Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1876-04-29
Blaine and COnkIing'sQ uar-
rel

rel
In the House in 1866, when the
army appropriation bill was UNI
der discussion, Mr.. Conkling as
sailed Provost Marshal General
Fry. Mr.. Blaine defended Fry,
and the remainer of the narrative
we take from the Chicoga Tri-
bune:
Conkling responed: "If Gen.
Fry is reduced to depending for
vindication upon the gentleman
from Maine, he is to be c0mmiser-
ated certainly. III have fallen to
the necessity of taking lessons
from that gentleman in the rules
of propriety, 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 (Conklingl can
only escape the charge Of DELHI
crate and maligant faIsehood as a
member of Congress by confessing
an objectionable breach of duty as
Judge Advocate. He held both
offices and took pay for both at
he same time he has certainly
been false to honor in one, and
perhaps, as the sequel may show
BOTH"
This drew an explanation from
Conkling of the manner he was
employed by the Government.
Blaine charged that he violated
he Jaw, which he quoted, prehib-
iting him to receive compensation
while holding the Office he Ord.
In the progress of the discussion
Conkling said: eff the gentlemen
from Maine had the least idea how
profound Y Indifferent am to his
opionion upon the subject he has
been discussing or upon any other
subject pertinent to me, | think he
would hardly take the trouble to
rise here and express his opinion,
and, as it is a matter of en- tire
Indifference to me what the
opinion may be, | will not detain
the House by discussing the
question whether it is well or ill
ounded, or by noticing what he
says and concluded by calling
Blaine's conduct "ungentlemanly,
impertinent, and having nothing
whatever to do with the question.
Blaine closed the discussion as fol-
lows: s.As to the gentleman's
cruel sarcasm, | hope he will not
be too severe. The contempt of
the large minded gentleman is so
willing his naughty disdain, his
grandiloquent swell, his manly
supereminent, Over-powered tur-
key-g@- strut has been so
crushing to myself and all the
members of this House, that /
know it was an act of the greatest
temerity for nae to venture upon a
controversy with him. But, sir, 1
know who is responsible for all
this. / know that within the last
few weeks. as members Of the
House will recollect,an extra strut
has characterized this gentleman's
bearing. 1t is not his fault. 1t is
the fault Ofanother. That gifted
and artificial writer, Theodore Til
ton, of the New York Independent
spent some weeks recently in this
city. His letter published in that
paper, embraced, with many seri-
Gus statements, a little jocose sat-
ire, a part of which was the state
ment that the mantle of the late
Winter Davis had fallen upon the
member from New York. The
gentleman took it seriously and it
has given his strut additional
pempesity. The resemblance is
great. 1t is striking, Hyperion to
aEatyr, Thersites to Hercules, mud
to marble, dung-hill to diamond,
single cat to Bengal tiger, a
whining puppy to roariug lion.
Shade of mighty Davis. forgive
the almost PROCLAMATION of that jo-
cose satire !"
That passage-at-arms between
the two distinguished gentlemen
ended their personal and social re-
lations, and to each other they
have never spoken since.