The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-08-28
Fresh Laurels For Mr.. Blaine.

Since Mr.. Blaine has gone into the
libel suit business 1t will occur to good
m my people that it would be an excel
lent idea for him to extend the good
work. Many of his organs characterize
his indianapolis lawsuit as the bravest
and most heroic achievement OF the
! age. If to bring one libel suit against
newspaper which makes no claim to
| commanding influence, wealth or circu-
| latiOn, is noble and a god-like act,
! what would be the glory to be derived
from combat in the courts with the
Chicago Tribune, the Cincinnati COM
merciol. the Washington Republican
and the st. Louis Globe Den,oc.dE All
of these papers have made charges
| against Mr.. Blaine quite as libeloHs, if
untrue, as the allegations of the InGi-
snapOlis newspaper,
In 1876 the Chicago Tribune said Of
ldr Blaine: "They (the Republicans
! knew him rs a lobbyist before he enter
ed Congress, seeking contracts for the
supply of arms, They knew him while
| in Congress and while Speaker, as the
inside friend Of wildcat corporations,
| ruling as Speaker to save their bills, as
cl Inning reward for his official action,
| and as engaged in selling the worthless
| bonds of such corporations, receiving
large gratuities therefor"
In the st. Louis Globe Democrat of
Dec. II, 1881. occur these words: "Mr.
| Blaine is better calculated, evidently,
| to get us into war with some foreign
power than any Secretary OF State we
have had for ID long time" and on May
:s:}, 1884, the same paper said: "Mr.
! B:aine is an unclean man and the peO-
pie will not have him. He stands self
convicted of prostituting the high Off
ces he has held to build up private
fortune. of cohabitng with corruption
for dishonest money. His record
would damn him."
In the Cincinnati Gazette of Decem-
| Der IL, 1881, may be found these words:
| Mr. Blaine's retirement from the Cab
! inet) is u matter of congratulatiOn." !"
Z, 1876, said: "The Blaine letters, we
believe, prove all that he has been
charged with. The troublesome fact is
that there is Il low tone of public NOR
| ality i'll the estimation of the uses of
public position for private gain"
In September, 1882, the Washington
Republican, addressing Mr.. Blaine and
referring to the Mulligan letter episode
Of 1875, said: You escaped the dis
| CuSSl0n or everything unpleasant to
you that year by being defeated. You
escaped discussion before your defeat
because the Democrats hoped, and the
Republicans opposed to you feared, you
would be nominated. After the terri
| BILE experiences of that summer the
seat in the Senate made vacant by Mr.
MOrrill's resignation was an asylum for
you and your election atterWard for
the succeeding term was thought by
many to be rather an exhibition of
sympathy for your misfortunes than OF
continued confidence i'll your leader
ship"
Al of these quotations contain in
timatons injurious to the character of
Mr.. Blaine. Such of them as were ut
tered in 1876 have been repeated in
more recent years by The same news
| papers, SO that no statute OF OtlimitatiOnS
can run in favor of their authors. If
the path of glory leads but to libel
suit rs now seems to be the case, the
| Iierdld would suggest that the Repub-
lican candidate place fresh laurels on
his brow by holding some of these
great organs up for damages.-Chic go
| HeruM,