Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-08-12
THE TEXAS PACIFIC.

CoSGREsS-LoBE EYING EXTRAORDINARY.
WAsHEGToN, August 9.-The pending con-
test before the Interior Department, on the
psri of The Southern Pacific railroad, to OBJ
tain the land grant of the Texas and Pacific,
has led to the filing Of a statement from J.
J. Newell, of Adrian, Mich, which purports
TO be history Of the means used to buy the
Texas and Pacific charter through Congress.
He claims that certain former Senators Pro-
posed, when Gen. Fremont was trying to
pass his Pacific railroad bill, to see that the
bill passed on the following terms:
The sum oil 5000 600 10 be paid 10
them in 6rst mortgage land grant
bonds of the Pacific Railroad Company;
also, the further sum of $4,000 in cash, 10
be paid into the hands of certain parties
tha they should name, one-nalf of the said
sum Of $4,000 to be paid to them at the |
time the said bill passed the Senate, and the
other half to be paid to them when the bill |
became 6 saw. He himself proposed TO carry |
The bill through Congress for the sum of
100000, 20 Ue paid ss follows, namely, |
$4,000 cash, and oue-hslf Of the said S110,- |
O00 to be paid when the bill passed the Sen |
ale, and the other half when the bill became |
law; the remainder 10 be paid in the first |
mortgage bonds that the company might |
issue.
Subsequently he, with two others, made q |
coairact With Gen. Fremont, through the |
Ie,ogn zsd agent of the latter, to render |
their services in procuring the passage Of the |
Southern Railroad bill, for which they were |
10 receive $4,000 in the first mortgage land |
bonds of said railroad as soon as the conpa- |
uy could issue them. He received . memo |
rSndum agreement, dated this SIh day OF
June, 1870, for twenty five land bonds OF |
$1,000 each, signed S. w. Morton, who was !.
acting as Gen. Fremont's agent in such |
matters.
He then declares that at this time r. G. !!
Parsons the acting agent and attorney OF !.
Gen. Fremont, went to New York City and !,
msde a contract with Nj. o. Roberts, Parsons
agreeing to first pass said bill through the |
House, aud atter~sfd 10 place said Roberts
at the heaG of the organization, and for this |
he lRoDerts) did agree to place in his Par I
sons) hands for distribution, 81 ,000,00 in !
first mortgage land bonds of said company. !
This agreement was finally made between |
Parsons and Roberts. r. G. Parsons claims |
that he was to pay out to different members |
of Congress the entire amount of |
Il ,000, 900 in said bonds, less ten per cent, |
which he claimed for doing the business. |
Fremont informed me that he thought some |
members OF Congress dem anded entirely too |
much, and that he had refused to sanction |
the contracts. R. NJ. Corwine said to me thst
he had let of the names OF members of |
Congress who held contracts.
Mr.. Newell produces the following letter |
from Col. Parsons in regard to the contract
for 100 bonds, each being for $1,000, which
was ten per cent. of the amount involved in
the Marshall Roberts contracts:
EDITORIAL Rooms, CLEVELAND ''HERALD,"l
]. J. Newell: -''
DEAR SIR-Your letter received. 1 sup.
posed you had long since received your fees,
| and that was the only one. that Mr.. Scott
had declined TO pay. 1 never could UNDER
| stand Mr.. Scotfs action. Certainly, had he
asked me 10 wait until the road was able, or
he could pay without embarrassment,
| would have cheerfully done so, and been glad
| TO aid him. My trust in Mr.. Scott was ab
solute, and his word l valued as high as that
OF any man. Why he did me sucl injustice
| and himself 30 great a wrong, 1 never knew.
| 1 had written contract with the original
parties for 100 bonds. 1 still have it. 1t was
dated in 1871, before entered public life, and
was praclicing lawyer. Mr.. Scott paid nae
| $4,000, which 1 gave to Mr.. Defrees,
| Rice and all the attorneys in the
csse, who could not wait for their pay.
He afterward gave me $4,000, and /
gave him receipt for $4,000. This is all
I ever received from him in any manner.
EAs not prri eat when you were retained, but
always supposed and Understood from Col.
| Grafton and all that you we're TO be paid
twenty-five bonds upon the passage of the
original bill. | never knew any thing of any
| agreements about The indorsement of the
| bands, az after I was elected TO Congress
never had anything to do with the matter,
directly or Indirectly. l trust Mr.. Scott may
see fit TO do you justice. Your obedient
| servant R.C. PARSONS.
As an evidence OF his own contract with
Gen. Fremont, he gives the following letter:
OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC PRIsrER, /
WASHINGTON, April 2l, 1880.
J.J. Newell, ESQ:
| DEAR SIR remember very we'll your
employment by Gen. Fremont and others to
aid in procuring the passage of the Texas
Pacific railroad charter, and that he agreed
to give you hfty of the bonds of the company
JOHN D. DEFRKEs.
Besides these, Mr.. Newell submits a num-
Der Ct letters and dispatches, together pre-
seDting strong support for his charges. He
then proceeds as follows:
In connection with the bribery of members
of the Senate and The House, propose to
show
FIrst-Thst Ger. J. G. Fremont, who m an
| aged tie passage of the original bill, accepted
the proposition of certain Senators to pass
his bill for 5000 600, 10 be paid to them in
land grant DondS, aud $4,000 in cash, the
said bonds and cash 10 be at once placed 10
the hands of two peri Qua selected, one by the
Senators and the other by Gen. Fremont
second-That in order to ensble Gen.
Fremont TO put up the cash. M'T. Fremont,
who was then in Washington, went imme-
diately to New York on the 4 th day of Jnne,
1870, and morigsged her residence and prop
cry on the Hue son river for $4,000, which
she gave to Gen. Fremont, and the most of
which was actually paid TO Senator'S in pur-
suance OF Gen. Fremours arrangements with
WIS dispossessed of her oropertv few year.