Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-05-02
'ENATOR EDMUNDos REPLY 10,
MIR. PHELPS.
senator Edmunds Explains his Busi-
ness TRANSACTIONS.

| ness GrausdCttOhsl
WASHINGTON, d. c., April 80 Senator
EdTrrds in letter to William Walter
Phelps says ,t
81 have read your letter in defense o. Nr,
Blaine in the Sunday Tribune, and also the
editorial of the Tribune thereon, in which
you say, Senator Edmupds was understood
to have block of Burlington aud Missouri
securities and Senator Eimuuds acquired
their interests in the Burlington aud Missouri
road when they came in the Senate. They
both supported the TN to restore the land
grant to their road These 5'dtemhpts taken
in connection with the rest of your letter,
fevideully mean thai a. the time of the legis-
| lation re.,rfta 10 mas IN some way inter
ested in that rvau Oh Ia "ecurllics, and the
editorial in the Tribune C'H-s il
expressly as being your statement.
In that thing both yourself aui the
Tribune are totally mistaken. have
hunted up what sup, Jose TO bo tie
joint resolution 10 which you refer ms being
Senate. joint 1'.SOint'Cn No. ~, First ) q.
sion, F1rty-frst Congress II WHICH | had
no IT colecton whatever before, IN J sec
that time that did make single remark on
the subject of the House amendment which
rema | commend to your careful cpnsii-
,ra,ion. l had ut thai time and rever had
before any ownership or intert st, in any
bond or stock or that road or any other out
of State of Vermont and never exptc
to have, and had no more connection
with the passage of the joint resolution than
you had, and knew 10 more than you
(which assume was nothing at all) except
ing what may be inferred from my remark
on The House amendment More Than three
months afterwards and on the 18th OF July,
1860, find on looking at my old books that
| subscribed for 105 shares OF stock and
$4,000 of the bonds Of the Burlington and
Missouri River railroad compaiiy IN Nebras.
IA, which assume was the road ID some
way affected by the legislation referred TO. l
paid 10 cash the same price that all other
subscribers did and htd tue stock for
several years, when cold IT 10 TIT Boston
market at market price and no more, and
| shen or afterwards bought more of the bonds
of the same company which GstiI hold. This
is the whole story and give 7Ou authority
| to verify it by an examination OF the Eo' KS
of The company in Boston or an examination
OF my books, or both. 1t is Of some conse-
quence amc.g men who intend TO be truth
e
tai, as do not doubt got dc' 20 be some
what accurate in making statements ~bont
the acts and doings of other people. IT you,
or anybody else, wish TO know anything
concerning my businl IS or other transac ms
at any time l shall be happy to put you in
| the possession of precise Information SO you
will be certain that what you say is true. l
am neither willing nor DESTROYS to be either
candidate or President, which everybody
who has ever spoken or written to me upon
the subject knows, but as | natutallf like to
stand well in the estimation of my fellow
citizens | dislike to be accused of either cor
ruptiOn, bss; selfisbness or acting on public
questions in which | haze private interest,
| when such accusations are untrue
Mr.. Phelps EhdeavOrs to Explain HIS
Leuer to senator Edmunds.
WASHINGTON, D. c., April S0.-phe'ps
on Monday sent note to Senator Ed
munds explaining his letter to the Post lie
claims he simply Andcsvcred to illustrate a
principle and that he had no intention Of
| injurlng the Senator'S reputation. The prin-
ciple he sought to Illustrate was that legis-
lator has no right TO refuse nstice to cor
porate Interest because be happens to have
share in the property that would be bene-
| fitted, and that it was not necessarily q
wrong thing for legislator to acquire an
interest In a corporation after legislative
| aci Ion In which he assisted