Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1884-10-24
THE BEECHER-JOY EPISODE
tFrom the New York SUM-

Beecher Of Brooklyn. Mr.. Beeoher comes
before the public second time in this can
vass. His first appearance was as defend.
er Of Mr.. Cleveland, on the charge of per.
sonal immortality. His second appearance is
as an acouser Of Mr.. Blaine, on the charge Of
official dishonesty
The story is that Mr.. Blaine, when speaker
Of the House Of Representatives, offered to
make up certain railroad committee to suit
the wishes Of Mr.. James f. Joy of Detroit,
provided that Mr.. Joy would take of OF Mr..
Blaine's hands at par certain deprecated
bonds, said to have been bonds Of the Little
Rock and Fort Smith railroad company. In
other words, Mr.. Blaine offered to sell for
money his official action as speaker. The
evidence is Mr.. Beecher's statement that he
heard Mr.. Joy relate the circumstances of
this direct bid for bribe money at the dinner
table in Mr.. joys house in Detroit, on Sept.
29, 1871 We quote Mr. Beecher
Toward the close Of the dinner, Sept. 20, 1877,
political matters were introduced, and among other
things Baines failure to receive the nomination that
went to Hayes. Mr. Joy spoke with contemptuous
severity Of Mr, Blaine, and gave this statement:
when dimculty occurred In regard TO certain
lands In the southwest In which | was interested,
committee was about to be appointed by Congress to
examine the matter Blaine being spcaher OF the
House. Through friend asked Mr.. Blaine to have
one sound lawyer appointed on that committee did
not care Of which party. simply wanted sound
through FREUD that he had certain deprecated
bonds, and that n would enable him to place them
al par y coutd mare ny committee dsi Udnted IT,
81 cannot forget with what cutting scorn Mr.. Joy
leaned back In his chair and said: THAT is the
man Blaine is, and he added, 4 refused the oner
aud as the courts soon settled the natter no COM
mittee was appointed"
What we note frat about this statement re-
specting the alleged statement OF Mr. Joy is
that Mr.. Beccher assumes TO give the identi-
cal words used by Mr.. Joy. II Mr.. Beecher
tells the truth, he Is able after seven years to
report verbatim dinner table remark OF Mr.
joys concerning matters with the details Of
which Mr.. Beecher was confessedly at that
time unfamiliar. This circumstance in itself
affords reason for suspecting MIR. Beecher's
testimony. Some people have not forgotten
that when Mr.. Beecher was on the witness
staud in 1875, under cross examination by
Mr. Fullerton, he frequently found difficulty
not only in recalling the exact language OF
important conversations on matters vital to
his own reputation, held two and three years
previously, but also in remembering whether
such conversations had ever taken place
Now, after seven years. he does not hesitate
to attribute to Mr.. Joy words aud sentences
OF the grayest import, carrying an accusation
of criminal misconduct on the part OF auoth.
er person, at present candidate for Pres-
dent Of the United States.
The second point which seems to us to dis.
close Mr.. Beecher's Animus is found in his
attempt to set aside as "irrelevant to the sub.
ject matter" Mr.. joys cable despatch OF last
week. Mr.. Joy squarely contradicts Mr.
Beecher, yet Mr. Beecher tries to make it ap
pear that the denial does not cover the charge.
Mr.. Joy is in London. A week ago Gen. r.
A. Alger the Republican candidate for gov
ernor Of Michigan, telegraphed to him As
follows: Did Blaine offer to appoint a com.
mittee to suit you il you took Little Rock
bonds off his hands? Henry Ward Beecher
says you told him Blaine did" Mr.. JOY
promptly replied;
"Blaine never made me any oferto appoint a com
mittce to suit me In any manner or form or for an
consideration Of any kind whatever"
This raises distinct issue of yeracity be.
tween Beecher aud Joy. Yet Mr. Beecher,
contradicted by the man whose language he
has pretended to recite endeavors to make it
appear that this authoritative denial does not
deny his own charge. "Your telegram TO
Mr.. Joy was misleading" he says in effect to
Alger. "You quoted me as saying that what
Blaine demanded as q bribo was the purchase
of Little Rock and Fort Smith bonds.
said nothing of the kind What did say
was that the alleged consideration was to be
certaiR appreciated bonds. l did not mention
Little Rock and Fort Smith. Mr.. joys re-
ply was therefore irrelevant" That is quib
bling of the silliest sort. The charge OF
bribe-seeking is not affected in the slightest
degree by the question as to what bonds we're
to be taken off Mr. Blaine's hands. More.
over, Mr.. joys reply, far from being Circle
want to the subje matter, meets Mr.. Beech
ers charge 10 its latest form as conclusively
az it met Mr., Alger's understanding of the
charge. Blaine never made me any offer, n
says Mr.. Joy, ito appoint a committee to
suit me in any manner or form, or tor dny
consideration Of any kind Chdtecer."
To the above from the Sun it may be add
ed that on Oct. Mr.. Alger in response to
further enquiry by cable, asking Mr.. Joy
whether he was entirely sure about the al
legged conversation, received the following ad.
ditional cablegram
LONDON, Oct S, 1884,
AIJsr, Detroit:
Judge from New York kilograms that Mr.. Beech
er wlolly misrecollec,s the conversation with me
Isiguedj JoY.
This despatch Mr.. Alger forwarded to Mr.
Beeoher accompanied by the following re
marks:
"Now, reverend sir, l submit to you, as gentle.
man. after having received the hospitality Of Mr.. Jo!
in bis own home, aud when it is so evident that you
are doing Mr.. Joy, Mr.. Blaine and the RepubN
eau party great a wrong In the course you pur
suing that it is your plain duty in Justice TO all par
ties, as publicly to retract your statements as yol
have In zeal for the Democratic party aud the Demo
cratic nominee, spread them before the whole coun
try. r. A. ALGER"
To this Mr.. B.echer made q reply which
closes with the following most remarkable
language:
"Did Mr.. Joy make the remarks in my presenc
which have published? II he did not have lied
II he did JOY has lied. There is middle ground
There shall be none II Mr.. Joy has my state
ment and denied it, OF II when he lands In New Yor
he shall declare that such conversation hell
in my presence, then have only to say that wherea
did not imagine there could be more than one con
tneutal liar, compelled to think that there ar
two. Please sccept this letter the only retracoi
and apology that l am prepared to make to you, Il
Mr.. JOY, to Mr.. Blaine and the Republican party"
II is needless to say that the public see il
this letter complete giving up o. the who'll
case by Mr.. Beecher.