Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1876-06-15
Another Day of Great Excitement
in the House-Blaine the Hero.

vi ltiC oCoSkOh oA
dertook to put jeff Davis into good
standing so that he could get back
into the Senate of the United States,
and thus to initiate programme by
which rebels were to be honored and
in power over the Union soldiers and
the patriots who saved the country
Our readers know how that attempt
was defeated by the energy and elo-
ouence Of James G. Blaine. The
effort and its success passed into
history as one of the most remarkable
in the annals of Congress and of the
whole country. From that day the
rebels in Congress, with backing
of almost two.thirds of the member.
ship of the House, have concealed
their original design of turning the
efforts of the Government to the
benefit of rebels and of impoverishing
the Republic for thoir rehabilitation,
and have given their whole time and
talents to the study of ways and
means to destroy Blaine. In this
effort they have the secret connivance
of that element in the Republican
party which has disgraced it. Blaine
is one OF the purest of men living.
With his purity is combined talent
and energy of the very highest order.
He cannot be subdued by fair means.
His enemies knowing this resorted to
foul means. A charge of corrupt prac-
tees was laid at his door, by insinu-
alton, of which he was no more guilty
than the first Adam. Tho witnesses
were brought in and there were mono
to substantiate the charge. Still his
haters were not satisfied. He proved
his innocence. Then a thief and a
slanderer was hired to do the dirty
work of befouling him. In Boston
there lived one Mulligan, book
keeper for men who done business for
Blaine. This bookkeeper stole letters
written about Blaine's private bust
ness and then gave out that in his
possession, were documents which
would convict Blaine of the charges
laid against him. The committee,
willing to use the vilest of means if
only they could accomplish their
purpose, called this low lived villain
as a witness. When he went to
Washington, Blaine, curious to know
how he could have damaging evi.
dence called on him and learned that
these private letters, some of them so
old that they referred to transactions
Blaine had before he was member of
Congress, fifteen years ago, were to
be used Blaine persuaded the hire
ling to let him see the letters. Blaine
wanted to know why he had those
letters and what he wanted to do
with them, as, with one exception,
they had no reference to the charges.
His reply was, 81 will publish them
if in the future anybody, at any time
or for any cause, says anythin G
against me-" "But," said Blaine, 81
have nothing to say about your char
acter the country can judge of
i" the character of man who, be-
{ cause Of some personal grudge.
"comes on to Washington, puts him
s" self in the hands of an unscrupu-
f" lous body OF personal enemies of
mine, and pretends to give testi-
"mony upon points that he knows
nothing aboat. don't fear your
=" testimony, nor the testimony that
=" any man. woman or Oh lid can give.
" don't propose, however, to have
" my private correspondence laid be-
:" fore the country by you or any
+" body else, and | demand that these
=" letters be restored either to Fisher
g or to myself as the proper owners"
"No," said the enraged Celt, "I'll not
" give up these letters to God AL.
" mighty or his father"
This was in the presence of two
witnesses, Fisher and Atkins. Blaine
then returned to MulIigan the letter
which referred to the matters charged
against him and the others, about
fifteen in number, he kept. Mulligan
had already spent one day in testify.
ing before the stencil producing COM
mittee and developed nothing. The
next day he went before the commits
tee and related the calamity by which
he lost his treasures, and asserting
that Blaine "almost on his knees and
for the sake of his wife and children"
begged him not to make that expos
ure, and threatening to commit sui
eide if he did. 1t was very absurd
and ridiculous story, but there are
editors knavish enough to call it
"truth apparent on its face" and
others whose judgments know no
better. PROFESSIONALLY the affair
was, for the time, very damaging to
Blaine. If those letters had been
written to Blaine's wife or his chill
dren, and the sneak-thief Mulligan
had done with them precisely what
he did, the countless knaves and fools
among the people would have passed
Judgment just the same. popular
judgment and political expediency
combined to reject him, and between
them he went over 10 the majority DC