Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-08-11

at which the property was sold TO a j. Mckay
and others ana si27 ooo more than the state
received for both the Iron Mountain and the
Cairo & Fulton: that Nj Pretorious. Of
St Louis, agent Of Gen Fremont ties
tilted under oath that Gen Fremont
and his associates were ready
and willing to pay the Il 900 oo0 bid and If nee
essary 81 $1,000 for the Iron Mountain road
alone. which was nearly three times as much
as the republicans sold ii for 10 Mckay ana
others " that the Southwest Missouri Railroad
Co had 10 authority TO buys railroad and that
the bid OF that company could not be properly
entertained BIZ the commissioners: that the
bid OF J. 4. Sumner & Co was assumed by
Thomas Allen, president OF the Southwest Mis-
sour Railroad Co, for $50. 000, which was 600
90 more than the successful bid Of Mckay and
others: that the evidence showed that A j. Nc
Kay had resided in Missouri only few months
aud that his property consisted. according TO his
sworn statement Of a pair Of Arkansas mules,
an open spring wagon and several thousand
dollars in money which ne carried in his pocket
and did not deposit in a bank that his bid was
signed "A ]. Mckay and others and that
when it developed that he had good thing,
SImmon1s Vogel, Hume and three brothers Of
Commissioner Farrar were permitted to come
forward and announce. il order 10 strengthen
the bid that they were the and others referred
10 in the bid, notwifhs landing that it was
shown that no such company as a j Mckay
and others" had been organized MI. Thomas
Allen was not permitted to strengthen the bid
Of J. A Sumner e. Co
The evidence. taken by republican commit
tee be ii borne in mind, developed the fact that
Gov. Thomas c. Fletcher hesitated TO approve
the award to A. j. Mckay and others OF the
Iron Mountain road for $50. ODD in the face OF
the fact that it was clearly the lowest and
worst bid: that Hume. one Of the ground
floor members OF the ring, was given 5000 or
5000 to be used in Jefferson City for the pur-
pose Of securing the services OF leading repub-
licans TO advise Gov Fletcher to approve the
award: that Joseph G. Read and others, TO
whom the Cairo & Fulton had been awarded
al a3s0 00), then came forward and announced
that they would not take that road at that price
unless the Iron Mountain was awarded NC
KAY and others al ST53,010 Read and others
were known 10 be irresponsible: the state had
no means OF redress If they refused to take the
Cairo & Fulton at $3.50 ODD thlt in fact NC
Kay and others" and Read aad others were
the same crowd, and that il was generally I'M
derstood that the plan was to secure the
award TO both roads and then drop the Cairo q
Fulton
Fletcher Convicted of Corruption
Mr. Charles p Chouteau. s. Louis capital
ist. testified before the committee that prev1-
GUS to the award of the Iron Mountain road to
Mckay and others he had several interviews
with Gov. Fletcher and was informed b. his
exceIiency that he would not sanction sale of
the property for less than SLED 0ol That MI
Choufeau agreed to accept that proposition and
TO paw down the entire amount on the approval
of the award TO him and to pay the state in cash
or bonds 90. o91 for the Cairo & Fulton max
ing a total of st2sl 900 He testified that Gov
Fletcher promised to consider this bid ami
write him which he did not do. although Mr.
Chouteau wrote him on the subject and that Mr.
Chouteau afterRard, before the award was ap-
proyed notified him that his tChouteau,s) New
York association, IL the award to Mckay and
Others was set aside. would guarantee a sum
of not less than 81 10000 for the Iron Mount
ain
The testimony further shows that after the
bids we're opened and before the awards had
been approved by Gov Fletcher MCKAY and
others began negotiations with Thorn a. Allen
who proposed to assume the bid Of J. A. Sum
ner 4 CO. for transferring their bid to him ana
that afterward when the awards of the Iron
Mountain and the Cairo l. Fulton roado had