Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1884-08-28

~hA' Dihihc oShuiiiS tiic iohoWiuB bciS-
gram:
BAR HARBoR, Me-, Aug. 14th.
Col. w R. Hollo,Ody:
l have this moment received the
atrOcious libel of the Congressional
Record. 1t is utterly and abominably
false in every statement and every inn
plication. Personal ISLANDERS I do not
stop to notice, but this assails my honor
as public official. desire you with
out an hours delay to employ the prop
er attorney and have the responsible
Publisher of the Congressional Record
sued for libel in the United States
Court. 1t is my only remedy. / am
sure that honorable Democrats alike
with honorable Republicans Will justi-
fly me in defending my honor and in
tegrity, if need be with my life.
JAMES G.. BLINE.
Ormade this complaint: .s1F
James G. Blaine, plaintiff, agt. the
Publisher of the Congressional Record.
defendent, for libel. James G. Blaine,
plaintiff, above named, a citizen of the
State of Maine, complains of said de-
fendent of the Congressional Ree0Yd,
which Is printed at the city of Wash
ington, in the District of Columbia;
that the defendent directs and controls
the publication of said newspaper; that
during the Summer of 1878, said de-
fendant, wickedly intending to 'injure,
defame and scandalize plaintiff, did
maliciously print and publish in the
regular issue of said paper for that day,
of and concerning plaintiff, O certain
false, scandalOus and defamatory arti-
Gle in the words following. -
MIR. Mulligan said: "After my exam-
nation here, yesterday, Mr.. Blaine
came up to the hotel the Riggs House,
and there had conference with Mr..
Fisher and myself. He wanted to see
the letters that had | declined to let
him see them. He prayed, went almost
on his knees, and implored me to think
of his wife and six children, and that,
if the committee should get hold of this
communication it would sink him i'm
mediately and ruin him for ever. /
told him l should not give them to him.
He asked me if | would let him read
them. l said | would if he would prom
Use me, on the word of gentleman,
that he would return them to me. /
did let him read them over. He read
them over once, and called for them
again, and read them over again. He
still importuned me to give those letters
up. [ declined to do it. retired to
my own room, and he followed me up,
and went over the same story about his
wife and children, and implored me to
give them (the letters up to him, and
even contemplated suicide. He asked
me if l wanted to see his children left
in that state, and he then asked me
again if would not let him look over
those papers consecutively. had them
numbered"
And that of the letters referred to in
this interview, the following was by
the same defendent alleged to be one:
] PERSONAL
AUGUSTA, Me-, Oct, 4th, 1869.
My Dear Sir:-I spoke to you a short
time ago about point of interest to
your railroad company which occurred
at the last session of Congress.
1t was on the night of the session, when
the bill renewing the grant to the State
of Arkansas for the Little Rock Road
was reached, and Julian, of Indiana,
Chairman of the Public Lands commit
tee,and by right entitled to the floor, 'at-
tempted to put on the bill las an amend
ment, the Fremont El Paso scheme
"a scheme probably well known to Mr..
Caldwell. The House was thin, and
the lobby in the Fremont interest had
the thing all setup; and Julian's amend
ment was likely to prevail, if brought
to a vote. Roots, and other members
from Arkansas, who were doing their
best for their own bill, Ito which
there seemed to be no objection, were
in despair, for it was we'll known that
the Senate was hostile to the Fremont
scheme; and, if the Aarkansas bill had
gone back to the Senate with Julian,s
amendment, the whole thing would
have gone on to the table and slept the
sleep of death.
In this dilemma, Roots came to me to
know what on earth he could do under
the rules; for he said it was vital to his
constituents that the bill should pass.
told him that Julian's amendment
was entirely out of order, because not
germane; but he had not sufficient con.
fidence in his knowledge of the rules tc
make the point, but he said General
Logan was opposed to the Fremont
scheme, and would probably make the
point. l sent my page to General Lo-
gan with the suggestion, and he at once
made the point. l could not do other.
wise than sustain it; and so the bill was
freed from the mischievous amendment
moved by Julian, and at once passed
without objection.
AT that time | had never seen Mr..
Caldwell; but you can tell him that,
without knowing it, / did him great
favor Sincerely yours,
j. G. BLAINE.
w. FISHER, jr.,
No. "a India Street, Boston.
That large number of copies of said
newspaper were by defendant caused to
be circulated and distributed in said city
of Washington, and elsewhere; and
that by said publication the plaintiff
has been damaged in the sum of $50,
600, for which sum he demands judg-
ment.