Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1884-10-15
WEIGHED AND WANTING.
The New z ork Commercial Ad-
vertiser's" Analysis of the
Charges Against Blaine.
Every Accusation Minutely Examined
and the Conclusions of limo
cence Reached.
After an Absolutely Impartial Inquiry
the Charges Are Found to Be
Thoroughly False.


IVES not likely to be influenced as much by the
charges against Mr.. Blaine's honesty and verac-
ity as by those against Mr.. Clevelands chastity,
we have felt 1t duty, since the new letters
appeared, to make laborious and careful ex-
animation of those charges against Mr.. Blaine
ana the testimony produced TO support them
We first approached tile subject with no per-
sona1 predictions in favor of Mr.. Blaine, and
with, we Can hardly say, belief, but vague,
underlined feeling which amounted almost to a
belief, that we should find much to sustain the
charges. We are to-day prepared to state the
results of our investigation, conscientiously
made They have been arrived at after reading
and considering everything IN the way of evil
dence or argument that could End upon the
subject, and our conclusions are as follows:
JUSTIFIED IN RETAINING THE LETTERS.
L So far as relates to Mr.. Blaine's letters,
Mr.. Blaine from Mulligan, the latter had at
the time Mr. Blaine obtained them, no right
to their possession. Mr.. Fisher. to whom they
were addressed, had. in pursuance of a policy
of double dealing which is obvious, con-
sented that Mulligan should take them with
him when summoned TO Washington as wit
ness. But alter he got there MIR. Fisher had
demanded their return to him, which MIliligan
had refused. From that time he wrong
doer, and either party to the correspondence
had right to regain their possession. When
Mulligan avOwed to Mr.. Blaine that he claimed
right to publish the letters which he would
exercise when and he chose, Mr.. Blaine
fully justified in retaining them. But he acted
fairly, for he at once offered to leturn them to
Fisher, the other party to the correspondence.
Fisher, however, who had apparently become
frightened, declined to receive them. AS a
matter of undoubted law, Mulligan had no
right to publish them; neither had Fisher, eX-
cept under circumstances which did not exist,
and If either had attempted it Mr.. Blaine could
have enjoned them.
As to the letters recently published by Fisher
and Mulligan, their publication was, so far
Mr.. Blaines letters concerned, fragrant
violation of the law, and should deprive those
engaged in it of the confidence of every decent
man.
A MUIIIGAN LIE NAILED
2. The allegation that Mr.. Blaine begged Null
nOan ION his knees" TO give him the letters that
he declared their publication would ruin him
and his family, etc, etc. is not true. Mulligan
is the only authority for it, and he alleges it
CURED in the presence of Fisher and Josiah At
kins, but they. when examined under oath, did
not sustain him.
BLAINE SUPPRESSED NOTHING.
Mr.. Blaine did not suppress any of the let
tiers or any of the evidence against himself,
but published the whole After some most ri
under this head is now confined solely to Mr..
Fishers letter of Oct "a, 1871. Mr.. Blaine ex
pressly stated in the House of Representatives
that he did net read 1T because, though specified
upon MullIgans schedule It was not in the bum
die he received: MuliTan told the Times
two days ago thst the original letter to Mr..
Blaine was in the paoEsRe--whtch was obvious
ly impossible. He tod TIE Boston journal yes
terday that a letter press copy was in the bun
de- 1t is unirn portant which of these state
ments Mulligsn inteads to stand by, for the
letter IS now publishes, and its contents are so
comparatively unIIn Do! mt that 1t IS absurd to
suppose that when NJ Blaine read all the other
letters he seureted for suppression not
written by hin1SStf, but enc Which 1t WAS natural
to believe lr. Fisher could duplicate, and one
which, in any event, referred to matters not
then the subject of controversy. In fact, not
only did Mr.. Blaine suppress any of the let
tiers but he read letters not called for by Multi
gan's memorandum, because he found them IN
the package.
THE UNION PACIFIC BONDS.
4. The charge that Mr. Blaine interested
In the seyenty-five bonds sold to the Union Pa
not only without evidence 70 sustain it, but was,
on a full Investigation, absolutely disproved.
