Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1884-09-18
The Confession Of Guilt,

1t is with humiliation that we print
this morning the extraordinary CORE
spondeuce, now first given to the public,
between Mr.. Blaine and Warren Fisher.
The amazing exhibit made by these let
ters Of sordid subserviercy and of guilty
implication on the part of Speaker of
the House of Representatives is one to
bring the blush of shame to every
American, aud no mere partisan feeling
can quite overcome the sense of national
humiliation at the dishonor to the coun
try.
No one can read these letters of Mr..
Blaine without arriving at the conviction
that the writer was using his position in
the House of Representatives for the
most ignoble and selfish purposes. The
internal evidence of direct and syste-
matte co1lusion with railroad jobbers and
lobbyists is unmistakable. tIt will be In
my power at the approaching session OF
Congress, " writes Mr.. Blaine to Mr.. Fisher
with regard to the establishment of
bank at Little Rock, ''to cast an anchor
to windward in your behalf, and sit
will be to some extent matter of favor
itism as to who gets the banks The
proof Of manipulation of railroad bonds
is specific and minute, and, what is still
worse, the evidence of distress and fear
growing out of the shameful association
IS as plain as words of abject acknowledge
ment can make it. 1.-THE personal hard
ships, - or les Mr.. Blaine, of this connec-
ton, ''are to me bitter and burning and
humiliating to the last degree.
And we can readily believe it
when we find this speculative states
man acknowledging, as he did on
the 14th of June, that he was in a
Every painful and embarrassed condition
growing out of his connection with the
Fort Smith enterprise" and again in
November, writing, eff you knew all
the agonies have suffered in this mat
ter you would pity me, am sure"
But we are carried a degree further
down, from speculative audecity to per-
sonal humiliation, when we find Mr..
Fisher writing to him in April, 1872:
1 have loaned you at various times, when
you were comparatively poor, very large
sums Of money, and never have you paid me
one dollar from your own pocket, either pr1n-
cipal or interest. l have paid sundry amounts
to others to whom you were indebted, and
these debts you have allowed TO stand unpaid
like the notes which I hold have placed
you in positions whereby you have received
very large sums of money without one dollar
of expense to you, and you ought not to for
get the act on my part OF all the parties
connected with the Little Rock and Fort
Smith railroad no one has been SO fortunate
as yourself in obtaining money out OF it.
And yet in the face OF this defiant
taunt and indignant reminder of the
principal to his tool that towing to your
political position you were able to work
off all your bonds at very high price, y
we find this high-minded statesman, un-
mindful Of the shame implied in this
letter. and only anxious to cover up his
tracks, replying to Fisher with cring
ing and pitiful appeal. And what is
that appeaIG Simply that Fisher will
exonerate him, and to do it he, Blaine,
incloses the draft of letter which he
wishes Fisher to write. and which will
stop all ISLANDERS before the Republican
convention assemblies.
And even here Mr.. Blaine takes one
more downward step, for after he re-
ceived the desired letter he interlines it
with his own hand TO make 1t stronger.