Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1884-10-08
On His Knees Before Mulligan.

Un Ills kneeS before MulllSdu.
The publication of the second collection
of letters written by Mr.. Blaine to Warren
Fisher, Jr., and Josiah Caldwell forced the
Blaine organs to pay some attention to these
shameful writings that so clearly reveal the
real character of their candidate.
What were they to do? They hadvRtu-
diously refrained from abusing Mu1ligan
and Fisher, because they knew that there
were in their possession other letters be-
sides those made public in 1876. Now
these other letters-or some of them-were
given to the world At first they did not
dare to place them before their readers.
But Blaine himself saw that the issue could
not be evaded, and as soon as they had got
their cue from him they published part
of the new correspondence and began the
work of explanation.
We wish to direct attention to some of
the peculiar features of this so-called ex-
PLANTATION. The Blaine organs declared
that the letters were a complete vindication
Of their candidate. They showed, it was
said, that he was an honest man, and had
pursued an honorable course through all
the transactions referred to.
We're they not, then, grateful to Null
gan and Fisher for publishing this vindi-
cation and doing this great service in be-
half of Blaine? Not at all. While they
assured their readers that the letters proved
Blaine's innocence and would be Of great
value to him in the campaign, they could
find no epithets bad enough to express their
detestation of the men who had come to
his assistance at critical time Mulligan
and Fisher were sharpers, knaves and black
mailers. Mulligan was 'self-convicted
liar" In this way did they reward those
who had ''vindicated" their man.
Blaine himself declared that his only
desire was that every voter in the United
States might read the letters" and ''that
every Republican paper would publish them
in full" There was not a word in them,
he added, 'not entirely consistent with
the most scrupulous integrity and honor. -
He also regarded them as a vindication.
Let us see how he regarded the letters in
1876. Were they, in his opinion, vindi-
cation, and did he hasten to make them
public and urge every voter to read them?
His own testimony before the committee
shows how he laborod to suppress them,
but the testimony of James Mulligan,
whose good character was established in
that investigation, and was not attacked
even by the Blaine organs until the addi-
tional letters appeared, is more interesting.
Hearing that Mnlligan was on his way to
Washington, Blaine, full of anxiety,
awaited his arrival. Mulligan had been in
the city only fifteen minutes when Blaine
invited him, in a note sent to his hotel, to
come to his house. Mulligan did not 90.
Blaine came to the hotel and begged Null
ligan not to make known the contents of
the letters to the committee. Mulligan
testified as follows:
'tHe wanted to see those letters that had.
declined to let him see them. He prayed,
almost went on his knees-I would say on
his knees-and implored me to think of his
six children and his wife, and that if the
committee got hold of this communication
it would sink him Immediately and ruin him
forever l told him would not give them to
him. He asked me if would let him read
them. I said would if he would promise
me on the word of gentleman that he
would return them to me. | let him read
them over. He read them once and called
for them again and read them over again.
He still importuned me to give those papers
up. | declined to do it. / retired to nv
room. He followed me and went over the
same history about his family and children,
and implored me to give them up to him,
and even contemplated suicide. He asked
me if I wanted to see his children left in
that state. He then asked me again if
would let him look over those papers con-
secutively q had them numbered). told
him would if he would return them to
me. He took the papers, read them all
over, and among them [ had memoran-
dunn that had made by way of synopsis.
and referring to the numbers of the letters
"a synopsis containing the points of all
the letters.''
Having again got them in his possession
Blaine broke his word and retained them.
Later in the examination the following
question and answer are found:
'Q.-What reason did Mr.. Blaine give
you for desiring to suppress those letters?
"A.-That they would ruin him forever:
he contemplated suicide, and appealed to
me in every way he could.
lie began then to talk politics. and about
his friends. I talked freely to him. He
asked me if liked my present position, and
told him mol did not care about it. He
asked me how l should like a political Of
fee, and told him I did not care about
one. He asked me if I would not like a
Consulship. Mr.. Blaine is here.
and is listening to what say. I consider
my word as good as that of any man that
ever lived. told him there was no politi-
cal office that wanted'
l'idiIIO dlocIW dIu GtSlluou, WIFI reference
to this offer, that Mulligan had spoken
about going abroad to visit his friends, and
that he (Blaine) had 'jokingly remarked
whether he would not like to go abroad in
some official capacity" Blaine also sub
sequently testified that the relations be-
tween him and Mulligan had been sof the
most confidential character" for years, and
that Mulligan was a man of intelligence
and of marked character. 81 would not
say that Mr.. Mulligan falsifies," he added,
referring to the Consulship offer; II do not
want to say that at all. There might have
been room for his putting construction
on what l said" He denied that he had
offered him reward for the letters, or that
he had said anything about suicide.
Did Blaine at that time regard the letters
as ''vindication," and desire that every
voter should read them? Were Mulligan
and Fisher then. in his opinion, blackmail-
ers and liaIs?-New York Times (Republi-
cQn,)