Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-06-25
GarneId and Credit MohIIlar.

tlement Of accounts. Among the papers
filed was a letter from Oakes Ames,
stating that he had disposed of certain
shares of the Credit Mobilier stock to
certain persons indicated by initials on
a list, and MoComb explained that these
initials indicated certain persons, as
follows;
J. G. Blaine, $4,000; Senator Patterson. s3Ooo,
| Senator Wilson, $1,000; $. Colfax 5000; Elli-
| OFT, Of Massachusetts,, $1,000; Dawes of Mas
/ sachusetts, $1,000; boutwell, Of Mnssnchusptts
/ $1,000 bingham aud Garfield. OF Ohio. Soo,
neld and Kelley, of Pennsylvania; Fowler, of
| Tennessee.
At the meeting of Congress in Decem-
Der, 1872, on motion Of Mr.. Blaine, a
Committee was appointed to examine
| and report the facts of the case. Of
this Committee, Judge Poland, of Yer
mont, was the Chairman. The Com
mittee took full evidence of all the par
! ties implicated, and of other persons.
| As the result of their investigation they
reported two resolutions, one for the
expulsion of Oakes Ames and the other
for the expulsion of james Brooks. The
whole testimony in the case, so far as it
related to Mr., Garfield, was given bv
| Cakes Ames. The statement Of Oakes
Ames concerning Garfield was brief. 1t
is as follows;
Q.-In regard to Mr. Garfield state To the
/ Committee the details OF the transactions he
| tween you and him In reference to Credit Mo-
Rilier st9ckr Al got for Mr. Garfield ten
| shares OF the Credit MObilier stock, for which
! hepaid par and interesttD
Q.-When did you agree with him for that2
| A.-That agreement was in December 1867, or
| January, lt6S. About that time. About the
/ time ] had these conversations with all of
them. II was all about the same time.
/ i, q,-State what grew out Of IT, A.-Mr. Gar
| Held did not pay me in money. sold the bonds
| belonging 20 his $1,000 Of stock at N. making
| 500 In June received a dividend in cush on
of Sa20 which paid him That IS ali the trans
| action between us / did not deliver to him any
| stock before or since. That is the transaction,
BY Mr. Merrick-The Saga which you paid him
was the surplus Of earnings ON the stock above
| the amount to be paid for it-par valucl A
| Yes, sir. He never had either the Credit Mo
| hilier stock or Union Pacific Railroad stock.
| was the $500.
! with General Garfield there Is charge of S4T.
II Is interest from the July previous, Is it2. A.
Q.-And the ST78on the credit side isthe eighty
| per cent bond dividend sold at ninoty-seven
| per cent? A.-Yes, sir. U
Q.--And the $500 on the credit side is the
/ money dividendY Ayes, sir.
! Q.-And after you had received these two
] sums they i'm the aggregate Overpaid the prices
| OF the stock and interest SR9, which you paid
O.-You did not declare a certificate of stock
| that.
! Q.-why did he not receive certificate! A.
| i do not know.
| Q.-Do you remember any conversation be
! tween you and him in the adjustment of these
! accOunts2 Al do not.
Q.--You understood that you were the holder
| of his ten shares? Ayes, sir.
Q.-Did he so understand it, Al presume
] so; IL seems to have gone from his mind, how
| ever.
,Q.-was this the only dealing you had with
| him in reference to any stOckt Al think so.
| O.-Thore were dividends of Union Pacific
Railroad stock on these ten sharess Ayes,
Odd General Garfield ever receive these2
! A.-NO sir; never received but $500.
Q.-lias there been any conversation be-
! tween you and him In reference to the Pacific
| stock he was entitled tO2 A,-No, sir.
Q.-lias he ever called for it2 A.-No, sir.
| Q--Hnye you ever offered 1t to hlm2 A.
Q--Has there been any conversation in rein
| tiOn TOT it, A.--NO.
Summed up, the statement is that
Ames made a memorandum that 81 900
| of this stock in his hands was held for
| Garfield; that the stock earned 81 1929;
that he paid Garfield S329-the surplus
after paying for the stock; that during
the five years following, though the
! oAbbh NbAhlAAatA " Ntllll NhNlhbnhbf llt
never delivered the stock itself. nor any
dividends, to Garfield, and had never
any conversation whatever with him
on the subject. According TO Ames,
the stock was Garfeld's, but was never
asked for nor delivered, though for
years after it was paying dividends, all
Of which Ames received and kept to
himself.
Mr.'Garfeld's explanation was that
George Francis Train had advised him
to invest in the stock, but he had de-
clined; that, in want of money, he OBJ
tanned a loan of $500 from Amos, which
loan he subsequently paid. Ames said
he paid Garfield 1929; Garfield said he
borrowed $500. As Ames kept the
stock which he said belonged to Gar
field and all the dividends thereon, and
never thereafter had any conversation
with Garfield on the subject. there is
unquestionable room for the belief that
the transactions were confounded in
Ames' mind.
The Committee of the House made a
full report of all the testimony, COM
menting upon the case of each member
named in the McComb- Ames list. After
commenting upon the cases Of Mr.,
Blaine, Mr., Dawes, Mr., Scofield, Mr..
Bingham and Mr.. Kelley, it thus COM
mented upon the case of Garfeld
The facts I'm regard 70 Mr.. Garfield, as found
| by the Committee, are Identical with the case
| of Mr.. Kelley TO the point of reception of the
| check for $3.50. He agreed with Mr. Ames 10
| take ten shares of Credit Mobilior stock, but
| did not pay for the same. Mr., Ames received
the eighty per cent dividends In bonds, and
sold them for ninety-seven per cent, and also
nd q VanE naa lNTfn ia
which together paid the price of the stock and
| interest, and left balance OF SEQ. This sum
was paid over TO SIR. Garfield by check on
the sergeant-nt-Arms and Mr.. Garfield then
understood this sum was the balance OF divi-
dends after paying for the stock. Mr.. Ames
Committee do not And that since the payment
Of the fl20, there has been any communication
between Mr., Ames and Mr., Garfield on the
subject until this Investigation began.
The Committee, speaking of the
members named, report:
The Committee, therefore, do not find, as to
the members of the present House above
Mr.. Ames or that they had any other purpose
! In taking this stock than 20 make a profitable
investment II is apparent that those who ad-
| VanCod their money To pay for their stock pre-
sent more the appearance of ordinary invest
OTs than those who did not; but the Committee
do not feel ut liberty TO find any corrupt pur-
pose or knowledge founded upon the fact OF
nQn-payment alone.
The Committee have not boen ablo to find
! that any of these memhers OF Congress have
| been affected In their official action IN conse-
! quenoo of their interest In Credit MObilier
stock.
The Committee do not find that either of the
! RhOVe-named gentlemen, In contracting with
! Nc. Amos, had any corrupt motive or purpose
| himself, or was aware that Mr.. Amos had any,
nor did either Of them suppose he was guilty
| OF any impropriety, or even mdelioaCy, In be-
| coming purchaser OF this stock. Had Il APP
peared that these gentlemen were aware q the
they were 90 be earned, we could not thus
| Roquit them.