National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-08-08

When select coterie of solf-righteous
Pharisees set themselves up as censors of
political and personal morals they have
no right to complain ic their own lives
arc judged by the standards which they
insist upon applying to othors. If they
fail to come up to those standards they
must be dismissed as blind guides, as were
their prototypes of old. Take, for in
stance, tho ease of Mr.. J. w. Harper, jr.,
who has conspicuously declared that he
does not believe Mr.. Blaine to be man OF
integrity. What right has Mr.. Harper to
sit in judgment on Mr.. Blaino's charac-
ter? Has his own life boon SO free from
reproach that he can afford to publicly
express his belief that one of the most
distinguished and most highly honored
citizens of the country is destitute of
personal honesty? Lot us see.
On the 18th Of March, 1883, Mr.. Harper.
having heardthat Mr.. Blaine was engaged
upon history of the period covered
by his own public life, wrote to the Hon.
William Walter Phelps asking him to use
his good offices to secure for Harper &
Brothers the publication Of this book. In
this letter Mr. Harper used language to
express his admiration for Mr.. Blaine
which might be regarded as extravagant
If applied TO lesser man. Any one
reading it would Immediately infer that
of oil the distinguished statesmen in the
country Mr.. Harper regarded Mr.. Blaine
as the one most eminently qualified for
the presidency. Mr.. Blaine, having
already engaged another publisher, was
obliged to decline Mr.. Harper's offer,
and the firm thereby lost the oppor.
tunity Of making very large sum of
money. Mr.. Harper now says that he was
careful to express no opinion of Mr.
Blaine's integrity in his letter Of March
l3, 1883, and leaves tho inference to be
drawn that he believed him to be cor
rupt man ut the time no wrote this full
some eulogy. Is not this the conduct Of %
Pharsee, rather than that of high
toned, honorable gentleman? Does any
body bsliove if Harper & Bros. had
obtained the publication of Mr.. Blaine'S
book that tho head of tho firm would
have thought it necessary at this late
day to call attention to tho fact that in
his letter eulogizing the author he stu.
diously abstained from making any mon
tion of his integrity?
Mr.. Horace White, editor of the New
York EUening Post, is another Of the severe
moralists who has passed a very harsh
Judgment on Mr.. Blaine's connection with
the Little Rock and Fort Smith railroad
while speaker of tho house of representa-
tves. But Mr. White has been uncere.
moniously tossed from his high moral
pedestal by some anonymous interrogation
in Chicago. whose questions have led the
country to believe that the yirtuou
editor, while clerk to senate committee,
performed an important service for tho
lobbyists of the whisky ring, for which
he obtained $25,OOO and that the money
thus earned by a breach of official trust
enabled him to purchase au interest n a
newspaper, and was, In fact tho founda
ton of his fortune. The Chicago inter
rogator also asked Mr.. White some I'm
pleasant questions about his connection
with the Northern Pacific railroad. and. in
his painful sauirming and flounderinp
under the unexpected catechisint
tho unhappy moralist made answers
which were not trae. For instance. he
denied over his own signature that he
over held any position in the Northern
Pacific company or in the Oregon Trans
continental company, whereas Poor's Rail.
road Manual gives Horace White, of New
York as tho comptroller of the Oregon and
Trauscontinontal company, treasurer OF