The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-05-07

approaching close Oh MI. Dbhlh . tAuuilHu-
ton. II has been o melancholy exhibition OF
moral obtuscncss and stupidity on the part
of a man whose high office calls for STAIN
less probity and robust intellect. The hired
Intermediary Of n fraudulent and perjured
Spectator is certainly not an ornament to
the State which once reserved its trusts for
men of parts and character. Whether the
notions Of political duty avowed by Mr.
BLAIR are approved by his constituents, 1t
remains for them TO indicate; and the Senate,
by its action in his case, will reveal to us its
standard Of Senate rial morality.
Under the sharp inquiry to which the
Senator from New Hampshire was subjected
yesterday he took refuge in vague, evasive
cquivocal answers, in which it Is impos-
sible to discern any definite significance.
When lawyers engaged in the trial OF
cause meet with witness of this kind they
are apt. to set him down rs either
dolt or knavc, and we think that
most honest clear-hcadeS men who read
the evidence will insist on CHASING
Mr. BLAIR in one or the other category. In
asmuch, however, as the witness had con-
tIivcd to get himself elected to the Senate
from New England State, he can hardly
expect us to believe that he is quite such
drivcllcr as he looks ON the face of his testi-
mony. And we are confirmed in the sus-
picion that he is but playing the part of art
less innocence from his shrewd refusal to
produce his correspondence with SHEPHERD,
whereby the truth of the assertions he has
made under oath might have been submitted
| to an awkward test.
1t is not worth while to scrutinize in detail
| A.. ID, I'll
terday to palm off for evidence. Every an
swor was a bubble, every pretended expla-
nation an attempt to obfuscate Two or
three examples will suffice to illustrate the
performance. Witness said that when the
| opportunity wa, afforded us to have pre-
served peace between Peru and Chill, and
made Peru n strong commercial ally OF the
| United States, l would have embraced that
opportunity In that way we would have Sc
cured control OF the Panama Canal" The more
this language is examined, the more in
scrutable it appears. What does "prcscrv-
ing the peace" mean2 Preventing the war
from breaking out, or stopping it afterward?
We had no opportunity of doing the first,
and we tried in vain to do the second at africa
more than eighteen months ago. II Mr..
BLAIR means anything, 1t is that by threats
and demonstrations, which would of course
| imply an intention to employ in the
last resort the warmaking powers Of
| the United States, our Government
might have bulicd Chili-though even
this is doubtful-into relinquishing her
Just demands. Such an iniquitous pro-
cceding would not, however, convert
| Peru into "a strong commercial ally" I'M
less we admitted her products free of duty,
or annexed the country. How an interior
ence In the quarrel between Chill and Peru
would have assured to us control Of the
Panama Canal is riddle, which even Mr..
BLoUNT, who strove patiently to elicit
some Ineligible testimony from the witness,
felt constrained to abandon in despair.
Having admitted that Dr. ARIzoLA Of
Lima was confidential friend OF the sham
President, CALDERoN, and was to present to
him the prcposterous CoCHET demand for II
it was expected to secure from CALDERoN an
official recognition Of the Justice of this
enormous claim. The witness said he did
not know that SHEPHERD expected to get
the whole; the latter had "indicated a
readiness to take in settlement from Peru
whatever might seem fair" Now, we think
1t highly probable that SHEPHERD might
have taken what he could get-as, for in
stance, a few thousand dolars-seeng that
the claim had cost him and his friends next
to nothing, and was absolutely worthless
But we fear the Senator might have held out
for more extortonate terms, for he had ac-
copied fee whose cash value would be di-
rcctly proportional to the sum wrested from
Peru. That is observed to be the usual
working of contingent fees upon the legal
mind, whether the recipient happens
to be in or out of the Senate
Apropos of the same topic, Mr. BLAIT
was asked whether it would not have proved
exceedingly embarrassing and burdcnsomc
to Peru to have acknowledged and paid these
LANDREAU and CoCHET claims for upward
of n billion dollars" The witness opined that
under American management which he
explained to mean the wholesome admins
tration of SHEPHERDS Peruvian Company
at tcOuM be far less blrdeRs0me than IL nOu
is under her Otcn." We have tried in vain t.
extract meaning from that sentence ant
the impression is strong upon us that its au
thor did not mean us to succeed
or course much of the Senator's cXtraOr
binary evidence might be explained on tho
theory that he is an extremely thick-hcadcC
and simplc-hearted person. We regret t.
say that such theory is not tenable in view
Of Mr.. BLAIR's refusal TO produce the letter!
which have passed between himself ant
SHEPHERD. Although he has admitted
under oath that he never rendered lega
services OF any kind to SHEPHERD, thai
he based his notions of the soundncss Of the
CoCIEr claim, not on his own investigation
but, on SHIPHERD's assertions, yet he now
pretcnds to have sustained toward the
spcculator the relation Of attorney to client
and on that prcteXt withhods documents by
which an honest man would hasten to confirm
his testimony, II is vain to disguise the fac
that this attempt to skulk behind a proics
sional privilege, which, as We have frequently
pointed out, cannot possibly be recognized il
the case OF Federal legislator, has deeply
injured Mr.. BLAIR In the estimation even o
his friends, Nor shall We be surprised Il
hear that the course he has elected to pursue
Is regarded by his constituents as not only
| bicorannful N hin1Salf but nc arlxinn ,