St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-08-14

I
desire. I thsnk you very sincerely for it, and in
this connection / wish to make a suggestion of a
somewhat selfish character. 1t is this: You spoke
Of Mr.. Caldwells offer to dispose of a share of his
interest TO me. If he really des to do So wish
he would make the proposition definite, so that
could know Just what to depend on. Perhaps, il
| he waits till the full development of the enter
prise, he may grow reluctant to part with the
share, and L do not by this mean any distrust of
him do not feel that shall prove a deadhead in
the enterprise if once embark in it. 1 see vari-
GUS channels in which I know / can be useful.
Very hastily and sincerely your friend
JAMES G. BLAINE.
Mr.. Fisher, India street Boston.
This is what Puck calls the '1etter
of acceptance"
The second, dated three days later,
reads as follows:
AUGUSTA, Me-, July . 1862
My Dear Mr.. Fisher: You ask me if am salts
fed with the offer you made of a share in YOUR
new railroad enterprise. OF course, am more
than satisfied with the terms of the offer; think
il a most liberal proposition IL hesitate at ALL il
is from considerations in no way connected with
the character Of the offer. Your liberal mode of
dealing with in all our business transactions of
the past eight years has not passed without my
intended to bring Caldwell to a definite prOpo-
sitiOn. That was ALL go to Boston by the same
train that carries this letter and will call at your
office tomorrow at 10 NJ If you don't happen to
be in, no matter don't put yourself to any trouble
about it. Yours, j. G.. Il.
Mr. Fisher, Jr.
Here let us pause moment. Who
were Mr.. Fisher and Mr.. Caldwell ?
Business men occasionally engaged in
railroad affairs, in this case interested
in the building of the Little Rock 4.
Fort Smith railroad in Arkansas, and
i'll the financial operations connected
Herewith. 1t should be remembered
that this Little Rock railroad had re-
ceived from the national government
valuable grant of land, and that its
interests could occasionally be pro-
NOTED or injured, as the case might be,
by the legislative action of congress.
And who was Mr.. Blaine He was
at the time speaker of the national
house of represe natives. And what
is the speaker of the house of repre-
sentatives? He is, without question,
by far the most powerful man in the
government, next to the president of
the United States. He appoints the
committees of the house, in which
all legislation is prepared-aye, in
which, it might almost be said, the
principal business of the house is done.
He can, if he pleases, compose those
committees in a way favorable or un-
favorable to certain lines of policy, or
measures, or interests. He can make
the committee on banking and cur
rency protector or an enemy to the
national banks. He can give the COM
mittee on Pacific railroads or on public
lands bias friendly or hostile to the
land grant roads. And so on. He can
reward and eXalt, or punish and hu-
initiate members whom he likes or
dislikes, or whom he wants to we..ken,
by giving them desirable or undesira-
BILE places on the committees. More
over, he presides over the delibera-
tiOns and administers the rules of the
house. 1t is in a great measure in his
power to recognize or not TO recognize
members who want to "catch his eve"
i'll order to speak or make motions.
He decides points of Order-tO be sure, i,
subject to appeal-but his bare decis-
ion goes, of course, for much. And
during those days of hurry and cOnfu-
sion which sometimes occur, especially
toward the close of the session, great
many things may be put through the
no Use by his rapid action, of which
only he and those especially interested
and watchful keep the run. In short,
it is currently said that bill to which
the speake is seriously opposed has
but a slim chance, and that measure
he desires to pass will frequently find
unexpected and powerful help.
Such is the power of the speaker,
almost too vast and arbitrary in a gov
ernment like ours, especially as to the
composition of the committees. But
all the more important is it to the
country that this vast power, SO dan
gerOus if abused, should he welded
with the utmost scrupulOusness and
the highest sense of official honor and
all the more important to the speaker
himself that his disinterestedness, his
impartiality one word, his Officia
should stand clean and clear
not only above reprOach, but above
the reach of suspicion.
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 admit him
(the speaker) ''to a participation in
the new railroad enterprise tina
railroad being q land grant road. Th,
"terms" offered by Mr.. Fisher, what
ever 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 Il share o
his interest" to him (the speaker), ant
that without much delay. And he de
sired Mr.. Caldwell as well as Mr.. Fish
er to understand that he (Speakel
Blaine) "wOuld not be Il deadhead il
the enterprise if he once embarked il
it," and that he "saw various chan
nelsn in which he ''knew he cOul,
make himself useful"
But Mr.. Caldwell seems to hav
been little hard of hearing in thi
respect. He may have thought tina
Blaine was neither practical railroad
man to help in building a road, nor a
useful a financier as a practical banke
or Wall street man would have bee
, in raising funds. He seems to hav
feared that Mr.. Blaine might turn on
IA deadhead in the enterprise after al
and that his usefulness in variou
, channels" would not amount to much
And so for three months Mr.. Blain
waited in vain for that 'definite prop
osition" from Mr.. Caldwell which h
had so urgeantly asked for.
Mr.. Blaine then evidently grew in
patient at Mr.. Caldwell's obtusenes,
; and wrote two more letters calculate
to quicken his intelligence. The frs
u was as follows
Personal
AUGUSTA, Me-, Oct 4, 1869.
u Ny Dear Sir; spoke to you a short time al
about point of interest to your railroad compaI
that occurred at the last session of congress.
1t on the last night of the session, when q
: bill renewing the land grant to the state of Arka
II sas for the Little Rock road was reached and j
liam of Indiana chairman of the public lands col
mittee, and, by right, entitled to the floor attemI
ed to put the bill amendment, the Fl
mont FL Paso scheme-a scheme probably W
- known to Mr. Caldwell. The house was thin, a
y hnd