The charge ressed originally on mere hearsay.
Every pernor WIZ did or weld know anything
of the TRANSACTION <ere~s in saying that Mr..
Blaine had nothing &c do ~1th the sale, never
had any interest 10 the bonds so sold, and
neither dEeat!y in it.sctly benefited by the
sale. Tomas A. SOFT, ~bo made the SALE An
drew Carueg1e wae :@e~ir sd the bonds from
Dillon of :he EnIoc Pacific Eo&d all agreed that
Mr.. Blame lad no:h!2E to do with the bonds or
their ssIe. NJ. S:o.1 s~o-s .hat he bought them
of Caldwell some e4Cn:e-n months before the
sale of the Un!on Pa c1f1c Company, and that
Blaine had eH-k:ag to do with them. Mr. Cald-
we'll whowss n Europa, eabled that Mr. Blaine
had no connection w ia TIC matter 1t was,
moreover, prov~C beyond dispute that Mr.. Blaine
had not at that time sc@c1ent bonds to have
made the sale The AetsrS recently produced
help to confirm this proof. Tishers reference
in one of the new letters &c the bonds sold to
Scott is shown by his own statement under
oath to have been made without knowl-
edge and only hesrsay, and the person
who he alleged gave him the Information utter
~ denied having dane so, and equally denied
any knowledge or belief that Mr.. Blaine had any
connection with the bonds or their sale. There
has seldom or never heen charge against any
one which was either or absolut5 ly without
proof 90 sustain 1t or which absolutely
disproved. The passage in one of the former
letters which has been heretofore appealed to
containing an implied admission of an interest
in the sale of bonds to Scott is shown by the
correspondence recently published not to refer
thereto.
THE LITTLE ROCK MATTER.
5. Mr.. Blaine did nothing in Congress with
reference to the Little Rock and Fort Smith
Railroad Company which was improper or out
of the ordinary course On the contrary, his
action in strict accordance with parlia-
mentary law and in the interest of decent legis-
lation. When En- ATTEMPT was made by amend
ment to log roll the bills together and thus
either to defeat the unObjectionable one or
make it carry the bad one, he was applied to by
friends of the measure for information as to
what they could do to protect themselves from
the lobby, and he made suggestion which was
effectual. Such applications are always made
to the Speaker as matter almost of right. Mr..
Blaine asserted this in the House and no ore
contradicted him. and every one familiar with
Washington usage knows it to be true.
At the time Mr. Blaine made this suggestion,
and for two months afterward, there can be no
pretense that either he or any friend or. ac-
Quaintance of his interested in that bill, or
had any knowledge OF it About two months
after the adjournment of Cong ess Mr.. Blaine
was surprised by an offer from intimate per-
sonal and business friend that he should be-
come interested-apparently by purchasers
partner in the contract to build the Fort Smith
Road but the proposed arrangement, though
under consideration for some months, never
was perfected. While it still pending Mr..
Blaine in letters to the friend who had pro-
posed the arrangement to him, described-as
he says as a matter OF natural curiosity-the
action which he took with reference to the bill
in Congress- These letters were written
six months after Congress adjourned, and there
is no pretense that Mr.. Blaine ever at any time
after the proposal was made to him to become
interested in the contract did ANYTHING OF any
nature, proper or improper. to aid those inter
ested under the bill or the contract,
except to sell to friends some of
the securities and TO lend them his
credit to raise money. Neither the new nor the
old letters show or indicate any improper act by
Mr.. Blaine. His critics have never pretended to
put their fingers on any such act. They have
necessarily confined themselves to criticism of
his Language. bis reference TO the fact that LIZ
he went into the enterprise partner he
should not be -dead-head" and that he saw
many channels in which he could be useful"
did not necessarily imply tender of any i'm
proper service and both the services which he
rendered and the manner in which he was treat
ed show that his language was neither intended
by himself nor understood by those to whom it
was addressed to involve or imply any iInprop-
er action on his part. Nor was there ANYTHING
IN Mr. Blaines position which should have pre-
vented him from going into the enterprise
Az the same time. 1T would have been better il