and friends
in securing just and proper condition
of their lawful rights before the depart.
ments of the Government and | again re-
peat that | shall continue the same course
| have followed since | was hon6red with a
seat in the Senate regardless alike of news
paper ISLANDERS circulated as l believe by un
scrupulous and designing men, and of such
shameless falsehood, as some have been
poured into the ear of this committee.
Senator Dorsey, in reply to questions by
members of the committee, stated that Mr.
Peck had written him that some of the sig
natures on the bids were written by his
clerk, he being sick at the time. The Sena
tor also stated that Mr.. Peck was his broth
er-in-aw and stopped at his (Mr. Dorsey
thouse) in this city when here