National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-10-11
Open Letter TO George Wilkes.

the public good.
Very much to the surprise of the political
| world you have recently assumed the roe of n
reformer, and in order to advance the reforms
so many earnest men are striving to bring
about in the political life and conduct OF the
country you have thought it best to
attack me, an obscure person, in the
columns of your paper. A good deal of the
abuse you have heaped upon me 1 deserve, for
have you not said that / have been in your
company and in the company of your associ-
ates, and is it not an old saying, and true
one, that dog is known by the other dogs he
runs with For that one single interview with
you deserve to be punished, but most earn
estly submit that the whip should be welded
by cleaner hand than your own. Now, it is
my hearts desire that every word 1 ever ut
tered in your presence should be published.
Light, ''pure light
- is the force
That drives rejoicing planets on their course"
Let there be light, and light there most GER
tainly will be. You desired, sought, schemed
and intrigued in every conceivable way for the
mission to China. Upon the surface your am
bition was that of many eminent men, and
considered honorable. But beneath your de-
sire to be Minister to China was still stronger
and OTershadowing one, to advance the inter-
ests Of the Lower California Company. About
the time you were seeking the mission to China
that company filed claim in the Mexican COM
mission against Mexico for about 10000, 900.
The company was then and is now composed
of many of the most eminent men of the coun-
try. Richard Schell, of New York, was presi-
dent; Gen. John A. Logan vice president, and
men like Caleb Gushing, Gen. Butler, S. L. NJ.
Barlow, W. Z. Trayers and yourself heavy
stockholders. No secret was made of the en-
terprise. Its prospectus had been published in
r,nFi, ~, 10
real purpose of sending you to China was to
advance the interests ofthis company.
At the first and only interview had with
you, in the house of one Of the most successful
bankers in New York, you raid that the great
object you had in going to China was to secure
the emigration of from forty to fifty thousand
coolies of the better class to Lower California
and that the emigration of that number would
make the stock of this company - thirty
five million dollarS-worth par, and secure
its immediate sale in the markets of Eu-
rope. At this and on no other interview was a
word ever uttered about fee to secure the
mission to China, for it seemed to be under
stood, and / supposed you had already been
rendered 1t. The entire conversation was about
the interests of the Lower California Com
pany. A few days after this interview, was
employed as one of the attorneys to prosecute
the claim of the company before the Mexican
commission, and my name there appears as one
OF the attorneys Ofrec0Td in connection with that
claim. received as q retainer, to prosecute
this claim, a small amount of the stock, and
written contract authorized by the company for
q larger amount, contingent upon the success
full prosecution of the claim. The stock of this
company is held by more prominent Democrats
than Republicans and ifthe schemes q job, both
parties must bear the odium. But the scheme,
apart from the mission to China, never was a
job, but a great enterprise, which deserves
success. The early prosperity of many of the
States Of this Union was due to similar COM
binations of political and moneyed ability, and
are now the subject of eulogy by historians.
And now a word about the reasons why you
did not receive the mission to China. All you
say about the President and Judge Dent, in
connection with your failure, is base fabrica-
ton. You had strong friends in the Cabinet
and on the National Republican Committee;
but the State of California had stronger ones,
and demanded and received the appointment
as Of right, having the largest commercial in-
terest with China. When the ap-
pointment was made from Califor-
mia, Washington was crowded with
soreheads, but the most disgustingly
ofensive-one that made every decent person
recoil upon looking st twas your own. No
battered, pummeled prize fighter pictured in
your columns ever presented such spectacle.
And still 1t will not be healed, but every month
or two you exhibit it for the benefit of your
Reform party, and may it do that party much
good, and lead us all to lead cleaner lives in
all our relations.
Yours, truly, NATHANIEL PAIGE.