The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1876-06-08
The RIaine Inquisffion.

The investigation of Mr. Blaine has as'u"'o"
.ho form of a ne-sacntion. A noticeable iea'ufo
ohont II ia the source from which the pro'hP'i"S
comas II cannot be said that this persecution
-. g., Domocrats Thy have, thus iar,
....oS r., ,,;,b tfe utmost fairness. Ihe Com
- :. 90 a different stripe from the Clymer
- p,..r-hn-n Committee. 1t gives Mr. Blaine
n .,,- a.Dortuuities he desires, to expose the
-. .bat are concocted against him. Blaine
h.. r;ven the Democrats in Congress harder
- .I,on any other member on the Republican
,;do and they respect him more for it. 1t is
from Republicans that this bounding comes.
when Democrats were satisfied with his first ex-
plapation, Republicans expressed doubts, and in
sisted that he demand an ivestigstion. They
knew that would open the way to turn all the
blackmailers and perjured hirelings loose upon
him, as witnesses. He has met and confounded
all these creatures, one by one, and still these
dissatisfied Republicans found fault-there were
some suspicious circumstances that he had failed
to clear up.
1t is plain to the dullest mind, that Republi-
cans have set aaOat and kept up these ISLANDERS
against Blaine, because he had too much strength
with the people, and it was necessary to blacken
his character in order to save other Presidential
aspirants. One Harrison first started the ball.
He was a partisan of Morton. squad OF Bris-
tow editors then met in eonclave, and made ar
rangements to spring the trap. The Bristow in
terest has been keeping it up ever SINCE latteriy
assisted by forces from COnkling's camp. Bos-
ton, the Bristow hot-bed of New England, and
New York City, the headquarters of Conkling,
are furnishing the principal witnesses from their
prolific slums.
But Blaine still meets these witnesses, face, to
face, and, like skillful tactician, combats them
with the readest means at his command. The
last witness from whom astounding revelations
were expected, was a creature named MulliSan,
from Boston. He came doubly charged with the
work laid out by his employers, and with person.
al malice to crafty. He had been n confidential
clerk of Blane's brother, and of a man in Boston
with whom Blaine had business transactions ex-
tending through many years. In these capaci-
ties, he had managed to retain possession Of pri-
vate letters from Blaine to his EN- plOyers, upon
business and family matters. Upon his arrival
in Washington, Blaine called upon Mulligan, and
ascertained that he was going to testify just as
the conspirators against Blaine wished him to,
and meant to put such a construction upon Ger
tain business transactions as would carry false
impression, to the damage of Blaine. He further
stated that he had those private business and
family letters Of Blaine's with him, and was de-
termined that if Blaines friends, anybody else,
whether in the interest of Blaine or not, should
critise his testimony or denounce him for it, he
should publish those private letters, by way of
revenge. Blaine then asked to look at the let
ters again, to see whether they contained any
Al.. -.
ton. He found that one of them did, and that
eighteen or twenty had not the slightest connec-
tion with it,, He gave the one back to Mulligan,
to lay before the committe, and coolly put the
others into his pocket, telling Mulligan that he
had obtained them by unlawful means, and that
no person but the writer and the one written to
had any claim to them. Mulligan then went be-
fore the committee with dreadful story of how
Blaine had begged and prayed him not to testify,
had threatened to commit suicide, had attempted |
to bribe him with Consulship, and had finally |
taken the letters by force. Blaine then gave his |
version of the transaction, which is accepted by |
almost everybody except the friends of two or
three rival candidates for President. To show |
that he did not wish to suppress any testimony, |
Blaine handed the letters to Jerry Black and |
Matt. Carpenter, to examine and ascertain wheth-
er they had any bearing upon the transactions
under investigation, and to give their advice |
what to do. Jerry Black is certainly not preju-
diced in favor of Blaine. He and Carpenter ex-
amined the letters, found that they contained
noting bearing upon the subjects of investiga-
tion, and advised him to insist upon his rights as
citizen, and refuse to give up the letters. This
advice he followed, and this is what the howl is
made about.
Blaine has the nerve and the resources for any
emergency, and he employs them. While these
slander mills have been at work against him,
State after State has sent solid delegations in IA
vor of his nomination for the Presidency. The
people have faith in him; and the rival candi-
dates who resort to such despicable means to
destroy his well-earned popularity, deserve to
encounter ignomniOus failure. We have faith
in the Republican Convention, that it will ad-
minister q rebuke to the slanderers that will put
a quietus upon them for all time to come.