Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1875-12-24
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FRIDAY MORNING. Dec. "a. 1875.
TIE STOLEN LETTER AND Mr.. PILLS


TgE STOLEN LETTER AND Mr.. Pills
BERY
Mr.. Eben F. Pillsbury undertakes to tell
in this weeks Standard something about
that stolen letter. and why 1t was stolen
and published Indeed it is quite important
that he should have word OF explanation
concerning this matter. for it is very Sc
rious and disgraceful thing to be connect
ed as he is by the publication of this letter
with the thief or thieves who stole 1t. he
therefore publishes long article which
NAV be regarded as his apology and de-
fence.
r In the article he says: "When we pub
"lished the Foster letter we did not re-
"gard Mr.. Blaine's connection with it as
Every important Are you quite sure
Mr.. Eben F. Pillsbury. that you tell the
truth in this? Farther on Mr.. Pillsbury
saws: "Indeed, we considered that the eff
EJECT of the publication would be to help
"Blaine so far as securing the nomination
..for the Presidency is concerned Real
"! who would have thought that the edi-
tor of the Maine Standard could or would
for single moment entertain the idea OF
doing anything whatever to "he!p
Blaine"! Only to "help Blaine then was
the Foster letter stolen from Mr. Blaine
and published in the Maine Standard F.!
Mark you, it was not only stolen from
Mr.. Blaine to "help Blaine" but to
"help Blaine in securing the NOM
ination for the Presidency" Why. Mr..
Pillsbury. what will the readers Of the
Maine Standard, whom.you have RECALLED
these many years weekly with the yilest
accusations against Mr.. Blaine, say when
they read in the columns of that paper the
statement that the Foster-Blaine letter was
stolen and published to HELP BLAINE"
not in trivial or commonplace matter,
but to help him in securing the NOMl-
NATION for the PRESIDENCY ?" What
q sensation there will be in the ranks oil the
democracy when they learn that the Stan
dard has been lending its aid to ''help
Blaine''!
After this assertion that the letter was
published to "help Blaine we find that
Mr.. Pillsbury takes ano Their tack in his arti-
Gle. He goes on to abuse Mr.. Blaine in the
usual manner of the Standard. He brings
up paper credits, Credit Mobilier frauds.
land grant swindles, &c.. &c. Forget
ting that he had said above that he had
published the letter to ''help Blaine he
now justifes himself for doing it on the
ground that Mr.. Blaine has committed
some acts almost as bad as the stealing and
publishing Of confidential letters. The play
changes. The argument is reversed. Can it
be possible that the writer of the last part
Of the article was another person from him
who wrote the first Z? Personal abuse flies
thick and fast, all because Mr.. Pillsbury's
connection with the stolen letter was men
toned in fitting terms. Can this be the
same Pillsbury who desired so much to
'help Blaine as to publish stolen letters ?
Last of all Pillsbury justiiies the steal
ing Of the letters on legal grounds. Be-
ing lawyer Of course he knows His
argument would make the stealing
of private and confidential letters by
private individuals equally as le-
gitimate as the the seizure Of tele-
grams by public prosecuting officer in
the discharge of his legal and official du-
ties. This is the law we suppose. No
distinction between prosecuting officer
and thief. Between some lawyers and
thieves there does not appear to be much
difference, but we think there must in law
be some difference between the sneak
thief who steals private letters for his own
purposes and the prosecuting officer who
takes kilograms in accordance with his
public duties. We hope Mr.. Pillsbury will
consider this point very carefully and give
us his opinion in the next issue of the
Standard.
The contortions of Mr.. Pillsbury in this
long Article are won erful and fearful
At first he declares the Foster letter was
published to "help Blaine" Then he un-
dertakes to justify himself by abuse and
blackguardism of Mr.. Blaine and ed
itors who esteem and support him,
and lastly he brings his legal mind
to bear. This much he makes plain
by his labored attempt to defend
himself, that he feels the slow moving fin
ger Of public scorn pointing at him. even
from all honorable democrats. His state of
mind is like that of 1.-THE thief that 'doth
fear each bush an officer Mean aplo-
gies. lies and personal abuse will not i'm
prove his condition.
From the New York Times
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