Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-06-16
Ex.speakor Blaine and His Letters.

DlhlnJ anu his bebteISs
The following are extracts from Mr.
Blaine's speech in the House on tho 9th
There has gone forth the idea or impression
that because would not permit that man or
any man, when could prevent IL, from hold
ing as menace over my head my private
correspondence, there must be something in
IL most deadly and destructive TO my reputa-
tion. / would like any gentleman on this
floor, and all Of them are presumed to be
men OF affairs, whose business has been va
ried and whose intercourse has been large,
to stand up here and say that he is willing
and ready to have his private correspondence
for the last ten or twelve years hauled over
and made public Does itimply guilty Does
IL imply wrong.doing? Does II imply sense
OF weakness, that a man will protect his
private correspondenceY No, sir It Is a
mans first instinct to do IL, and II l. the last
outrage on any man to violate IT. ] have
deied power to take these letters from me.
do II still. ] speak with all respect for
this House. i know its powers, and
trust that / respect them but ]
sa that this House has no more power to
order what shall be done or not done with
my private correspondence than 1t has to or
der what | shall do with the admonition of
my children-not one particle more; but
am ready now to show the letters (holdinp
them up in his handy. / thank God Almighty
that am not ashamed to show them. There
they are There Is the very original package.
With some sense Of humiliation, with NOR
tihcation which do not pretend to conceal,
with a sense Of outrage which | think any
man In my position would feel, invite the
confidence of forty-four millions of people
and ] will read these letters [Applausc,
which the Speaker pro tenn endeavored to
suppress Many of these letters have not
the remotest bearing on the subject, hut
m nf fhnV Ntnyin ttra
ton. Some of them may possibly involve
humiliation, but would good deal rather
take that than take evil surmises, and still
more, the inferences that might be drawn If
/ did not act with this frankness.
Mr.. Blaine thereupon proceeded to read and
make passing comments upon and explaua-
tions OF the various points in the several let
tiers. The allusion to the Spencer contract
he explained by saying that in the summer
OF 1861, two years before he first came to
Congress, he had been asked IL he could not
get an opportunity for the inventor Of the
Spencer repeating rifle to bring that new
arm to the attention of the Secretary of
War. He came on to Washington, and had
an interview with Secretary Cameron. Mr..
Cameron had given orders to have it tested
by the Ordnance Bureau. 1t had been thor
oughly tested, and the experiments were so
satisfactory that preliminary order for 90
600 rifles was made. He had been paid not
an extravagant, but moderate, fee for his
services, which he had just as much liberty
to take as any lawyer or agent had to take
a fee. Subsequently he had taken and paid
for $4,000 worth of stock in the company
That was the whole story. There are the
five letters. There are the whole Of them,
and here is Mulligan's memorandum. keep
1t as protection for myself, to show the
identity of the letters in every respect.
Mr.. Glover-Will you have that memoran-
dun read?
Mr.. Bane-I will do so.
Mr.. Hale-Does this exhibit cover every
paper that came from Mulligan?
Mr. Blaine-Every solitary scrap.
Mr.. Gloyer-Let that memorandum be read
at the clerks desk.
Mr. Blaine (sending it to the clerks desk)-
Yes, will be glad to have ii read.
After the memorandum was read, Mr.
Blaine said;
Now, would be obliged for any gentle
man, when he reads these letters, to see the
obvious intent in which that memorandum
was made up. / desire, also, to call attention
to the fact that those were the letters for
which was ready to commit suicide, and
sundry and divers other desperate things, in
order to acquire them.
have one or two more observations to
make. The specific charge which went to
the committee was whether 1 was a party in
interest to tnat $64, 900 transaction. / submit
particle of proof to connect me with it. These
letters were picked out of u correspondence
extending over fifteen years. The man Null
Iigan did his worst-hs very worst. They
were picked out Of the most intimate busi-
ness correspondence of my life. | ask you,
gentlemen, and ask with some feeling, if any
Of you could stand closer scrutiny--a more
rigid investigation of your CORES pondence
Now, there is but one piece of testimony
wanting, there is but one thing to close the
complete circle of testimony. There is one
witness whom | can't have; but to whom
the Judiciary Committee voted to send
cable dispatch--Josah Caldwell. | ask the
gentleman from Kentucky if that cable dis
patch was sent?
Mr.. Knott-The gentleman from Virginia
Hunton) and have both endeavored to get
Caldwelrs address, and have not yet got it.
MIR. Baine-Has the gentleman from Ken
lucky received cable dispatch from Cald-
well?
Mr.. Knott will explain that directly.
Mr.. Blaine-I want categorical answer
Mr.. Knott-I have received dispatch pur-
porting to be from Caldwell. How did you
Inow got it?
Mr.. Blaine advancing down the aisle)-
When did you get that dlspatchP
Mr.; Knott want you to answer my ques-
ion first.
Mr.. Blaine-I never heard of it till yester-
lay.
Mr., Knott--How did you hear it?
MIR. Blaine--l heard that you got dispatch
ast Thursday forenoon, from Josiah Cald-
well, eXonerating me completely and abso-
utely from this charge, and with great We
lemence of manner you have suppressed il.
Loud applause and cheers on the Repuhli-
,an side of the House and ia the galleries,
which caused the Speaker pro tenn. t o lecture
.he galleries and to direct the doorkeeper to
clear the floor of all unauthorized persons
After some time spent in having order re-
stored, Mr. Blaine again returned to the
,harge, and demanded of Mr.. Kuott an an
iwer to his question.
Mr.. Knott (contemptuously)--I will an
'wer when l get ready. Go on with your
speech.
(Mr. Blaine here offered his resolution in
the judiciary Committee to report
forthwith whether such telegram had not been
received from Mr.. Caldwell, and on which
resolution the House subsequently refused
to second the previous question:.
The gentleman (KnotD intended TO con-
vey the idea that i had some illegitimate
Of how that dispatch was OBJ
Lained. have had no Communication with
Josiah Caldwell, and no means of knowing
rom the telegraph Office when it was re-
,eived. But tell the gentleman from Ken
lucky that murder will out, and that secrets
Will leak. l am prepared to state to this
House that at eight O'clock, or thereabouts,
asst Thursday morning, the gentleman from
received and receipted for a mes
sage addressed to him from Josiah Cald-
we'll, in London, entirely corroborating aud
the testimony of Mr.. Thomas A.
scott, which Caldwell had just read in New
York newspaper, and entirely exculpatlng
ne from the charges, which / am bound to
believe, from the suppression OF that dis
patch, the gentlemen arc anxious to fasten
lpon me.
Na9hV Hard ErOm