The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-07-24
Lie-Nailing and the Madigan Circular.

Another campaign lie has been
Nailed" says the Cincinnati CONNER
cidL Gazette. at was asserted that Mr..
Blaine was the author of a circular got
out to prejudice the anti- Catholic voters
of the Fourth Maine Congressional Dis
trict, when, in 1875, James c.. Madigan,
jealous Catholic, was running for
Congress in that district, and that ex-
Governor Piaisted saw Mr.. Blaine write
it, and declared that he was the author
of it to his (Plaisted's) personal knOwl-
edge And now comes Mr. Plaisted
himself asserting that he had no per-
sonal knowledge of that fact, and that
he did not see Mr.. Blaine write it"
This is very good as far as it goes.
But in its jealous mailing of a lie the
Cincinnati organ is guilty of one
of those half-truths which is quite
as reprehensible as an entire lie. Ex-
Governor Plaisted does deny that he
ever said he saw Mr.. Blaine write the
Madigan circular. But in so denying
he states facts which fasten the respOn-
sibility of the circular on Blaine as
firmly as if he had actually been seen
to write il with his own hand. What
Ex-Governor Plaisted says is that the
circular was printed at the office of the
Kennebec Journal, the Republican Or
gan at Augusta, Blaine's home; that
it was sent out from the Republic
can headquarters in Augusta; and
that Blaine, as Chairman of tho
State Committee, sent it out.
To withhold these facts in pretending
to give Governor Plaisted's statement is
to deliberately deceive the reader. And
as deliberate deception is the essential
feature of lying the Cincinnati organ
does not establish its claim to respect as
Notwithstanding to the Republican
candidate.
We have not noticed heretofore this
Madigan circular; but the anxiety of
the Republican organs in respect to it,
and especially their anxiety to free
Blaine from the responsibility for it,
give it some Importance. 1t was cir
cular purportiEg to come from q
Protestant Democrat" in which Mr..
Madigan, then a candidate for Congress
on the Democratic ticket was ruthlessly
assailed on the score of his religious be-
lief, and accused. among other things,
of being a lay member of the order of
JeSulIS- 1le OdLDOllc OHuTcn was dlSO
attacked most bitterly, and voters were
urged to vote for Common for Governor
and for Plaisted (who was then Re-
publican running in opposition to Mad
igan) for Congress. There is no doubt
whatever that Blaine was officially and
individually responsible for the issue
and distribution of the circulars any
more than there is that his object was
to stir up feeling of religious hostility
against Mr.. Madigan and inaugurate
the worst kind Of political warfare.
The Cincinnati organ evidently feels
that this is the real offense that Blaine
committed. and seeks, indirectly, to ex-
tricate him by quoting letter written
by him in 1876, in which he said he
would not "for a thousand Presidencies
speak disreputable word of his moth
er's religion and that no pressure
would draw him into any GT01cGl of
hostility or unfriendliness to Catholics
The defense is not big enough, however,
to cover the offense. Mr.. Blaine's dec
larations as to his sentiments in 1876
can not possibly disprove his acts in
1S75.-Detrot; Free Press.