Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-07-16
Chickens Coming Home 10 Rooss

The Plumed Knight is on every hand
receiving intimations that his whole oili.
cial career /, now about to be rnked from
top to bottom. While his friends are
making desperate efforts to secure the
Irish and the Catholic vote at this most
critical conjuncture Of his political ca
reer the fact Is recalled to the minds OF
the voters that his name appeared. M
Chairman OF the Republican State
Committee OF Maine or circular
Intended to defeat candidate for Con
gress In That State who happened to be
Catholic, although no question OF re-
lgion legtimately entered into the can
vass. This advocate Of the "bloody
shirt" in the past, this preur chepaiier OF
envenomed partizan debate, is also be-
ing pursued ON his military record. aud
the promptitpde with which he sought
out substitute during the war is thing
for Democrats, yclept Copperheads, as
well as Republicans, to admire. But
these "reminiscences regarding the Plumed
Knight arc principally disastrous to him
whom it comes to his railway transac
tions. The Mulligan letters are his bette
noir, and not even the gentle ripple OF
the kennebec river can soOtho him into
his wonted repose. When the Mulligan
letter episode convulsed Washington it
was the general impression that the yer
satile Blaine had to improvise n sun
stroke to hold his end up in any sort OF
fashion. He at first assumed bold
front, but the rcmorseless and logical
evolution of the iGcts left him limp and
helpless. The leading feature of his con
necton with the Little Rock 4 Fort
Smith Railway was that. as Speaker of
the United States House OF Representa-
tivcs, he used that exalted office to fur
ther the schemes of corporation spolia.
tion and was afterwards not ashamed to
twice write TO the officials of the road,
reminding them Of their Obligations to
him aud demanding his share OF the
plunder. He added that he did not pro.
pose to be dead. head in the enterprise,
Here was an explicit reminder OF one
sirvice rendered and of more to come il
they were needed. The Railway Com
d,
pany responded to tits indecent appeal
by giving Mr.. Blaine over $3.50. 900 worth
of their stock, the consideration for
which was his abuse of his position as
Speaker OF the United States House OF
Representatives. The Plumed Knight,
Ignorant of the mine which was to
be sprung upon him by Mulligan, de-
MED that he had ever received n
dollars worth of this stock as u gratuity;
denied that he had ever held large
amount of it in any event, and said that
the little he had he had bought in the
open market and that for that he had
paid market rates. 1t was for the Sl57,
600 worth of this stock, which had been
given to him for his past services as
Speaker, and in consideration of his
promise not 10 be deaahead in the com
pany, that Col. Thomas A. Scott after
wards paid Blaine $4,000.
1t was probably in consideration of
the experience OF Garfield in the election
OF 1850 which tempted Blaine to scheme
for and accept the Republican nomina.
ton, Notwithstanding his peculiarly
vulnerable record. He in all likelihood
reasoned that ii the Ohio mans Credit
Mobilier and DE Golyer pavement record
could be forgiven his own offences would
also be condoned. But he made no al
lowance for the fact that the condition
of the United States in 1850 and in 1884
is wondrously different. Then we were
in the heyday of prosperity. Wall
street was feeling its oats, and the
myriad spectators and connubiators
were able and willing to put up large
sums to corrupt the voters. One of the
incidents of that time was the shower OF
crisp now two and three dollar green
backs which, in the vivid language OF
Dorsey, descended like shower from
heaven on Indiana. The full volume OF
the Star Route impurities had not then
been made known in their exceptional
enormity. Take it for all in ALL Mr..
Blaine, who is assured of a second large
fortune by the success of his book, seems
to have parted with the good sense
which, in his successful days, made him
q phenomenally fortunate politician.