Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-01-04
CHARGES OF CORRUPTION.

A.c,sa+,ons Against Certain Prominent
Statesmen liz Connection with Texas "a
c;t;c Land Grants-Nr. Ncwell's Story OF
Alleged Wholesale Corruption Submitted
to the Senate with Other Documents.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 21.-Among the pa
pers relating to the Texas & Pacific land
grant and the claim Of the Southern Ia
cinc to it, sent to the Senate yesterday by
| Secretary Teller in response to the resolu-
ton of Senator Van Wyck, is a commune
cation from j. J. Newell purporting to be
made ND from his diary, and describing al
legged Wholesale corruption i'll the passage
of the Southern Pacific bill. The events
occurred in May, June and July, 1870,
and in the winter and spring follow
ing. Newell says that Senators Mcdonald,
of Arkansas, and Kellogg, OF Louisiana,
told General Z. w. Rice and Colonel g..
Giddincs that they would push the Southern
Pacific scheme, then engineered by General
Fremont, for 5000, 900 in first-mortgage
bonds and $1,000 cash, half to be paid
when the bill passed the Senate and half
when it became a law. The money was to
be paid into the hands Of lnir-
ties to be named by the Sena-
tors, and some other propositions
were made, and then Mcdonald went to
Fremont and told him he would take hold
of the thing on the terms he named TO Rice.
Mrs. Fremont raised 500, 900 on Il mortgage
on some New York property, and on June I
this amount and securities to make up the
difference were put i'll the hands OF E. w.
Rice and j. d. Dcfrees, and nextday Newell,
Rice and Giddings contracted with Defrees
rs agent for Fremont to push the thing for
$50, 600 in bonds. The bill passed
July 8, and Immediately thereafter
Mcdonald and his friends received
5000 300 of the money put up with
Rice and Defrees, and Newell says McDon-
aid divided with the other Senators: The
next winter II. g. Parsons contracted with
NJ. o. Roberts, of New York, to get the bill
through the House and put Roberts at the
head of the organization for Sl,0UG, 600. all
of which Parsons said he had contracted to
pay members, except ten per cent. for his
w pay. The bill passed, and in April,
1871, organization was effected and Roberts
was elected President, having given
j. w. Forney and Giddings, as q
committee of persons interested, a verbal
promise to pay all the claims Of the lobby
and others. AT the Conference Committee
on passage of the bill, Kellogg refused to
sign or agree to the bill unless he was paid
cash in hand ten thousand dollars, which
was given, and he supported the bill. Ac-
companying this is a lot of letters between
Newell, Defrees, Giddings and Parsons i'll
regard to the non-payment of their claims
Newell says the books of the Texas & Pacific
Company will show the names of over thir-
ty Congressman who were paid for their
votes, and the amounts given. Newell filed
this document last May. Since then he has
become the friend of the Southern Pacific,
and has tried to withdraw this paper from
the files of the Interior Department.
Ex-senator Kellogg dcnounces Ncwcll's
story us III infamous lie from end to end,
and without one syllable that even approx
imates to truth, and he is ready to bet a
thousand dollars that Newell dare not look
him in the face and repeat his story.