The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-02-09
aENERAL coMMENT.

r.
People who read over Blaine's open let
ter to President Arthur, printed elsewhere,
viii get a new idea of the gulf which yawns
between the two factions of the Republi-
can party. As painted by theletter it Is
wider and deeper than any one has dared
to describe it heretofore. Blaine goes into
opposition to Arthur as boldly and openly
as Conkling antagonizea Hayes. The
difference between the weapons used by
Blaine and those employed by Conkling IN
their warfare upon the White House, marks
the great contrast. between the two men.
1t is the contrast between rapier ana a
Krupp cannon.
gphiladelphia Telegraph lRep.) Eep. A.
Mr. Blaine too impatient to wait until
the e7th inst,-or- thinking that it will be
worth while to keep the attention of the
public concentrated on his quarrel with
Messrs Arthur and Frelinghuysen between
now and the date of the delivery OF his
eulogy on Garfield. has published an open
letter to the President, in which he puts
upen him the responsibility for the Ameri-
can international Congress idea, and be-
slows a good deal of ridicule-well-d eserv-
ed ridicule, too--en Mr. Frelinghuysen' 5
objections to such a congress on the ground
that the holding of it might excite the i'll
will of the European powers. This letter
is direct defiance of the Administration,
for it puts the responsibility for the des-
patch calling for the congress where it
ought to belong-unless, indeed, it can be
shown that the President was not fully in
formed and it demonstrates very clearly
that, if Mr.. Blaine's proceedings were rash
and impolitic, the peculiar style in which
his successor went about reversing them
was in every way calculated to bring dis
credit on the nation and to greatly weaken
its influence both on this continent and in
Europe.
:. lPittsburg Chronicle. (Ind.), February Al
Mr.. Blaine says in effect, You, Mr..
President, not /, invited these people.
And we are unable, even now, to perceive
the great danger some people affect TO dis
cover in what was proposed.
Albany Evening Journal fRep.) February ~
Mr. Blaiues open letter to the President
in relation to the suggested conference of
representatives from the several republics
in the American hemisphere, is character
istically forceful, compact and pungent
II is not simply vindication; it is per
feet justification of what he said and of
his manner of saying it. He spoke with
the assent and by the express authority of
the President-a fact which has been de-
med only by few extra -officious journals,
who ventured to comment upon subject
of which they were profoundly ignorant
Whoever shall read what Mr. Blaine says
will conclude that those who wish to
weaken his hold upon the public heart will
have to raise some other issue than that
involved in the question discussed in this
pungent letter A more triumphant re-
Spouse to pejudiced and unjust criticism
has seldom been made by an American
statesman.
fAugusta {Ga) Chronicle (Dern.), Feb. 81
Certain persons who are hammering
away at the national banks day after day
might be bothered when they are asked to
say what they proposed to put in their
places as means OF supplying the country
with currency in case they succeeded in |
destroying them. None of them are will |
ing to go upon record IN favor of any par |
ocular substitute for the present currency |
'ystem. Any man can clamor against the |
ranks. but it is quite another thing to ex
,lain how a system closely interlocked |
With nearly all the business interests of
he country is to be safely uprooted and
ONE better machinery for furnishing a
and elastic paper circulation
Invented and put in its place.