The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-06-13
MIR. BLAINE'S PUBLIC RECORD
An Explanation that Satisfied Harper's
Weekly Eight Years Ago,
And Which George w. Curtis Pronounced
''as Thorough RefutatiOn as Was
Ever Made'-Blaine at Home.
Harper's Weekly, May IS, 1875.

Harper's Weekly, May 10, 1876.
In speaking of the railroad bond scandal about
Mr. Blaine we said that it would at least be ad-
mitted that he had shown himself acute enough
to escape the traps into which the honest but
dull often fall If high principle should be de-
MED to him, and if, as is sometimes asserted, he
is merely politician, yet surely he is a politician
of sagacty enough to know that, in public life,
honesty, if nothing more is certainly good pol
ICY The substance of the charge against Mr..
Blaine was that when he was the Speaker of
the House, and when Mr. Thomas Scott was
president of the Union Pacific Railroad Com
pany, he caused the company to buy bonds to
the amount of $75, 000 which were almost worth
less, for $64 000 and the insnuation was that
this was bride to secure the favor of Mr., Blaine
for Mr.. SCOTS railway projects before Congress.
Plainly stated this was the charge OF course,
if believed it was fatal to Mr. Blaine; and at
this time, when the public mind is very SUSPECT
Gus, the mere accusation was not unlikely to be
of great injury to him. The story had been pri-
vately whispered and there had been a confer
,ence of Republican editors at Cincinnati, which
ended by acquanting him with the rumor. Sud
denly it was made public in a Democratic paper
at Indianapolis, and in other journals in other
parts of the country. Then, of course, it was
echoed and re-echoed through the whole press.
Mr.. Blaine instantly published an absolute and
complete denial and having collected evidence
that is apparently conclusive, he made a brief,
clear, simple statement in the House, which was
as thorough REPUTATION as was ever made, and
in the absence of other evidence, leaves him
unspotted.
He showed by the testimony of the officers and
Bankers who had been citedas agents that he had
never received from them, directly or indirectly,
any money as charged. Mr.. Scott, in the most
explicit manner, declared that Mr.. Blaine had
never had any transaction whatever with him.
directly indirectly. involving money or valu-
ables Of any kind. The treasurer of the road,
Mr.. E. II. Rollins was equally precise and I'M
qualified in his declaration, and Messrs. Morton,
Bliss & Co., who were said to have been paid the
money, said: Nothing has been paid by us, in
any form or at any time, to any person or any
corporation in which you were known, believed
or supposed to have any interest whatever" Mr..
Blaine states that he bought, in 1869, some bonds
of the Little Rock & Fort Smith railroad, which
derived its franchise and rights entirely from
the State of Arkansas He paid for his bonds
buyers, he lost by them; His loss, was
more than $4,000 All the bonds that he
ever bought he held until the company
was reorganized in 1874, when he ex-
changed them for stocks and bonds in the
new concern, which he still holds. When the
Atlantic & Pacific and the Missouri, Kansas e.
Texas roads bought some of the securities of the
Little Rock road Mr.. Blaine knew of the negotl
alton, but none of the bonds sold to those roads
belonged to him. nor did he have single dollars
pecuniary interest in the transaction.
This is the statement of Mr.. Blaine, supported
by unquestionable testimony. He has not
sought investigation because he knew by expert
ence how long he would have to wait for a re-
port: and while awaiting the slow action of a
committee, with the charges still pending he
could not have published the evidence which he
has now submitted He knew, moreover,
although he does not say, and everybody knows,
that the Democratic investigating committee
would have delayed any report until after the
Cincinnati convention, as fatal blow to Mr.
l1ns,. R1tf Tho HnITGa
now wishes to open an inquiry he will gladly
give all the assistance he to make it rigorous
and thorough. In justice to Mr.. Blaine pre-
sent the concluding summary of his speech:
Let me now Mr.. Speaker briefly summarize what I
presented First, that the story of my receiving
$4,000, any other sum of money, anything of
value, from the Union Pacific Railroad Company
directly or indirectly or in any form. is absolutely
dsproved by the most conclusive testimony. Second
that bond of mine sold to the Atlantic &
Pacific, or the Missouri Kansas & Texas Railroad
Company. and that not single dollar of money from
either of these companies went to my profit or
benefit Third that instead of receiving bonds of the
Little Rock & Fort Smith road as gratuity, never
had except at the regular market price; and,
instead of making large fortune off that company
have incurred severe pecuniary loss from my
Investment in its securities, which / still re-
tain; and out of such affairs these grows
the popular, gossip Of large fortunes amassed in
any statement from will stop the work of those who
have industriously circulated these calumnies.
For months past the effort has been energetic and
continuous to spread these stories in private cir
eles, Emissaries of SANDER have visited editorial
rooms of leading Republican papers from Boston to
Omaha, and whispered of revelations to come that
too terrible to be spoken in loud tones and
at last the revelations have been made. l now,
Mr. Speaker in the fourteenth year of not inactive
service in this hail. have taken and have given blows;
have nd doubt said many things in the heat of de-
bate which would now gladly recall have no boubt
given votes which in fuller light 1 would gladly
change; but have done anything in my public
for which could be put to the fantest blush in
any presence, for which cannot to my
sttuents my conscience, and the Great Searcher of
Hearts.
Ifnobody now appears to justify this accusation,
it must be considered merely one of the reckless
ISLANDERS to which every prominent public is
exposed; and no charge that may be hereafter
made against Mr. Blaine unaccompanied by
weighty testimony, will deserve any attention
whatever