New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-10
VIOLENT INFERENCES.
THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST Mr. BLAINE

BLAINE PRESS DESTROYED BEFORE THE BoUA
COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS.
lBr TELEGRAPH TO THE rRTBUSE.f
WASHINGTON, May 9.-Now that the Peruvian in.
vcstlgation TO be over except for the taking
of testimony in New York. which docs not promise
to be important, brief review Of some Of its suo
cessive stages may be interesting II is universally
conceded that tho investigation was crusade
against Mr. Blaine The men who inspired 1t have
made secret Of this and il need hardly be said that
if they had discovered something TO his discredt IL
would not have been good defence to show theii
motives were not OF the highest. Nearly 500 pages
of documents and 400 pages OF testimony have been
printed at the public expense in pursuance of THU
object, and in all of them there is not document oI
a shred of credible testimony which reflects any.
thing but credit upon Mr Blanes brief but brilliant
administration Of eight months. His enemies IN the
press and elsewhere started into this investigation
with an interrogation polnt.and they came ont with
an interrogation int, and nothing besides They
began by saying: why did Mr.. Blaine do this
and that ~ and they como out saying Why did
Mr. Blaine do the other thingi" In all the interval
the columns of the snti-Baine newspapers have
been burdencd with questions aud suspicious
never with anything remotely resembling facts
and proofs As each of these questions and
suspicious has been successively disposed Of they
the false accusation from which they had just been
driven. The history of the investigation in this
respect is singular and exceptional. column o.
two might be filed with the charges against Mr..
Blaine in this matter that have been preferred,
plotted for days aud weeks, and then dropped when
disproved only to be followed by another equally
unfounded Here are few examples Of thess
charges:
First-That Mr.. Blaine made away with the miss
ing letters" This charge was directly made In
some papers insnusted in many others The in
yes,igation has shown that Mr. Blaine never saw
them that hey were not addressed TO him, but Il
the President; that they were utterly unimportani
and of kind which no more likely to be brought
to Sccretary's attention than every check going
through bank is likely TO be brought to the atter-
ton of the President: that they have never been
considered Of the least consequence since Shipherd
produced duplicates Of them.
Second-That Mr. Blaine "dcccivcdY President Ar.
thur regarding the instructions to Mr. Trescot max
ing them much more behgerent than the President
supposed they were to he. Mr.. Blaine read TO the
committee the very draft. patched with mucllage
aud interned which he read to the President in his
bedroom. and which identical with the printed in-
structons. Since this was done there has not been
a whisper on the subject from the rab lest anti
Blaine newspaper but not one Of them has ever re-
tracted the charge.
Third-That Mr. Blaine usurped the functions Of q
dying President. This Is the meanest of oil these
unfounded and retracted charges. The dates OF tho
published correspondence show that not letter was
written by Mr. Blaine during President Garhelds
languishing which it is at ali likely woald have been
shown to him, had he been we'll and engaged in the
discharge of his duties with the exception, perhaps,
of the letter declining the proposition of President
inf France
United States In the South American difficulties.
1t is good illustration of the unfairness with which
Mr. Blaine has been treated that this dispatch,
in which ho simply declined TO commit
the Government to a course at once injndcious
and I'M American, has been cited as proof OF the
charge that he using his power during the dlsa-
bty of President TO initiate bold foreign policy
aud so secure his retention in office The charge
that during the period he was using the state
Department in the interest Of claims spectators Is
equally unjust and unfounded, as VIII be seen
further on.
TOutk-That Mr. Blaine knew from Mr. Shipherd
that bribe had been offered to iuribut. This has
been contradicted by Senator Blair the only witness
present, and Shepherds collateral statement that
he took pains to tell all his alleged ,ounsel that
he hai attempted this bribery has been shown to
be silly falsehood By the emphatic testimony Of
five Of them: ex-senator Boutwell,, Senator Blair,
Scott Lord ex-senator Cragin and Collector Robert
son. The story was incredible on its face, but the
Ant-Blalne papers rang all the the changes on IL,
and none Of them have acknowledged
the injustice OF their criticisms.
Fi(h-That Mr.. Blane's policy toward Chill and
Peru was directly In tie interest OF the Cochet
claim. This was the whole cry az the beginning OF
the Investigation. The list of stockholders OF tho
Peruvian Company when found was to contain Mr..
Baines name The fact is that the instructions to
Ministers Kioatrick and liurlbut, sent on
the same day. June Is, and harmonious
with each other, marked out course
toward those two countries from which tho
Department did not vary so long as Mr. Blaine was
at the head of IT, and were seat SIX weeks before
Mr. Blaine first saw Mr. Slipherd. aud then heard
for the first time as he tcstes, Of the Cochet claim.
That claim Is frs. mentioned by Mr.. Blaine moro
than month after President Garfield was shot and
five months after MIR. Blaine became Secretary OF
State And this is the way he used his power TO
push it in the letter OF Augusta
Tie two claims for which special consideration and 40
tive Intervention have been asked are those known as
the Coohet claim and the Landresu caiu In reference
the Cochet claim there has been no Information sId
Ter TO warran; q lccc instruction. and I'm tue absence
OF the requ site data here you VIII De lel 10 take suca
steps may seem expedient on tle ofSh
and character OF the claim The primal point al Issue Is
whether any American citizen or association OF cuzons
titng MIN or the good offices Of the Goycr1mcns
in making any representation 10 Peru AS the Amer-
can holders of claim their attorneys will bc on he
ground you Will doubt DC placed IN possession ~ all
tAe acts you will take step committing your
Government The OF It's good Offices without hrst re
porting IN full to the Department for rel-consdcred
aud definite Instruction
Only three other letters were written by Mr..
Blaine while Secretary of State in which the Co.
chct claim was mcntioncd-one on November IL. in
which he says: After the instructions In my NO.
4 60, ia euh had hean mailed /
earne convinced that there 10 need Of even the
preliminary inquiry which suggested in regard 20
the Cochet claim There is no just ground whatever
on which this Government could intervene IN behalf
of it " another on November 10, in which he tod
General Hurlotut that he would probably be asked