Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-11-19
DaiIp kfnnetel 3ournal.
Cross Examination of Secretary
Blaine in the Guiteau Trial.

/ hardly claim tnat persons visiting tnere are
scquaintances. bu, know and identified the
man from time to tine as see him before
me now. As TO the identical day FIRST saw
him cannot saw but think it was early in
March.
Q-Did you ever and observe him be-
/ fore that tin .:
Al did not.
| Q-3id YOU meet him during the campaign
last year?
| A-Possibly did. He corresponded with
the Maine committee, attempting to get into
the campaign as a speaker. Very often per
sons try to get into the campaign as speakers.
Tins is not an exceptional case. 1t is a tram
saction every speaker in the country is famil-
| lar with, the general rule being never TO take
a speaker who applies himself to speak
| daughter A man of enough reputation to
be of influence is of consequence enough to
be sought for and not to seek.
Q-Fow was Guiteau introduced to YOU:
A-Bv himself
Q-Alone!
A-Yes, sir.
Q-Where was that!
Ain the State Department.
Q-What was the purpose of ii:
Ale desired an Office.
Q-What Office?
A-According To correspondence it seems
he first wanted the Austrian mission. What
has impressed itself on my memory was the
Paris consulate.
Odd you give much personal notice to
the individual who was making the applica-
ton?
A-So as to be able to identify him.
$50 as to notice him or his appearance?
A-Yes. sir.
Q-Did he come at anv time with any
backing for office, either written or person.
al?
Al do not recollect that he did. He con-
stantly referred to the fact of Gen. Logan be-
ing his friend, and am not sure he did not
have some letters. That is a fact / could
not now state.
Odd anything strike YOU as peculiar in
his case-as regards the man:
A-No sir.
Q-liow did vou treat him?
A-Possibly if had never seen but one
Office seeker I might have thought he was
persistent. Having seen many of the
same kind did not notice him. daughter
Q-IIow did he strike YOU in personal ap-
pearance!
A-There was nothing srecial to remark.
Odd YOU treat him with usual civili-
ty?
A-Yes sir. | always try to treat any gen.
tleman who comes to the State department
with cvility.
Q-When did You finally reject his appli-
aation. State more fully the particulars of
that interview.
A-There is nothing very salient to state
in regard to it. He had come there repeated
ly without encouragement and the Office was
more or less filled every morning with gen.
tlemen who were applying for more places
than the administration had to bestow. He
was like the others, persistent in application
and coming and coming again and coming
yet again. | finally said he need not have
the faintest expectation of receiving a con-
sulship and that | did not desire him to
speak to me about it, | did not do it with
any harshness.
Odd you say substantially that if the
Pre- sident chose to appoint him you had no
objections. Was not the interview concluded
with such remark:
Al should say not. should have had
decided objection.
Q-On what ground?
A-The Paris consulate is very important
office, of great consequence. and | did not
think Guiteau belonged to this rank and class
of men that would naturally he assigned to it.
Q-Fer what reason:
A-For the very simple reason | think
man of sufficient consequence would have
been a well known public man. Such an i'm
portant office is always assigned to a gentle
man of conspicuous rank for intelligence and
public service. ! did not class him in that
rank.
Q-About public services, do you mean
party service!
Alt NAV be party services.
The incumbent at that time-Gen. Wal
ker can illustrate my meaning. He was
gentleman who had performed public services
in finance Dc psriment of Massachusetts, in
Europe. and was a gentleman Of high charac-
ter. widely and favorably known. don't
think theer are any grounds for msunder-
standing me
O. want to ask if it was expected and
common in the distribution Of these Offices to
pass them around a. rewards for party ser
vice?
Al should saw that il was an element
shich always entered into it. and vet not a
conspicuous one. great many eligible
missions abroad are held bv gentlemen who
never did party service at all.
Q-Do YOU mean to be understood that on
the whole this element Of party service is not
prominently recognized in the distribution OF
office:
Al do not mean to be understood il was
| not recognized. only that it was not the sole
basis on which such things are done, and that
gentlemen who had nothing Of those claims
were assigned to conspicuous public positions.
Q-Was it peculiarly in Guiteau's appli-
cation for office that he based his claim on
party service.
A-0h, no. that is very common.
Q-Was it not almost a uniform mode Of
operation:
AIS a rule think you would find gen
tlemen who hold conspicuous positions in
diplomatic stations are not those who have
applications for them on file in the State De
partment.
Q-To come nearer home, how about the
collectorships in the leading cities:
Al am not in the Treasury Department
| daughter
| Q-You know nothing about it?
! A-Nothing but hearsay. and that ! sup
pose would not be accepted I never ap-
| pointed q collector in nv life.
Odd you observe the prisoner particu-
larry at the depot at the time of the shooting? ?
Al did not see him before the shooting,
and only saw him Is fleeing man
Odd you see his face: