Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1876-05-25
Blaine and His Slarderers.
In a paper before us we find the
following, copied without disapproyal,
from the New York Sun.

from the New York Sun.
Mr.. Blaine must answer the following ques~
ton or retire from the contest "Granting
that he made bona fide investment in the
Arkansas Railroad bonds where did he get the
money to make such an investment? No man
of his capacity who had only the prudent
savings of a laborious life would invest them
in such securities. He either had more money
than he could invest prudently, or else-what
is more probabe-he belonged to some COM
bination of the nature of construction COM
pany. The people have right to know all
about it."
The Editor of the Sun, Charles A.
Dana, was once supposed to have
character. Those editors who have
Rip Van Winkled from that time un'
til now might be excused for quoting
from Dana, but those who have in the
interval been awake, deserve to be
regarded as guilty as the original
slanderer when they quote from him.
When Grant was first elected Presi-
dent, Dana made desperate effort to
get an important collectorship. His ap-
pointment was objected to by Greeley,
and Grant did not give it to him.
From that time, it is said, Dana, re-
solved that he had tried to make
money respectfully long enough, and
now he was going to make money.
The Sun was battery with which,
by catering to instinctively depraved
minds, he could injure both Greeley
and Grant. He has followed the res
olution and new impulse SO persist
emily that his character in that direc-
ton is fixed. He is employed by the
Appletons as one of the editors of
their Cycloped,a, aud although it is
greatly to their interest to have the
public believe their editors are men
OF the highest candor as well as the
highest culture, yet in order that
what they say, in their prospectus, of
culture will not be disbelieved, they
are forced to confess that "of late he
has been known as bold and not
over-scrupulous assailant of anybody
and any thing that has reused his in
dignation." Such is the best that
can be said of the talented man who
spends two-thirds of his time Matching
calumny against the best men OF the
Nation-such the man so often quoted
from by men whom we want to think,
unwillingly "bear false witness
against their neighbors." If voters,
however honestly inclined, depend
upon such sources for information, and
vote accordingly, how can they ex-
pect good men to be lifted into office,
and to be well, economically and hon
estly governed ?
Some weeks ago man named
Harrison, charged Mr.. Blaine with
having received $4,000 worth of
Arkansas railroad bonds for $4,000,
and then with selling them to the
Union Pacific Company, a creature OF
Government bounty, for $4,000.
The careful reader should have
known, by the manner in which that
charge was stated, that it was a vii
famous attempt at defamation. Boiled
down, Harrison's charge was like
this SOMEBODY sold tho Arkan-
sas bonds the Union Pacific Com
pany, of which am Director,
bought them don't know form
whom they were purchased, but it
may have been Blaine. This is all
l will say about it until am called
before an investigating committee.
Since then Blaine has been investi-
gated. The investigation proved
that Blaine did not buy the Arkansas
bonds, and that he did not sell them
to the U. p. Company-that he did
not even know about their purchase
and sale 1t proved by his confess
sion and by the testimony of the Of
fcers of the Union Pacific Company.
that it was Tom Scott, in 1872 a
much talked of Democratic candidate
for President, who bought them and
put them upon the Union Pacific
Company. But Dana and his copy
lists are not to be put out that way.
By the use of the word granting"
they insinuate an untruth and then
they say, Where did he (Blaine)
get the money 2" One reasons this
way "Blaine was poor school
teacher, married his assistant teach
err who was also poor, and con-
Quoted a little country newspaper
suntil he went to Congress, and good
mess knows there is no money in
that. 1t is acknowledged he
is now rich. Where did he get his
money ?" The insinuation is that
he in some way stole it from the Gov
eminent. Those who believe in
Dana and his tribe, will believe the
insinuation, and will continue to re-
peat it with rs much conscious intel
licence and recititude as an aunt Dina
tells about the ghost of her old
"Missus." For the benefit of those
who don't know, we will say that
Blaine inherited from an uncle, lands
which became of great value. This
is the way he got his so-called wealth.
With as much fairness and as much