Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1884-10-09

Chicago Inter-Ocean.

When it was first charged that Mr..
Blaine was interested in the Hooking
Valley mines for the purpose of holding
him responsible for the troubles in that
region. the Hon. II. 8, Bundy wrote to
Mr.. Blaine and received the following
answer
BAR HARBoR, Me-, July % 1882-The
Hon. H. s. Bundy; In answer to your re-
cent favor beg to say that l am not
and never have been the owner of anv
coal lands or any iron lands, or lands of
any character whatever, in the Hooking
Valley or in any part of Ohio. Nor have
at any time owned share of stock in
any coal, iron or land company in the
state of Ohio. Five years ago l loaned
$4,000 to member of the Standard
Coal Company, and took the bonds OF the
company as collateral. shall be happy
to transfer the bonds to any gentleman
who il ambitious to pay the debt. l am
interested in coal mines ia Pennsylva-
mia and West Virginia, but there has
never been the slightest trouble with la
boring men in any enterprise With
which have been connected. This be-
lieve, covers all the points OF your In
quiry. Very sincerely
Under date of Sept. 20 J. Henry Brooks
published letter In the New York
Evening Post with purpose to prove that
Mr.. Blaine in this letter did not state
the truth. Mr., Brooks gives a circum-
stantial account Of the organization in
1880 of the association know as the PRO
pristors of the Hope furnace tract" The
object was to purchase of William D.
Lee, of Newark, Ohio, an undivided two
thirds interest In 10,810 acres OF land In
Vinton and Athens Counties. Ohio.
Through Mr.. Lees solicitation Mr..
Blaine (says Mr.. Brooks) signed the ar
ticles of association, and subscribed for
one block of stock ($25,0O0. A letter
from MIR. Blaine is published to show
that in December 1880, he inclOsed
draft on Elkins in payment OF his sub
scrIption to the Hope Furnace enterprise.
The Hope Furnace Association was ulti-
mately merged into the Standard Coal
and Iron Company, and copy of voucher
given by Elkins in May, 1882, is publish
ed to show that he, Elkins, received OF
Brooks $4,000 of the first mortgage
bonds of the Standard Coal and Iron Co.
on account of James G. Blaine. This
circumstantial account Is paraded by
Mr.. Brooks in the New York Evening
Post, and the New York Times to create
the impression that Mr.. Blaine did not
tell the truth in his letter to Colonel
Bundy. Special stress is laid upon the
receipt given by Elkins in 1882. as
though this elinched the business and
convicted Blaine of falsehood.
On the day after the Brooks letter ap-
peared in the Post, W. d. Lee, the party
most concerned in the transaction, wrote
the New York Tribune:
FIFTH AVENUE HOTEL, NEW YORK,
Sept. 3d. have read the statement in
the Evening Post Of this date. signed by
Henry j. Brooks, of Boston, with head
lines, blocking Valley-AnOther Blaine
falsehood exposed" In justice to MIR.
Blaine desire to say that his letter to
the Hon H. s. Bundy, dated Bar Harbor,
Me-, July %, set forth in said statement
is true. In 1880 l solicited MI: Blaine
through the Hon. Thomas Ewing, my
attorney, to subscribe for one share In
what was styled the "HOpe Furnace
Tract Association" which he did, and
for which he was to pay $4,000. This
subscription was made and paid upon
the condition that If at the end of two
years Mr., Blaine should decide not to
take the one share, then upon notice to
that effect agreed to refund the amount
paid with six per cent interest, and the
transaction should be regarded as loan.
At the end Of the two years Mr.. Blaine
notified me he preferred not to take the
one share, and demanded repayment Of
the money, which / promised to make
and give him security.
The $4,000 of the first mortgage
bonds of the Standard Coal and Iron Co.,
delivered to Mr.. Klklns by Mr.. Brooks,
and receipted for by him on the 25th of
May, 1882, as set forth in the statement
of Brooks, were deposited by Mr.. Brooks
and myself as collateral security to Sc
cure the payment of the amount advan-
ced or loaned to me by Mr.. Blaine, and
for no other purpose, and are so held to-
day.
The whole transaction was Of purely
business character. fair on the part of
Mr.. Blaine in every respect, and Salts
factory to myself.
w. d. LEE.
The reader will observe that Mr..
Blaine subscribed for but did not take
nor hold the stock, and that the state
lnent in his letter to Bundy refers in a
general way to the very transaction de-