St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-08-15


Rock road was reached, and by Julian Of
Indiana, chairman of the public lands COM
mittee, and by right entitled to the floor, at
tempting to put on the bill, as an amend
ment, the Fremont-El Paso scheme-a
scheme probably well known to Mr.. Cald-
well. The house was thin, and the lobby in
the Fremont interest had the thing all set
up, and Julian's amendment was likely to
prevail if brought to vote. Root and the
| other members from Arkansas who were
doing their best for their own bill, to which
there seemed to be no objection, were in
despair, for it was well known that the SEN
ate was hostile to the Fremont scheme, and
if the Arkansas bill had gone back to the
senate with Julan's amendment, the whole
thing would have gone on the table and
slept the sleep of death. In this dilemma
Root came to me to know what on earth he
could do under the rules, for, he said, it was
vital 10 his constituents that the bill should
pass. told him that Julian's amendment
was entirely out of order, because not ger
name. But he had not sufficient confidence
in his knowledge of the rules to make the
point, but he said Gen. Logan was opposed
| to the Fremont scheme, and would probably
make the point. sent my page to Gen.
Logan with the suggestion, and he at once
made the point He could not do otherwise
than sustain it, and so the bill was freed
! from the mischievous amendment moved by
Julian, and at once passed without objec-
ton At that time l had never seen Mr.
Caldwell, but you can tell him that, without
knowing it, did him a great favor. Sin
cerely yours,
JAMES G.. BLAINE.
W. Fisher, Jr., Esq, "a India street, Boston.
WHAT A NARROW ESCAPE.
| AUGUSTA. Me, OoT. 4, 1859. j
NV Dear Mr.. Fisher: Find inclosed con-
tracts of the parties named in my letter of
yesterday. The remaining contracts will be
completed as rapidly as circumstances will
permit. l inclosc you part of the Congress
ional Globe of April 9, containing the point
to which I referred at some length in my
previous letter of to-day. You will find it Of
interest to read it over and see what mar
row escape your bill made on that last night
of the session. OF course it was my plain
duty to make the ruling when the point was
once raised. If the Arkansas men had not
however, happened to come to me when at
their wits ends and in despair, the bill would
undoubtedly have been lost, or at least post
|
interest both you and Caldwell, engaged in
the enterprise. l beg you to understand that
thoroughly appreciate the courtesy with
which you have treated me in this railroad
matter, but your conduct toward me in bus
mess matters has always been marked by I'M
bounded liberaNty in past years, and, of
course, have naturally come to the conclus-
ion to expect the same of you now. You
urge to make as much as fairly can out of
the arrangement into which we have entered.
1t is natural that should do my utmost to
this end. am bothered by only one thing,
and that is definite and expressed arrange
ment with Mr.. Caldwell. l am anxious to
acquire the interest he has promised me. But
/ do not get definite understanding with
| him as | do with you. | shall be in Boston in
a few days, and shall then have an opportu-
nifty to talk matters over fully with you.
am disposed to think that whatever do with
Mr. Caldwell must really be done through you.
Kind regards to Mrs. Fisher, Sincerely,
W. F., Jr. j. G. BLAINE
| USED WITH POSITIVE CRUELTY"
Later on, Mr.. Blaine is not so gushingly
grateful to Fisher for his generous offers,
In October, 1871, Mr.. Blaine wrote to Fisher:
81 have been used with positive cruelty in
regard to the bonds. / have your positive
written contract to deliver me 1925, 900 land
bonds and S32, 500 first mortgages still due. -
Thus it appears that, while Mr.. Blaine was
speaker of the house, he was doing bust
ness In railway securities which men in
whom he sought to awaken gratitude by re-
minding them of favorable ruling he had
made in behalf of the very corporation which
they were promoting. The cynical might
say that Mr.. Blaine wanted to show the Bos-
ton capitalists that he would be very useful
person in ''channels'' that might occur to
them. 1t is shown by comparing Mr..
Blaine's April speech and the Mulligan let
tiers that he wanted the public to understand
that he went into the Little Rock and Fort
Smith matter on precisely the same basis as
did ordinary New England investors, while,
at the same time, he had "given himself
away" in his letters to Fisher as a really ia
vored investor. When Mr.. Blaine made
that speech in April, 1875, he did not antici
pate that six weeks later, Mr.. Mulligan would
be on his way to Washington wit b the un-
comfortably explanatory correspondence
which has here been quoted.
THE SPENCER RIFLE.
Some of the letters which Mr. Blaine read
in the house in June, 1876, threw light on
his early development as a man of ''infu-
cnce'' An extract from his speech shows
how he became associated with Mr.. Fisher:
| In the month of November, 1861, was
summoned to Boston by telegram to meet
Mr.. Fisher and another gentleman on some
urgent business. l Immediately responded.
On getting there found that they were pro-
prietors of newly invented rifle. The
other gentleman was Ward Cheney of Con-
necticut, recently deceased, well known for
his eminence in the silk manufacture, and a
gentleman of great wealth and high charac-
ter. One of the ingenious mechanics in his
employ named Spencer had invented re-
peating rifle. It had been tested in various
private ways, but it had not received the of
fetal sanction of the government. They
had employed various persons to come to
| Washington during tue summer Of 1861, the
first Of the war, but what they called gun
ring in Washington were 80 powerful that
they could not get an opportunity to bring
| that new arm to the attention of the secre-
tary of war, the present venerable senator
| from Pennsylvania, and they asked me II
thought / could do it. That was two years
and more before l entered congress. / told
them that thought could. Immediately
came to Washington, and in very short
time had an interview with Secretary Gamer
on at the war department He looked at the
gun, was satisfied there was something in
! it, and gave an order to have 1t tested by
the ordinance bureau. 1t was thoroughly
tested and, in the course of two weeks,
the experiment was so satisfactory that they
gave preliminary order for 20, 200 rifles.
1t was, of course, as every gentleman
knows who is familiar with the war, most
eminent success. 1t was one of the most
wonderful arms of the war, the Spencer
rifle.
''UsEFUL'' AMENDMENT.
Mr.. Blaine was able to be ssuseful' to the
Spencer Gun Company once again, as is