The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1884-08-16
WESTMINSTER, MD, SATURDAY, AUGUST 16, 1884,


ing and Currency protector or an enemy te
the national banks. He can give the Com
mittee on Pacific Railroads or on Public
Lands a bias friendly or hostile to the land
grant roads. And so on. He can reward
and exalt, or punish and humiliate members
whom he likes or dislikes, or whom he wants
to strengthen or to weaken, by giving then
desirable or undesirable places on the com
mittees. Moreover, he presides over the de-
liberations and administers the rules of the
House. 1t is in great measure in his power
to recognize or not to recognize members who
want to "catch his eye" in order to speak oil
make motions.
He decides points of order-to be sure, sub
ject to appeal-but his bare decision, oi
course, gees for much And during those
days of hurry and confusion which sometimes
occur, especially toward the close of the ses-
sion, a great many things may be put through
the House by his rapid action, of which only
he and those especially interested and watch
ful keep the run. In short, it is currently
said that bill to which the Speaker is
seriously opposed has but slim chance, and
that a measure he desires to pass will frG
quently find unexpected and powerful help.
Such is the power of the Speaker, almost
too vast and arbitrary in government like
ours, especially as to the composition of the
committees. But all the more important is il
to the country that this vast power, so dan
gerous if abused, shoald be welded with the
utmost scrupulousness and the highest sense Of
official honor; and all the more important to
the Speaker himself that his disinterestedness
honor-should stand clean and clear not only
above reproach, but above the reach of sus-
picion.
Well, Mr.. Blaine had for eight years been
in various business transactions with Mr.
Fisher, in which he says Mr.. Fisher treated
him very handsomely. Now, he was thankful
to Mr.. Fisher for his generous offer to ad
NIT him 1.-THE Speaker "to participation in
the new railroad enterprise railroad
being land grant road. The ''terms' offered
by Mr.. Fisher, whatever they may have been,
pleased Speaker Blaine greatly. But he
wanted more. He wished very much that
Mr.. Caldwell, the business friend of Mr..
Fisher, should "dispose of a share of his in
terest'' to him (the Speaker), and that without
delay. And he desired Mr. Caldwell as well
as Mr.. Fisher to understand that he Speaker
Blaine) 'would not be deadhead in the en-
terprise if he once embarked in it, and that
he 'saw various channels in which he 'knew
he could rsake himself useful
But Mr.. Caldwell seems to have been little
hard of hearing in this respect. He may havs
thought that Mr.. Blaine was neither prac.
teal railroad man to help in building road
nor as useful financier as q practical banker
or Wall street man would have been in rails
ing funds. He seems to have feared that Mr..
Blaine might turn out deadhead in the en-
terprise after all, and that his ''usefulRess in
various channels would not amount to much.
And so for three months Mr.. Blaine waited
in vain for that "defHite proposition from
Mr.. Caldwell, which he had so urgently asked
for.
Mr.. Blaine then evidently grew impatient
at Mr.. Caldwell's obtuscness, and wrote two
more letters calculated to quicken his intelli-
gence. The first was as follows:
PERSONAL
AUGUSTA. Me- Oct. 4, 1869.
My Dear Sir / spoke TO you a short time age
about point of interest to your railroad company
that occurred at the last session of Congress.
It was on the last night of the session, when the
bill renewing the land grant 10 the State of Arkansas
for the Little Rock Road was reached and Julian o
and, by right entitled to the floor attempted to pu
on the bill, as an amendment, the Fremont FL 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 set up, and
Julian's amendment likely to prevail if brought
to vote, Roots and other members from Arkansas
which there seemed to be obection), were in
despair. for it was well known that the Senate wa.
hostile to the Fremont scheme and II the ARKANSAS
bill had gone back to the Senate with Julians
amendment, the whole thing would have gone on
the table and slept the sleep of death.
In this dilemma Roots came to me to know Wha
on earth he could do under the rules for he said il
was vital TO his constituents that the bill should
trey out of order because not germane; but he aG
not sufficient confidence in his knowledge of the
rules to make the point, but he said Gen. Logan was
opposed to the Fremont scheme and would proba
bly, make the point. sent my page to Gen. Logan
with the suggestion, and he at once made the point
bill was freed from the mischieYous amendment
moved by Julian, and at once passed without objec
tion.
you can tell him that without knowing it did him
", Fisher, jr ESD N6. n inda,street, Boston.
On the same day he wrote a second letter
to Mr.. Fisher, which reads thus
AUGUSTA, Oct. 4, 1869.
NV Dear Mr.. Fisher: Find inclosed contracts o.
parties named in my letter of yesterday. The re
manning contracts will be completed as rapidly a.
possibly, as circumstances will permit
inclose you part OF the Congressional Globe o
April 9, containing the point TO which referred al
some length in my previous letter of to-day, You
will find II of interest to read it and see what
narrow escape your bill made on that last night O.
the session. Of course twas my plain duty to make
the ruling when the point was once raised. If the
Arkansas men had not, however, happened to comC
to me when at their wits end and in despair, the
bill would undoubtedly have been lost, or at leas
POSTPONED for a year; though the point would in
fore either of you engaged in the enterprise.
l beg you to understand that l thoroughly appre
ciate the courtesy with which you have treated me
in this railroad matter but your conduct toward
in business matters has always been marked by un
bounded lberality in past years, and. Of course,
have naturally come to expect the same of you now
You urge me to make as much as fairly can out o.
the arrangement into which we have entered. 1t il
natural that should do my utmost to this end; Jam
bothered by only one thing and that is the indefinite
arrangement with Mr.. Caldwell. 1 am anxious tC
acquire the interest he has promised me, but 1 dc
mo ppf q dnfDita Notwithstanding with hlvf
with you. l shall be in Boston In a few days days
and shall then have an opportunity to talk matters
whatever ever 1 do do with Mr.. Caldwell must ~ reailybc
done through you. Kind regards to Mrs. Fisher
Sincerely, J. &. BLAINE.
w. Fisher, Jr.
Now, Mr.. Caldwell may have been very
slow OF apprehension. But these two letters
(for they were evidently addressed to him
through Mr.. Fisher were certainly cleal
enough to remind him that Mr.. Blaine was
something more than mere railroad man ol
Wall street fnancier; that, in fact, he was Spea
ker ofthe House ofRepresentatives They told
him very pointedly that Mr.. Blaine, as Speaker
had done him a great favor-although he had
done it ''without knowing him. and in a cor.
rect way-but a favor which was of great
value to the company. And it was certainly
not the fault of Mr.. Blaine's letters if Mr..
Caldwell did not understand that Speaker
of the House, who could do such favors
without knowing it, might do equal and
still greater favors while knowing it; and that
therefore, Mr.. Blaine, as Speaker, had more
various channels in which to make himself
useful, and to prove live head in this land
grant railroad enterprise, than mere railroad
builder or mere Wall street financier. And
writing two letters on the same subject in one
day, Mr.. Blaine showed himself dreadfully in
earnest in pounding clear notions of the
Speakers opportunities for usefulness into
Mr.. Caldwell's head, in order to induce thai
gentleman to give at last to Speaker Blaine
that interest in the railroad enterprise which
the Speaker insisted upon having.
Mr.. Blaine's friends dislike greatly to be
brought face to face with these letters. They
cannot deny their genuiness and they cannot
explain them away. Some of them content
themselves with the general remark that after
all they were such as the Speaker of the
House would have no reason to be ashamed
of. And then thsy at once change the sub
ject and speak of the tariff. The fact is thai
Mr.. Blaine did see reason for being extremely
anxious that they should not become known.
He certainly did not consider them innocent