The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-06-26
BLAINE's RECORD.
Jim's Doings While Secretary of State


His Position in the Peruvian War.
Mr.. Blaine, says the New York Sun,
entered upon the performance OF his
duties as secretary of state In his usual
dashing style, and during the brief
time he occupied the office he shook
up the dry bones of that musty de-
partment in very lively fa' hion. lie
did not hesitate to have it known that
he proposed to make the post of secre-
tary of state one that should attract
attention. He at once tried his hand
at foreign affairs, and less than a
month before he left the Office he is
ssued manifesto for peace con-
greSs" of American nations. The in.
Vitation was withdrawn after Mr..
Blaine had been succeeded by Mr.. FIRE.
linghuysen.
Mr.. Blaine was charged with using
his official influence as Secretary of
State to promote the interest of the
Credit Industrial of France by extend
ing an American protectorate over q
portion of Peru for the benefit Of the
subjects of four European nations.
He Indignantly denied this. He was
also charged with attempting to in
timidate Peru by significant inquiries
as to the strength of the United
states in the South Pacific. He de-
MED this and said his only object was
to ascertain whether United States
ships were available TO transport Mr..
Hurlbut from Panama to Callao and
Mr. Prescott from Pan.mI to Vaipa-
raise.
But the most serinus charges against
Mr. Blaine, grown g out of his brief
career as secretary of state, were
those made by j. r. Shepherd, the
chief promoter of the Peruvian COM
pany and the proprietor of toe Cochet
claim. The company claimed to have
bought from the heirs of Cochet the
right to one-third of the guano depos-
| its of Peru, and Shipherd alleged that
Blaine had used his official position as
secretary of state to advance the in
tereSts of the Peruvian company, and
had gone so far as to be priVy to an
offer of a bride to Minister 1urlbut.
Shipherd produced Il dispatch, which
he said was the product of an agree
ment between him and Blaine, which
instructed Minister IIurlbut that mo
treaty of peace between Chilli and Pc
ru shall be made unless there is recog-
milton of the Landreau claim
as a prior lien upon any territory
that Peru may be required to cede to
/ Chilli When the senate committee
on foreign affairs was investigating
the transaction, Shipherd presented
mass of testimony alleging interviews
with Blaine, and promises OF help IN
getting the Cochet claim recognized.
In one of these interviews Shipherd
averred that Blaine said to him, refer
ring to the men who were pushing
the claim of the Credit Industrial
"Shipherd, you can treat with those
fellows in twenty-four hours. You
have got exactly what they have not
got and what they absolutely need
an American basis, on which you have
the right to ask for interference by
the American government" Shiph-
erd also exposed the connection OF
Senator Blair with the affair, as his
counsel and go-between in the ne.
gctiationS between himself and
Blaine.
Mr.. Blaine denied emphatically the
, aspersions upon his character and the
intimation that he had proposed tt
risk war with Peru in order to uphold
a private claim of a speculative com
pany. He characterized Shipherd a!
"a man with whom lying is an EN-
ployment, and perjury is a pa5time.
He addressed the committee for on,
hour and a half and got into a person
al contest with Hon. Perry Belmont
a who cross-questioned him sharply
! about the transactions. The seem
between the youthful legislator ant
!. the gray-haired, but vigorous ex-sec-
tary, was very dramatic. Mr.. Blainl
! had made the boast that he coult
metaphorically spank the youn(
democrat and teach him lesson
But at the close of tn,
examination Mr.. Belmont appeared
to have not Only held hi
own, but TO have seriously rufil.ed The
feathers of the Plumed Knight. Mr.
Blaine tried to bully Mr.. Belmont, but
could not escape the neTciless ques
7 tioning of his young antae onist
which constantly excited his irIita
ton and bad TEMPER when he was
, pressed on sensitive points. Mr.. Bel
mont compelled him to admit that Pc
ruvian courts could not or would mol
adjudfcate the claims in question, an6
that the only chance for thtir success
was such outside pressure as his di.
plomatic plan prop; sed. MIR. Bel
mont also drew from him The admis
sion that the Landrtau claim which
he pushed was owned partly by a
Frenchman for whose benefit his di-
plomatic pyrotechnics had been dis
played.
In the course of his testimony Ship
herd told story to show why 1T was
that Blaine was able to concoct de-
fensive theory on the basis of his OWL
letters. The point of the story which
Shiphard said Blaine told him was
that in the reign of George Nv. the
Duke of York wrote some mastery
dispatches appar, ntly directing an
English admiral not to fight, but adj
ded in pencil on the margin of the
dispatch: that is all right, but give
them H." and the result was that
the admiral fought a winning battle
without formal declaration of war
Shipherd rays Blaine wrote en- the
margin of enc of the lettt rs 10 Minis
ter Hurlbut: 60 it, Stevei"
White Rainbow in the sierras.
From the Virginia City Enterprise.
In the midst of shower of man.
gled hail and rain. about 9:15 yester-
4. -.st g.. =.