The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1884-10-08
BLAINE'S RIFLE JOB.
Efforts to Sell $40, 900 Worth of Patent
Guns to the State Of Maine.
Corrupt OHiciaI notwithstanding Legisla-
ton for His Company While
in Congress.
New York Herald.I

while Secretary OF War. petronized this es-
Enlistment largely, and his large contracts
for rifles in advance of the wants of the
service were one OF the most prominent
sauses OF his dismissal from Office, and Of
his censure By the Republican House Of
Representatives, which accompanied the dis
. nissal Thefirst traces we have of Blaine OPP
erations to swell the receipts of that COM
panY by MS official influence relates to his
action while Speaker of the Maine House Of
, Representatives in 1862. A proposition to
purchase $40, 600 worth of these rifles for the
Use Of the State was introduced in the House
fhroAsA his suggestions. and referred to q
Scommittee of which Shepherd Cary was
Chairman. Mr.. Cary became convinced that
there was a job in the proposition. and
Through his influence the committee reported
against il.
A few days before the close of the session
m order was introduced in the House in
struoting the Committee on Military Affairs
! to inquire into the expediency of purchasing
y number of Spencer repeating rifles for the
nse Of the State. 1t passed the House, but
tthe Senate amended it by referring to the
CURED and Csry's committee reported as be-
fore and the scheme failed.
III HOW BLAINE HELPED HIS COMPANY.
But little was known. however, of Blaine's
relations to that company till 1876, when
his letters to Warren Fisher, Jr., reached
the public. The Chicago Tribune, which
now supports Blaine, took the following
view of the subject in an article published
. Jure . 1876:
we print this morning one of the letters
Blaine took from Mulligan that did not APP
pear IN the batch sent from Washington so
late Monday night that it was almost i'm
possible for the morning newspapers to print
sthem. The letter We refer to was written in
1851 when MIR. Blaine was a member of
I Congress and also stakeholder in the. Spen-
Ger Rifle Company. In it he claims the
merit OF suggesting legislative amendment
in the interest OF the company. in which he
was a stakeholder, by the favor of Mr.. Fisher,
tie whom the letter was written. That
amendment provided that when a corpora
ton had Government tax to pay on manu-
factuTed goods, put on after q contract had
been made, and the Government was the
purchaser OF the goods then the corporation
could demand that the Government assume
the tax, or, in other words release it. This
was exactly the condition of the Spencer
Rifle Company, as Blaine says in the same
letter: The Government has accepted your
proposition to take all you manufacture till
September 1, 1861" Blaine all the time was
drawing dividends on stock in this CON-
pany, for which he had given his note.
The Democrats will, therefore, make
the charge lie against him that he not
merely aVailea himself of his Congressional
position to secure legislation favorable to q
company in which he had an interest but in
order to do this he also schemed to deprive
the Government of its internal revenue tax
4 for his own benefit and the benefit of those
associated with him. What is the answer to
this charge? It will require another nIiser
able batch of defensive explanations aud
apologies. Is this the kind of platform on
which 10 elect President?
BLAINE's LETTERS TO FISHER
WASHINGTON. ID. c., May %, 1864
Nh DEAR SIR-Your favor received. / am
VERY glad, all things considered, that the
Government has accepted your proposition
to take all you manufacture till September l,
1865. 1t gives great and steady business
for the company for good stretch OF time.
= In regard to the tax provision you can
judge for yourself, as 1 send herewith copy
of the bill. The provision which you re-
quire about was not in the original bill, but
/. was!an amendment moved from the Ways and
Means Committee by Mr.. Kasson, of Iowa,
10 whom suggested it.
1t is just and properin every sense and will
affect good many interests, including your
company. i am glad TO hear such good ac-
counts Of your progress in the affairs OF the
company, of which ! have always been
proud 10 be a member.
In haste, yours truly.
]. G. BLAINE.
Warren Fisher, Jr., Esq.
DAMAGING ADMISSIONS.
IChicago Tribune, June s. 1876
In regard to the Spencer rifle contract, it
appears that Blaine before he entered Con-
I gress entered into bargain for making q
sale to the Government, through Simon
., Cameron, then Secretory OF War, and that
he assisted in securing legislation to the
Gun Company, enabling them to escape pay
ing taxes on the arms, after he became a
member Of Congress. 1t also appears from
his own letters that he took $4,000 worth OF
Spencer rifle stock, for which he gave Fisher
his note; that as late as 1872 this note had
not been paid, but in a letter to Fisher IN
that year Blaine claimed that the dividends,
running all through these years aud embrac-
ing his entire Congressional career had can.
celled the note yielded to him some thou
(. sands OF dollars cash and left Fisher indebt'
ed to him some thousands more.
1t seems that Blaine admits. then in his
own letters, that he received the stock with
out payiug cash for it. aud that he drew
dividends on the stock all the time he was in
Congress and while he was assisting the com.
paDy in securing legislation to avoid paying
their taxes.
BLAINE STATES AN ACCOUNT
PERSONAL
AUGUSTA, Me-, August O. 1872.
Ny DEAR Mr.. FIsHER-0n my return home
yeste rdsy Hound your favor OF the 9th from
StoningtOn, asking for my notes, Sc, 600, on
account. IL seems to be that partial settle
ment of our matter would only lead to fu
ture tTouDle-at ali events to more postpone
meDt of our present difficulties. L deem il
highly desirable that we should have q con
elusive settlement, aud ] have been eagel
for that these three months. The account
which you stated. June 20. 1872 does not cor
respond with the reckoning have made oil
my indebtedness on the note you hold.
You credit me, April 26. 1869. with 81. SOC
dividend from the Spencer Company, but
there were two subsequent dividends Of
1880 the other OF s, 500 of which no men
ton Is made in your statement, though I re-
ceived in June, 1870, your check for 500
or g. 500. which was part of:these dividend
believe. think my cash memorandum o
June %, 1869, for 81 500 with which yoI
charge me, represented at the time part o.
these dividends but being debted with that
that am entitled to q credit OF the divi 1end
In other words, as reckon it, there arr
dividends amounting to 50 $50 due me, will
intorcaf ainca lima 1970 Of which / re-