Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1882-06-16
Some Unwritten History.
Wash. Cor. Chicago Tribune.

Wash. Cor. Chicago Tribune.
"Thcre is bit of unwritten history
connected with Blaines administration
in the state department which think,
the public eught to know"
"What is that ?" was asked
He replied st was a great blow for
Blaine to have TO give up the state de-
partment. When Garfield died he
played every imaginable card to make
hold upon this administration and to
commit it in such a way that his pre-
sence at the head of the state depart
ment would have been necessary.
Blaine cared nothing for the Landreau
claim, Mr. Shipherd, or the Cochet
people. They were all used as mere
pawns in his game. What he wanted
was
SOUTH AMERICAN DIVERSION
"a war, if you please, and consequent
acquisition OF. erritory. 1t was a great
scheme of his. Mr.. Blaine has very
vivid imagination. He is an intensely
active man. He often sketched in his
back parlor, the vision Of new de-
parture in American diplomacy. The
United State was to rule upon this con-
tinent with q hand of iron, and
all of the great railroad interests
with which Mr.. Blaine had been
connected for years were backing him
in this move. Had he had unchecked
control of the state department little
while longer, you would have heard
of railways through Mexico to the
isthmus, subsidized steamers to all
South American ports, and the devel-
opment of American trade through
Mighty artificial stimulants in South
American countries. A small war
would have made flush times and
plenty of contracts for his friends,
while
THE AMERICAN EAGLE
would have scared aloft and screamed
to the country new phases of glory. 1t
was to be a brilliant administration
brilliant in the way of contracts, glitter
ing in the way of jobs, and absolutely
dazzling in the way of personal agran-
dizement. All this beautiful picture
for the future glory of this country
was to be accom- shed with the aid of
brass band style of diplomacy from
the state department, backed by the
speculative capitalists who have been
for a long time seeking new fields of
enterprise south of the United States
Mr.. Landreau constituted a mere pre-
text. He is an humble consul at San
tiago de Cuba. His claim is one that
has no real standing, but it had a GER
tain line of precedents established IN
its favor in the state department,
and so it afforded the most plausible
pretext for the first move to be made"
This gentleman says that after Car
field died, and Mr.. Blaine saw that the
South American bubble could las. but
little while longer without new plans,
made
4 BOLD PLAY
to still make this scheme successful.
William Henry Prescott, veteran dip
lomatist from South Carolina, cold IN
speech, diplomatic IN language, but at
heart a political gambler, coHspired
according to this story with Mr.. Blaine,
and sympathized heartily with him In
his ATTEMPT to fly the American nag
from the Rio Grand to Patagonia. Mr..
Arthur. when he came into the office
Ct president, was not disposed to assert
himself at first, and really leaned upon |
Mr.. Blaine. Mr.. Arthur is a sociable |
man. In private life Mr.. Blaine Is one |
of the most fascinating of mortals. Mr.. |
Arthur really liked Mr. Blame, and |
would have got along with him very |
well had not all the stalwarts run to |
him and said: "You can not afford to |
keep that man there; he will ruin you"
and thus taught Mr.. Arthur the neces-
sity of getting rid of the brilliant poll |
tician. But meanwhiine Mr.. Blaine was |
told that the president desired him to |
remain for tae time being in the state |
department During that brief period
Mr. Blaine was
VERY Busy.
From the tone of the dispatches pre-
pared by him and Mr.. Prescott the
public will remember that the Arthur /
administration was at first committed /
to a most vigorous line of policy In
South America, policy that, If per-
sisted IN, would have led TO war with /
Chilli The insignifcance of Chill as a
nation, In com parison with the United
States would have been, in 3 measure,
counterbalanced by the fact that she
has 3 very good navy and would have
been furnished with supplies In any
war she would have made upon the
American ports by the secret aid Of
England After Mr.. Blaine had ar