The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-04-29
JAMES G. BLAINE,


eac!lon was closed when in tho letter Of
octobcr 4 Alr. D!aine wrote to Fisher and
told him the story 0! the OH Of April,
MI: Blaine had come acros II when
looking. over The Globe, with a natural
cufloaity to SOC what had been his
decisions during tho frat ak weeks Of
his Speakerahip,s and wrote OF Il to
runner rs an item In the Legislative history
OF the enterprise into which they had both
subsequently, entered. 1t concerned a bill
% renew a land grant, made long before
the war to tho Little Rock 4 Fort Smith
railroad. The bill had passed tho Senate
without opposition and there was no one
Directing to 1t In the House. But the adyo-
caten oil the Memphis, FL Paso < Pacific
hallway bill sought to attach their bill 10
1t aH an amendment. This Ell Paso scheme
was known mt the time as General Ere.
mont's acheme, and had been urged upon
Congress before. 1t was generally unpop-
nlar and holly opposed by General Logan.
Welded to the Little Rock bill 1t would
gain strength, but the Little Rock bill
would lose II, and a Just measure, uniyer.
sally approved, would be killed in lis ef.
Tort to pull through with this unjust meas.
- aAANe1bn'y hA~oappIONeus
MIR. DLAIsE's LETTER TO FISHER
will tell tho rest Of the story. He wrote:
I'm this dilemma, Roots, the Arkansas
member, came to me 10 know what on
earth he could do under the rules, for he
said 1t was vital 10 his constituents that the
bill should pass. ! told him that the
amendment was entirely out OF order be.
cause not germane, but he had not sufficient
confidence in his knowledge OF the rules TO
make the point. But he said General
Logan was opposed TO the Fremont scheme
aud would PROBABLY make the point. |
sent my page to General Logan with the
suggestion, and he at once mado the point. |
| could not do otherwise than sustain II.
and 60 the bill was freed from the mis-.
chievous amendment and at once passed
without objection" Mr.. Blaine added
these significant words: "At that time / had
nerer seen Mr.. Caldwell, Jut you can tell him
that Wilhout knowing him / did him a areat
tdrOr. l thought The point n0uid
interea. both you and Mr.. Caldwell, though be.
fore either Of you uere engaged in The enter
prize"
This seems, MI. Editor, to DISPOSE of
your first charge. The bill was a just one
and MIR. B!aine'a friends had no interest In
it when it passed the House. Eighty days
after the House adjourned, MIR. Blaine
asked his friends, who had in the mean.
time gotten hold Of the enterprise and had
offered him some interest, to let him in as
y partner. They refused. They did, how.
ever, sell him a block Of securities on the
same terms they sold them to others, and
1t proved an unfortunate purchase, Tor he
sold them out among bis friends believing
them valuable, and took them all back
when he found that they were worthless.
The letter OF Mr.. Blaine written months
alter, contains his vindication, and so
clearly that Judge Black, after an inyesti-
CATION Of the whole subject, declared in
bis characteristic style that Mr.. Rlaine's
letters proved that tho charge which you
repeat against him twas not only untrue
but impossible, and would continue go to
prove until tho Gregorian Calendar could
be turned around and October made to
the year."