The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-05-19
BLAINE AND CONKLING.
How They Came To Hate Each Other-A
Quarrel and its Consequences

How They Came TO Hate Each Other-A
Quarrel and its Consequences
We believe that these gentlemen
Blaine and Conkling) have exchanged no
courtesies for the past ten years. On the
Oath of April, 1866, while the Army Appro-
priation bill was under discussion III the
House, Mr.. Conkling reflected severely
upon Gen. Fry, Provost Marshal Cen
eral during the war. Blaine defended
Fry, declaring that there was not more
honorable and heightened officer in the
army than he. He further said "That
officer, / doubt not, is reaay TO meet the
gentleman from New York, or anybody
else, in the proper forum. must say
that / do not think that it is any very
creditable proceeding for the gentleman
from New York, here in this place, to
traduce Gen. Fry as a military officer,
when he has no opportunity to be
heard"
Conkling responded eff Gen. Fry is
reduced to depending for vindication
upon the gentleman from Maine, he is
to be commiserated certainly. If have
fallen to the necessity of taking lessons
from that gentleman in the rules of pro-
priety, or of right or wrong, God help
me-" On subsequent day Mr.. Blaine
read letter in the House from Gen.
Fry, which closed as follows He
(Conkling) can therefore only escape the
charge of deliberate and malignant false
hood as a member of Congress, by con-
Tossing an objectionable breach of duty
as Judge Advocate. He held both offices
and took pay for both at the same time /;
he has certainly been false to honor in
one, and perhaps, as the sequel may
show, in both"
This drew an explanation from Conk-
ling of the manner he was employed by
the Government. Blaine charged that he
violated the law, which he quoted, prohib-
iting him to receive compensation while
holding the office he did. In the progress
of the discussion Conkling said eff
the gentleman from Maine had the least
idea how profoundly Indifferent l am to
his opinion upon the subject he has been
discussing, or upon any other subject
pertinent to me, think that he would
hardly take the trouble to rise here and
express his opinion, and as it is matter
of entire Indifference to me what the
opinion may be, certainly will not de-
tain the House by discussing the ques-
ton whether it is well or ll-founded, or
by noticing what he says" and con-
Guided by calling Blaine's conduct Gun
gentlemanly, impertinent and having
nothing whatever to do with the ques-
ton" Blaine closed the discussion as
follows " AS to the gentleman cruel
sarcasm, l hope he will not be to severe.
The contempt of that large. minded gen
tleman is so willing ; his naughty dis
jestic, supereminent, overpowering,
turkey-gobbler strut has been: so
crushing to myself and all the members
of this House, that 1 know it was an act
of the greatest temerity for me to ven
ture upon controversy with him. But,
sir, know who is responsible for all
this. I know that within the last five
weeks, as members of the House will
recollect, an extra strut has characterized
the gentleman bearing. 1t is not his
fault. It is the fault of another. That
gifted and satirical writer, Theodore
Tilton, of the New York Independent,
spent some weeks recently in this city.
His letters published in that paper en-
braced, with many serious statements, a
little jocose satire, part of which was
the statement that the mantle of the late
Winter Davis had fallen upon the men,
Der from New York. The gentleman
took it seriously, and it has given his
strut additional pomposity. The resem-
blance is great. It is striking. Hy-
perion to satyr, Thersites to Hercules,
mud to marble, dunghill to diamond, a
singed cat to Bengal tiger, whining
puppy to roaring lion. Shade of the
mighty Davis, forgive the almost pro-
fanation of the jocose satire !"
That passage at arms between the two
distinguished gentlemen ended their
personal and social relations, and to each
other they have never spoken SINCE
Chicago Tribune.