Daily Kennebec journal., 1880-12-13

then gives q showing of districts in whicl
casualties occurred, and the report conclude.
as follows: Il respectfully invite attention
TO the small percentage of lives lost, rs com
pared with former wears. when the number o,
passengers carried was much less. Out Of
perhaps 2e0, 600 passengers transported
on steam vessels during the last twelve
months, daily average Of over col. 900. but
l.S5o lives were lost through causes incidental
to steamboat travel, los of which number
were passengers, and l feel warranted in
asserting the fact that only one person was
lost out of every l0,0OO. 600 persons carried.
argues degree of intelligence and skill on
the part of the licensed officers of steam ves-
sells and officers of this service unsurpassed
and scarcely equalled in any other service
The mode of travel of the present day,
whether by railway. horse car. carriage or
even common farm wagon, does not present
so low percentage of accidents as travel BY
| steam vessels"
Correspondence Betweea Senators Bay.
ard and COnkling.
Following correspondence is made public
between Senators Bayxrd and Conkling. re-
garding publication in the Philadelphia Press
of an alleged report of q speech by Bayard.
delivered in Dover, Delaware, in which he
is made to say that Messrs. Boutwell,, Conk-
iluS. hTtiur anu JuugS Moan l'2NiS ulNlIeQ
among themselves SEQ, 600 refunded TO the
government by Phelps, Dodge & Co., on GER
tain undervalued invoices. Senator Bayard
prefaces the correspondence with the state
ment that as soon as he saw the publication
he wrote to the editor of the Press, in which
he stated the falsity of the report. Senator
Conkliug on Nov. 18th wrote to Bayard,
calling attention to the report and making
inquiry as to the correctness thereof. To
this Bsyard, Nov. Is. replied, saving in his
response: 'Readiug for the first time the
extract you send 10 me, il appears so grossly
inaccurate as TO cause the belief that il could
not have been written by an honest person.
remember we'll of speaking of the case of
Phelps, Dodge 4 Co. and of the proceedings
under which great sum of money. S210, 200,
was wrongfully taken from their pockets. |
described it and denounced it in severe terms
as the 'moiety system and the share which
in this case accrued to the collector, surveyor
and naval officer and to the informer, Jayne
and stated that the senior senator from New
York, Mr.. Conkling, was understood to have
received compensation as their counsel from
Messrs. Arthur, Cornell and Latin for his
services and assistance in the transaction.
Also that my authority for this statement
was derived fran document published by
one of the houses of Congress, accompanied
by testimony and statements made in open
debate on the floor Of the House, and never
to my knowledge contradicted. / believe l
also referred to publication of William z.
Wood, an ex-treasury official, made in the
New York Sun of Oct. %, 1850, giving his
account in full of the case. This l believe
to be the ''form and substance" of that part
of the speech in question which had any
reference to you or the moiety system. |
shall be surprised to learn that there is any
error of fact in my statement and shall regret
if the slightest injury has been done to
you, and if there has been will feel myself
bound to apply any proper remedy when my
error has been disclosed to me.
To this Senator Conkling, date Nov. L.,
writes l read with surprise your letter of the
18th inst, just received. ! enclosed you a
statement widely published in two news
papers. of definite charges said to have been
publicly made by you and made on your own
knowledge of their truth These charges
were of unlawful and criminal conduct i'm
puted together to several persons, of whom
am one. | asked You whether you made
the statement. This would seem to call for
frank disclaimer or admission. You answer
nothing as to any one concerned except me. |
As to me, your denial is inferential by im-
peaching the honesty of the reporter, and
then YOU proceed with a new, a quite differ |
ent and erroneous statement. which you say
YOU uttered as to me in the form of alleging |
what "was understood" Thus your response
to explain an inquiry is one which does not
meet the inquiry, but consists chiefly of
allegations far different, and though less
injurious, offensive and untrue, basing them.
you say, on publications and statements of
which l have no knowledge. De you wish to
leave the matter here? If you think it de-
question, namely Whether the published
statement sent you in print was made by you =!
Bayard then replied:
WILMINGToN, Del, Nov. 81, 1880.
SIR-Your letter dated the 18th instant
and postmarked 10Th, was received this morn
ing. You sent me on the 18th an anonymous
communication, cut from a republican news
paper in Philadelphia, purporting to be an
extract from public speech made by me at
Dover, near the end Of the present
canvass. should not have con-
sidered statement SO irresponsibly
made worthy of notice, but as you did re-
piled to you instantly. in spirit of courtesy,
that had never before seen or heard of the
article. That it was so grossly untrue as to
cause the belief that it could not have been
written by an honest person. But as had
spoken of the case Of Phelps, Dodge & Co.,
went on candidly to give you as fully as
memory enabled me what | did say, which
necessarily excluded what did not say, and
included call of my speech which had any
reference to you or the mOritv question.
The extract YOU sent me is untrue, and be-
lieve maliciously so, and I can but be sur
prised, as your letters had assured me you
did not mean ''to imply that you supposed !
did or would make such an utterancc," that
any further statement than that contained in
INV letter could be shown. In that letter
also expressed my regret if the slightest in
Justice had been done you and that I should
feel mvself bound to apply anv proper remedy,
when any error had been pointed out to me.
Your letter in reply to this characterizes my
statement as new, quite different and
erroneous" and subsequently that my
'sresponse consists of allegations far different.
and though less injurious, offensive and un-
true, basing them upon publications Of which
(you) have no knowledge" The Publica-
tions to which I made reference, Of which
you say You have no knowledge, which relate
to your alleged connection with the case of
Phelps, Dodge & Co., you will find in the
testimony of Mr.. VIM. z. Dodge. at page
22s. and of Hon. Noah Davis, at pages 2F
and 24s of House miscellaneous documents,
No. 2G4, of the first session of the .3rd Con-
Rress. The statement of VIM. p. Wood,
have already stated, was published in the