Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1879-08-09
Weeklp gntelligenfer.
OFFICIAL COUNTY PAPER.
BLAINE
The Two Statesmen in confidential
Consultation.

BLAINE-SHERMAN.
| The Two statesmen in Confidchtia
Consultation.
(Spor.dic Correspondence oil the \. L. worn"
PORTLAND, July 23.-The visit o.
Secretary Sherman to Maine has beei
attended with u~nlooked-for results
Concerning his interview with Seha'
tor Blaine nothing has been publish
ed save a brief item in the evenln
napers which says, ''Messrs. Sherman
and Blaine had q long cOnfidentla
consultation at the Preble house to-
day on the subject of this years cam
paign." 1t Is in my power to give the
readers of the World some partlcu'
lars as to this important conference,
| The two eminent statesmen, / heeo
hardly say, are not upon the pest OF
terms. Each has presidential am
| billions. Blaine is disgasted because
while he was away spanking III the
! west last wear he lost his W state,
| and Shernlau's visit this year puts
| him in u decidedly awkward position
| If Maine should 20 republican the
| 1act will fuure 10 Sherman's benefit,
because his friends will say, "lhe
secretary carried il after Blaine hau
lost it," and 30 Mr.. Shcrman's pres
enc ia about rs welcome as thai OF q
cat in a game OF ten-pins. 10 my III
tervitw, however.
When the two great statesmen had
locked the door and hung Il hat over
the key-hol,-luckily they did mol
think 10 look under the sofa-Mr.
Sherman began the conversation.
.Wcll, Blaine" he said, "Fve come
up = haul you out OF the pit as the
book says"
con, thanks" said the senator
warmly; al appreciate your Kindness,
considering the way things look i'll
Ohio"
aOhio is all SAFE" said the secreta-
~, winciug slightly "Maine is what
we must see to first, for if anything
happeus to you in S, ptember what'Il
become of me in October? rve
brought up u l3-column speech that
think will kinder knock the boys"
"There's nothing like it, a
Blaine contemplatively. Morton once
told me that lie owed his success In
Indiana to putting outa platform D
or 4 feet long full of words like
.hegcmun,,' 'inlerdependent, 'elee-
mosynary' aud SO III; then by the
time that his party had spelled out
and diuested the eight introductory
resolutions about the United States
being a nation, ETC., haying had be-
gun, and there was no time to lind
ont W hat the platform really meant.
L hope you've got plenty OF figures in
Figures is what people cry for
this year." 10
Between u.s." said the secretary.
confidentially, "there has been a little
decentralization in the treasury, be-
tween putting through this last as
sessment and preparing for the new
examinations under the ciyil-service.
reform system, and SO I've had to
paste in the Times tables OF the cleo
Lion frauds of 1876 but they'll do.
The iootings will show the progress
and results of resumption. however"
"Good enough" said the senator,
applaudingly ;"but L hope you go for
the SOUTH"
"Don't O be afraid. There were
some little difficulties in the argu-
ment, but I think L have got round
'em nicely. F'rinstance, how do you
like this passage: Up till 1874 the
democratic party remained in u
minority in the house. How nnmind-
full 1t was of the constitutional duties
aud privileges of all opposition party
1 need not remind you. When, how
ever, the grand old republican party
went into opposition and set itself to
expose and combat the extravaganza
Of the majority, what did we see ?
From 1874, 304, 787 O8 the appropria-
lions dropped steadily to SIT, 37O.-
627 81, 1854, o90, 943 SO, to S153. 544,-
745 56.' Here there should be some
applause marked in-leud me your
pencil. Doesn't that strike you as
gooG-making the economy OF the
democrats to praise US? Aud the re-
mainder OF that economy we will de-
nounc for starving the government"
"Capltal, egad p said the senator
81 own l wasn't quite clear in my
mind how you were going to get
round the fact that the moment. the
democrats got control of the house
the appropriations came down. Well,
go on"
"There was another snag in nay
PATH" said the secretary, with q
chuckle, "but 1 guess l got round it
.ll right. l allude to- the fact that
while you and the rest of the boys
have been bowling aloud that under
democratic supremacy the country
was going to the dogs 1 have been re-
funding the debt. 1t is q little curious
that as soon as the senate became
democratic, confidence became re-
stored, and the moment the extra
session was called and the unrepen-
tant rebels began to overturn the
government money was invested in
national securities by hundreds of
millions. Now / shall show in my
speech tonight, first, that the coinci-
dence OF national confidence and pros
perity with democratic sscendancy is
due to the tact that the people see
that the democrats do not deserve
trust and they will be hurled from
power some of these generations /;
secondly, that the flow of money into
the treasury indicates the paralysis
Of all legitimate business aud trade,
owing to the presence at Washington
of tie confederate brigadiers. You
see that this line of argument re-
sembles the coon-trap which was set
10 catch the coon, going or coming"
"That is q remarkably good idea"
said Mr.. Blaine, "and 1 am glad to
see you sock it to the confederate
brigadiers. Have you anything more
abont the solid south 2"
"Lots, lots," said Mr.. Sherman
gleefully. "You recollect Conklins's
argument about the small amount
contributed to the federal treasury
by the south. Conkling's al ass, but
still there's something in the idea, and
L intend to adept it and show that in
asmuch as the people of the south
appear OIL the returns az paying =
snail proportion of the customs
duties and internal revenue taxes
they should not be allowed SO large
a representation IN the government.
Of course the argument is idiolic, be-
cause the consumer pays the duty,
though the importer or manufactur-
er hands it over to the government /:
still itn do. I'm satisfy those who
don't know any better, and those W ho
do will keep quiet"