The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-06-03
The Thunderbolt I'm the Canvass-The
Retirement OF Blaine.

Retirement OF Blaine.
The developments in reference to the rail-
way legislation of few years since, and
Mr.. Blaines connection Herewith, will be
read with profound regret by the whole
country without distinction of party; for,
whatever we may think in politics, we have
a pride in our public men. The fall OF a
man as conspicuous as Mr.. Blaine is mis-
fortune. When the character of our states
good name of the country. Unfriendly
critics may we'll ask, Why is it that the prog
ress of investigations has brought ruin upon
public men without regard to politics? What
assurance can friends of republican govern
ment have that there is safety in a system
which produces Belknap and a Colfax a
Pendleton and Groesbeck? The attack upon
Mr.. Blaine when it was first made was
treated by all fair-minded men as they
treated the attack upon Speaker Kerr. When
it was said that man of the character and
the authority and the stainless life of Mr. Kerr
had lent himself to the degrading business
of selling his influence in Congress to one
of Appraiser Darling's political "bummers, 7"
and for beggarly five hundred dollars, the
country resented the suggestion and gave
Mr.. Kerr the benefit Of his years and his au-
thority in the country. So with Mr. Blaine.
When it was said that at time when the
country was running mad after railway legis-
lation, as the only way to ''reyive the coun-
try" and ''bind the sections together" he
had used his position as Speaker of the
House to make money out of the corrupt
jobbers who swarmed about the Hobbies of
Congress, the answer was that he was the
victim of political ambition. He deserved,
as Mr.. Kerr did, the fullest confidence of the
country until the evidence came in an in
contestable shape that he was unworthy of
that confidence.
No one can doubt, after reading the evil
dence of that curious creature, Mulligan,
that Mr.. Blaine is not worthy Of the conf
dence of the country and especially in po-
sition as elevated as the Presidency of the
United States. The nature of this evidence
has been explained to our readers at length.
There is no difficulty in understanding the
exact position of Mr.. Blaine. By his own
words and acts, by his written letters, which
by suppressing he admits to be improper,
he shows that his relations with shameless
gang of jobbers and swindlers were incon-
sistent with his duties as a severe guardian
of the peoples interests. We may say
shameless gang of jobbers and swindlers,"
because the history Of our whole Pacific
legislation is that of jobbery striv-
ing to use the generosity of the
government to further private ends.
1t was this legislation which enabled the
Union Pacific Railway to have law passed
which virtually robs the government of a
hundred, or, as some say, two hundred mill
ions Of dollars. The men who had any
hand in this gigantic robbery-for robbery
it was-deserve no mercy from the American
people. A part of the nations vengeance
was visited upon some of them in the resolu-
tions expelling and censuring certain men,
bers and Senators, and in the moral con-
dcmnation which has fallen upon others. 1t
is no wonder that the country should look
with suspicious eyes upon the acts of man
as conspicuous as Mr. Blaine which show
his connection with any share of that Pacific
legislation. Mr. Blaine admits that in that
time of wild legislation and general cor
ruption he took a prominent part not only
in advancing the interests of such railways
as the Union and Northern Pacific, but also
in the sale of their stocks and bonds He
admits that he made money in this manner out
of what was fairly due him as commissions"
He contends, naturally enough, or rather it
is the argument of his friends, that this is
his own affair, with which no Congress has
any business. and that because gentleman
enters into public life he does not necessa-
rily deprive himself of every means Of liveli-
hood. There would be force in this argu-
ment but for the fact that the only value the
stocks and bonds which Mr.. Blaine
learned" came from the legislation of Con-
gress; that for this legislation he was, more
than any other member, responsible; tina.
by this legislation, as we see by the decree
of the Supreme Court, the Treasury was
robbed. Mr.. Blaine can give no explanation
of his relations with any one of these rail-
ways consistent with his duties as an honor
able, self-respecting member of the House,
ANU uo uuA washington CoIIeSpouucut putS
it, the developments remove him from any
consideration as a candidate for the Presi-
dency.
1t were idle to dwell upon the regrets
with which we arrive at this conclusion.
There is no man in public life for whom we
have kinder feeling and for whose con-
coded intellectual force and patriotism we
have higher appreciation than Mr.. Blaine.
But even if he can satisfy his critics that
there was no evil intent and no evil deed in
his railway speculations his career as q cam
didate for the Presidency is at an end. The
men named for that high office, by democrats
as well as republicans, must be above sus-
picion The contest IL too cloSa and Tho