Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-06-22
WASHINGTON.

From our own Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, June 18th, 1876.
Messrs. Editors:
The great excitement in political
circles for the past week has been the
capture by ex-Speaker Blaine of his
private correspondence in the hands of
James Mulligan, late clerk of Mr.
Warren Fisher, Jr., of Boston, to
whom the letters were addressed. The
Judiciary Committee of the House of
Representatives called upon Mr.
Blaine to furnish them these letters
for their perusal, which request Mr.
Blaine refused to comply with, but of
fered to let the Chairman of the com
mittee read them if he would call at
his { Mr.. Blaine's) room which he re-
fused to do, and said, if he had not a
right to examine them as member Of
the committee he would not see them
The committee insisted upon his fur
nishing them the letters and he per-
sisted in his refusal on the ground that
there was nothing in them relating to
the matter under investigation, assert
ing the right of private citizen
to exclude his private business from
investigation by Democratic smelling
committee. The Democratic Press,
throughout the country, thereupon
claimed 'sthe downfall of ex-Speaker
Blaine" and thought they had politi-
cally killed the Republican leader of
the House. Their rejoicing was Of
short duration, as on Monday last Mr.
Blaine electrified his friends and de-
molished his opponents by reading
these same letters upon the floor Of
the House, thus making them a por-
ton of the Congressional Record J"
Such an exciting scene has not been
witnessed in Congress for years as
when Mr.. Blaine accused Hon. Proc
tor Knott, Chairman Of the Judiciary
Committee, of having received and
suppressed cable dispatch from Jo-
siah Caldwell, of London, COM
pletely and absolutely generating him
{ Mr.. Blaine) from the charge under
investigation which after considerable
equivocation Mr.. Knott was forced to
admit was true. His only ground of
suppressing was that he wanted to test
the genuineness of the dispatch while
be admitted that he had taken no
steps to learn the facts in relation to
it. Every true son Of Wisconsin will
regret that Hon. W. P. Lynde to whom
this telegram was shown at the time
Of its reception, should seem to Justify
Hon. Proctor Knott in its suppression
on the fimsy ground that it was not
legal testimony, thereby showing the
partlzan instead of a lover of truth.
1t is a we'll known fact that in the
case of Gen. Schenek, when a cable
dispatch was received from Col.
Cheeseboro rejecting upon Gen.
Schenck, it was Immediately pub.
lished throughout the country and was
the great cause of Gen. Schenck s
censure by the committee. After the
course taken by the Southern Demo
cratic smelling committees in taking
all manner Of hearsay evidence, and
that, without affordlng the accused
party an opportunity of being present
during the examination of the witness
es, furnishing this one-sided statement
for publication in the Democratic
Press as evidence of the corruption Of
Republican, officials, to Justify the
+! Chairman Of one Of their committee:
in suppressing telegram, that the
sender offered to make an affidavit to-
if necessary, which completely acquit
ted the accused, will satisfy every one