The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1880-12-16

Senator COnkling in relation to the
statement reported to have been
made by Bavard in his Dover, Della
ware. speech in October last:
WASHINGTON. December l2.-The
publication in the Philadelphia Press
signed by c. a. Arthur, Roscoe
Corkling, Geo. s. Boutwell, and
Mack Davis, dated November 18th,
1880, but not published until Dccem-
Der llth. renders j; proper that the
suhjoined letters should also be pub
lished. The dates of these letters
and their contents fully explain
them TO be from honorable men.
THos f. BAYARD.
The FIRST of the accompanying let
tiers referred TO is dated Utica. y.
Y, November Is, from Conklipg to
Dayard, which contained a clip
ping from the Philadelphia Press of
October 29th, and asked BayaFd
whether he made this statement in
the former substance. and remarking
that ID is hardly necessary TO add
that this enquiry is not me mt 10 inn
ply that suppose You d or would
make such an utteranco. Nv pur-
pose is only To adopt the most nat
ural and convenient mode 10.
set right an Injustice, greater,
perhaps, 10 YOU than TO others.
To this Senator Bayard replying
under date OF Wilmington, Della
ware, November 10, says: Reading
for the irst time the extract you
sent me IL appears 10 nae so grossly
inaccurate as 10 cause me 10 be-
lieye il could not have been written
by an honest person. I remember
we'll of speaking of the case of
Phelps. Dodge & Co. and the pro-
ceedings under which a great sum
of money, $751;, 90, was wrongfullv
taken from their pockets. describ-
cd and denounced in severe terms
the moiety system and share which
IN this case accrued to the collec-
tor, surveyor and naval officers and
to informor, JAIME, of Peoria, and
, stated that the senior Senator from
New York. Mr.. Conkling; was I'M
derstood to have received compensa-
ton us their counsel from Mcssrs.
Arthur. Conncii and I.eilin for
his services and assistance in the
transaction also, that my authority
for the statement was derived from
the documents published by one Of
the houses of Congress. accompa-
MED by testimony and statements in
open debate on the hoor of tho
house, and never 10 my knowledge
eontradicted. believe also refer
red to The publication by VIM. p.
Wood, an eX-!reasury official. made
in the New y ork San October 81, 1880,
giving his account in full of the case
and this | believe to be the form and
substance OF that part of the speech
in question which had any refer
encc 10 You or the molety system
shall be surprised TO learn that
there is any error of I ct In my
statement, and shall regret If the
slightest Injustice has been don, to
YOU, and, If there has been, | will
feel myself bound TO apply any
proper remedy when my error has
been disclosed 10 ME.
To this response which was unsatis-
factory TO Conkling, he replied at
length, saying: In the course of his
letter you rcpond to a plain and
warran, able inquiry which is one
that does not meet the inquiry, but
consists chiefly of allegations for
different and thoughtlcss injury, of
tcnsive and untrue. basing them,you
say, on publications and sta, cments
of which have no knowledge. I'm
der date of November 2lst, Scntor
Dayard closes his correspondence by
reviewing the case, and repeating
the assurance that prior to Conk-
ling's calling his attention TO II, he
had never seen or head of the eX-
tract in question, and renewing his
belief that the cXtract was so grossly
inaccurate as to cause the belief that
it could not have been written
by an honest person. In clos
ing his letter, Senator Dayard
says that the publications to
which | made reference of which
you say you have no knowledge,
which relate to your alleged con-
nection with the case OF Phelps,
Dodge & CO.. YOU will find in the
testimony of VIM i. Dodge, page
226, and of Hon. Noah Davis, on pages
PAT and 24S of the House mist ella
ncous documents No. 264 oftbe first,
second and third Congress. After
that subjoined letters should also
be published. The dates of these
letters and their contents fully ex-
plain them, and no other correspon-
dence has passed between any Of the
signers of tho card in Tie Press, and
myself, Mr.. +. A. Burr, one of the
editors of the Press, had received in
Philadelphia letter from me prior
10 that Of November Goth, in which
is stated the falsity and malice Of
the report of the speech at Dover,
which had been published in the
Press Of October 2Sth. After the
foregoing correspondence no further
statement on my part was deemed
necessary. An interval of nearly a
week elapsed before the parties
published the card alluded TO in
which they denounced as false all
the reports of the speech which
weeks before had been stated TO be
untrue. These facts are submitted
to the judgment of all.
PHILADELPHIA, December 49,
The Press SAYS to-day of Mr.. Bay
ards statement: "Mr. Bayard says
that the staff correspondent of the
Press received letter from him in
which he stated the falsity and malice
Of the report of the speech. This Is
true; the letter was private and con-
tanned other matters. When that
statement was communicated 10 the
editor OF the Press the staff CORES
pendent was authorized 10 say to
Mr. Bayard that the Pres would
gladly print " whatever he might say
on the subject. To that suggestion
no response has been made since.
Mr.. Bayard now speaks of the re-
port oflIis speech as aR infamous COM
munication, so irrcsponsibly made,
it is due us TO say, that 1t came from
a thoroughly responsible and
that IL was verbatim. Pains have
since been taken TO verify il, and its
authority lie confirmed, not merely
by the reporter who made ii, but
by many citizens Of Dover who
heard the speech. and whose atien-
ton was particularly attracted at
the time by the extraordinary char
acter of this report. The case will
NOT ha o0tnnlota1 fill tlair tcafitnuny