The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-12-23
A PLUNDER sCHEME REVIVED,

porter, unknown to the Senator, gave a
report of his speech to the Philadelphia
Press and Dover Republican paper.
These reports the Senator never saw TILL
his attention was called thereto by Sen
ator Conkling's letter to him. Mr.. Bay
ard replied to Conkling that the report
was incorrect. Mr.. Conkling writes
again, saying the answer was not salts
factory, and Bayard comes back with a
sharp, plain letter, that satisfies the pub
lie if it does not satisfy Conkling.
Senator Bayard in his speech referred
to the fact that in 1873. the heavy mer'
camille firm of Phelps, Dodge & Co., of
New York, under the infamous moiety
system, by which the informer got half,
were compelled to compromise by pay
ing $27l 900. In the speech, as publish
ed, the following extract was what gave
offence, and brorght out card signed
by Boutwell,, Arthur, Noah Davis and
Conkling. deDouncing the statement as
untrue, and that up to this time Mr..
Bayard had not retraCted, The 'inter-
view" referred to is when it was arrang.
ed with Secretary of the Treasury Bout
well, the spy, Jayne, Collector Arthur,
Conkling and Davis, Here is the ex'
tract:
"When that interview took place, very
distinguished gentlemen were present,
the senior Senator from New York
among others, Mr., Conkling; also Noah
DAVIS, the District Attorney; Mr.. Arthur
the Collector; Mr.. Jayne, the spy, or
special agent they called him-all were
present. Mr.. Boutwell,, that distinguish
ed fnanCier, who was Secretary of the
Treasury, was also there They all stood
around this unhappy merchant, who had
given his $25 900 subscription to General
Grant; this President of the Young Mems
Christian Association, this member of
the Union League, and President of the
Chamber of Commerce. He thought
that would protect him. Not much!
They took from that mans pocket in
one sum $267 900 in money, and divided
it among themselves. Great laughter
Gentlemen, this is no exaggeratlon or
figure of speech. There it stands upon
the record, and l want to tell you it is a
thing of which have knowledge and
means of knowledge"
In a published card, dated Nov. 29th'
1880, Geo. S. Boutwell,, Chester a. Ar.
thur, Noah Davis and Roscoe Conkling
pronounce the above ISLANDER" and
say that "up to this time Mr.. T. F. Bay
ard has not published retraCtion."
The large dailies have been probing
and ventilating the affair, and the expo.
sure is not edlfylng to the four distin.
guished gentlemen. Congress, it seems,
by committee, investigated the affair,
and took testimony that verifes the fol-.
lowing from the New York Sun of Oct.
29, 1880. The author gives his name,
and describes himself thus:
"The writer has always been q Repub-
liCan. He holds the only commission
ever written by the great war Secretary,
Edwin NJ. Stanton, Under Hugh Nc
Culloch, while he was Secretary of the
Treasury, l held position Of high trust.
The record of my fl lelity during that
time speaks for itself. No charge Of neg,
le9t of duty, betrayal of confidence or
official shortcomings of any kind, has
ever been made against me, and no one
will dare do it now. To avoid all mis-.
takes of identity l am, respectfully,
VIM P. WooD,"
402 9th street, Washington, D. G.
The writer, among many other things,
said in alluding to the day when ColleC.
tor Merritt's confirmation came before
the Senate:
each Senator had been furnished a
printed brief reciting one special rascal,
ity, showing that the present Republican
candidate for Vice President, Chester A.
Arthur, had received $2l, ,897,5 80 out of
the moneys extorted from Phelps Dodge
& Co., a large importing firm of New
York city, through the villainy of a
Frenchman who had ingratiated himself
with younger member of the firm, and
had stolen private letters whose contents
tended to compromise the honor of la.
dies of high social position, These let
ters, with invoices Of importations he
had stolen from the Office of Phelps,
Dodge & Co., enabled him to make an
arrangement through counsel with B.
G. Jayne, a Government agent, Through
this agent proceedings were commenced
against Phelps, Dodge & Co., which re
suited in fleeing that firm of $27l ,000
George s. Boutwell,, then Secretary of
the Treasury, was repeatedly warned of
the base attempt to extort money from
Phelps, Dodge & Co. Although William
E Dodge had been persuaded to tender
large sum to the Government as a COM
promise, Boutwell, hesitated to accept it
because of the consequences which were
expected to follow. This hesitation
caused new deal in New York. Ar
thur, Cornell and Latin were required
to employ and pay $40 1000 as fee to
eminent counsel to insure successful &C.
ton in Washington. Upon the verifoa-
ton of this proposed arrangement by
one Of the three interested New York
Custom House officials, Roscoe Conkling
was named as the eminent counsel. He
soon appeared at the Abtor House, where
all the interested and opposing factions
were located. The operation resulted
in the payment of $27l 900 by William
E. Dodge, $l91 1856 of which went into
toe pockets OF the New York Custom
House ring, B. g. Jayne and the infor
mer, Arthur, Cornell and Lain each
received $21 1897 50, from whick they
jointly agreed to pay Roscoe ConkliDg
$40 900. He certainly received that
amount. That he earned the fee is
equally certain. But when it it kroWn
shat the Government actually suffered
no loss; and that no charge could be sus.
tained that the honorable firm of Phelps
Dodge & Co., ever intended or contem.