The daily gazette., 1880-12-15
THE PHELPs-DoDGE CASE
,Peciai dispatch % The World.

Special dispatch 70 the Wcrid.
WAsHrrsroE, Dec. is.-On Fr;d.x
October 70, being the day before ~
Philadelphia Press printed An aIlseaS
report OF speech made by Sens,or
Bayard, ut Dover, Del. a desna,oh
was sent from this city to New York
morning newspaper, which 1t publish.
%, and the author OF which thu. de-.
scribsd himself:
The writer has always been n Re-
publican. He holds the only commits
sion ever written by the great VIA,
Secretary, Edwin II. Station. Undsr
Hugh McCulloch, while be was Seore.
tary Of the Treasury, held a position
Of high trust. The record OF INV n
deity during that time speaks for n.
SELF No charge for neglect of dutv
betrayal Of confidence or official short,
comings OF any kind has ever been
made against me, and no one will da,.
do 1t now. 10 avoid all mistakes of
identity ! am. respectfully,
WM. p. Woop.
4oS Sixth street, Washington, b. G.
In TINS dispatch the writer, among
many other things, said In alludinQ TO
the cay when Collector Merritt's con-
drmation came before the Senate:
Each Senator had been furnished
with printed brief reciting one spec
ial rascality, showing that the present
Republican candidate for Vice Prssi.
dent, General Chester A. Arthur. had
received &21, ,So7 80 out Of the money.
extorted from Phelps, Dodge g. Co.. a
large importing firm of New York ci,y.
through the villAiny Of q Frenchman
who had ingratiated himself with a
younger member Of the firm, and had
stolen private letters whose oontents
tended to compromise the honor of Ia
dies ofhigh social position. These lat
ters, wih inVoiees of importations
which he bad stolen from the Office of
Phelps, Dodge & Co., enabled him to
make an arrangement through coun-
sci with b. 9. Jayne q Government
agent Through this agent proceeI-
ings were begun against Phelps, Dodge
" Co, which resulted in fleeing that
firm of $271, ZOO. George s. Boutwell,.
then becretary Of the Treasury, Was
repeatedly warned OF the base attempt
TO extort money from Phelps, Dodge
81 Co. Although William E. Dodge
had bean persuaded to tender q large
sum TO the Government a. compro-
mise, boutwell, hesitated to aooept IL
because OF the consequences which
were expected to follow. The hesita-
tion caused new deal in New York.
Arthur, Cornell and Latin were re-
quired to employ and pay $40, 900 40 .
Toe to eminent counsel to insure suc-
cessful action at Washington.
Upon the verinca,ion Of this proposed
arrangement BY one Of the three interes-
ted New York Custom House ofilciAls
Roscoe Conkling was named ss the en-
inent counsel. He soon appeared ct the
Astor House, where all she interested
aud opposing factions were located. The
operation resulted IN the payment Of
$27 900 BY William y. Dodge, $751;
3S9 OF which went into the pockets of
the New York Custom House Ring, b.
q. Jayne and the informer. Arthur,
Cornell and Latin each received S2l,-
evI.SO, from which they Jointly agreed
to pay Roscoe CoDkling $4,000. He
certainly received that amount. That
he earned the fee is equally certain.
But when 1t is known that the Govern
ment actually suffered no loss, and that
no charge could be sustained that the
honorable firm OF Phelps, Dodge q Co.
ever intended or contemplated fraud
upon the Government, and that no pro-
cedure would ever have been attempted
In any open court TO maintain such q
charge with any hope Of recovering q
dollar, we are enabled TO judge of the
effect OF the private letter stolen and
used to extort The money exActed.
The writer compiled and printed the
brief which substantially set forth the
foregoing facts, and caused the same to
be placed In the hands Of nearly every
Seuator In Washington before the oonti r.
nation Of Edwin A. Merritt as Collect.
or of the Port OF New York This pro.
cedure was fully approved and this fact
was not unknown 20 Roscoe ConklinR
aud did not tend TO lessen the stud ed
contempt In which Ihe latter holds the
/ former"
The foregoing extract has been much
commented upon. and some people
think that Senator CoukllinR, after hi,
correspondence with Senator Bayard
ought to move for q oommltte Of inyes.
igatiOn regarding his own acta In fhs