The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1884-07-06


prise, or that having made favorable
ruling for a railroad Job, he used and
impressed that ruling upon the mana
gers of the affair for the purpose OF OBJ
tanning an interest therein.
AS to the extent of the interest
acquired and the nature thereof,
memorandum in Mr.. Blaine's
own handwriting is the best
evidence. On two or three pages of the
memorandum were amounts and kinds
OF fstock ofthe Fort Smith road worked off
to Maine parties for Fisher and Blaine,
with the prices thereof carefully noted
On the fourth page, the amounts and
kinds to be delivered to him were
word or figure about the price to be paid,
certainly to him, one of the most inn
portant points in the contracts.
PRETTY GOOD PAY.
ith page of memorandum book.
"ln addition to the common stock, pre-
fcrred stock, and first mortgage bonds
agreed TO be delivered TO the respective
parties named on preceding page, Mr..
Fisher agrees to deliver to j. q. Blaine
similar amount of land bonds and 25
per cent. Of first mortgage bonds, VIZ:
Land bonds, rs, $l3O,GO0.
First mortgage bonds, 6's, $32,500.
The same to be delivered by Mr.. Fisher
as soon as ready for distribution.
So the transaction is complete, all the
details have been "arranged," and Mr..
Blaine sits down under his vine and fig
tree with $l30,000 land grant railroad
bonds, and $4,000 first mortgage bonds
He became Speaker Immediately, saved
a land grant road from destruction,
within three months thereafter acknowl
edges the generosity" Of itSmanagers
in disposing Of Il large share in the job
to him, hopes, in fact knows, he wont
become Il "dcad head in the enterprise"
and is ready to 20 upon the market as
Il capitalist" II is true the bonds had
no marketable value, but then the
Speaker of the House of Representative
might find "various channels" to give
them Il value.
THE GENEROUS UNION PACIFIC.
Not more than two years elapsed be-
fore il began to get about in the wide
and fertile realm Of rumor that the
Union Pacific road had taken up some
land grant bonds of the Fort Smith Il
Little Rock road under circumstances
aud for u price that, to say the least oft,
looked as IL something was "rottcn in
Denmark In 1872 there was meet
ing OF the Directors of the Union Pacific
and it was attempted TO have this story
that was alloat, subjected TO the crucial
test Of an investigation. II was public
report ,hat the company had paid S6I,-
COO for seventy-liVo land grant bonds OF
the Little Rock road, the bonds Of $1,000
each or $4,000 for $75,OUO worth of Little
Rock IL Fort Smith bonds, Tho latter
were practically yaluclcss, or, IL worth
anything at all, not moro than 20 cents
on the dollar at most. 70 pay
81 conts on the dollar in trans
action involving the sum OF
$15,0 900 in bonds was equivalent to giving
absolutely TO the person from whom
thcy We're purchased at least $4,000.
The Union Pacific management were
celebrated, as railroad managers gen
orally are, for putting their iayOrs where
| they would do the "most good" If they
paid $4,000 for these 75 bonds of tho Lit
lie Rock a Fort Smith company, II can
be surmised with perfect assurance OF
correctness that the fancy payment OF
| $3i,000, or $4,000 over and above the real
or even marketable value of the bonds
was not thrown away or paid to anyone
other than "vcry useful friend" Nei-
| ther railroads nor individuals are in the
habit of giving away large sums OF
money without value received and Il
/ good substantial profit.
| While our knowledge Ofbig corporation
| directories would lead us to suppose the
/ contrary, there is nevertheless and as
strange as it may seem, nearly always
/ found in these boards some guilnless,
sweet and unworthy minded member
with disagrceable penchant for want
ing TO know the why's and whcrcforeS OF
such little transactions MS the one Just
| referred to. In the present ease the
"innorent abroad" was one Jno. G.. s.
! Harrison, of indianapolis, u government
director and gentleman of standing
and Intelligence. He Ii was who intro
| duccd the resolution of inquiry. III the
| twinklng of an eye his prcyiOusneSs
/ was set severely down uUOn. lie was
/ taken aside and his motion Withdrawn
| in lily, but a suspicion fingered with
/ him that there was a big bug under the
/ chip and he carried his grievance To u
broader forum. He went into the news
/ papers, though some time after the
/ meeting of the Directory in 1877.
In 1876 Mr.. Harrison went before the
subcommittee Of the House which had
these matters under inquiry, aud Swore
/ substantially TO the fNctS previously set
forth in communication which an
pCared in the Cincinnati Gazette Undcr
I date Gt April .dth, 1876. Mr.. Blaine was
/ presently the way, and cross-cNumincd
| Mr.. Harrison.
THE STATEMENT REFERRED 10 Is As
FOLLOWS:
/ CINCINNArI, April 2d.-Thc Gazette
will tomorrow morning publish an in
iervicw with Mr.. John e.. i. Harrison, of
indianapolis. Mr.. Harrison makes the
following statement: AT the September
tlSi2l meeting of the Board of Directors
of the Union Pacific railroad, at which |
was present, the President OF the board,
Mr., Horace i, Clark, called the attpn-
ton of the directors 10 Il letter from the
President of the Fort Smith a Little
Rock Land Grant railroad with refer
cnrc to some bonds of that road held by
the Union PNciilc company. Desiring
To know something more about these
bOndS, | made Il motion tO appoint Il
committee of three to investigate and
/ report before the adjournment of the
board rs 10 how they came into its posses
! sion and all matters connected there
with. Thcreupon, T.. II. Rollins, the See
/ retarY, took me To one side and told me
that ! must withdraw that motion for
an Investigation of the bond transaction
~ II would involve James G.. Blaine.
! lie said the fall elections were near at
/ hand, and Blaine was n candidate for re-
/ election to Congress in Maine. An OK
posurc of the transaction lust at that
! time would he sure tO defeat him. with
that | withdrew the motion. Suisse
/ qucntly tool j. II. Millmd, of Omaha,
who was aud still remains Govern
mcnt director to Mr.. Rollins, and in his
presence asked Rollins IL | understood
him correctly In relation 10 the bond
transactions involving Mr.. Blaine. He
repeated that did and that an investi.
CATION would bc sure to kin OIL Mr..
Blaine at tho approaching election.
Altcrward, when the investigating com
mittee, of which Mr.. Jeremiah NJ. Will
son was Chairman, was In session, and
i. III. Rollins was on the stand, tcle-
| graphed Wilson TO ask the witness GER
tain questions concerning the Fort Smith
y Little Rock bonds, hut In noticing the
daily reports OF the committee after
wards | saw that no such questions
worc asked. On the 3d Of February, 1873,
l wrote 10 Wilson, Chairman ofthc com
! nitiaa mara hfllNs ahnnt tho malta. Il.