The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-05-20
PRESIDENT ARTHUR.
Wayne McVeagh Writes an Open Letter
to Ex-Secretary BristOw.


Wayne McVesgh in an open letter to Ex-Secretar
Bristow; who is expected to speak at the Arthu
reception tomorrow night, ventures some sugges-
tions to the tone of the address. At the begin
ming he warns Bristow that "while nobody envies
Arthur the great prize which he drew in the lottery
of assassination that Guiteau was an original
Arthur man and that he killed Garfield expressly
to make Arthur President and that in view of all
the awful corrections, it would seem that Arthur
(and his friends) would be satisfied with the one
term thus secured. 'As however" he says, ''you
propose to hold up his career worthy of especial
honor, and even in the highest Office of the people
in preference for an example, to the political
of Senator Edmunds or of Senator Sherman. will
gladly help You to few points in line of your argu
ment.
1 assume that your first words of eulogy will be
devoted to what is your candidates chief political
achievement and upon which his admirers have al
ways rested his title to fame,-the building up
and managing of the Republican machine Of the
city of New York, machine the latest triumph of
which at Albany causes the hearts of all true pa
triots to throb with Joy for thedefeat of Mr. Roose
welt leaves 0'Brien at liberty to continue those
"deals" with corrupt Democratic politicians which
gave Arthur his first renOWn as a practical
statesman. AS merits of this wonderful mechanism
are not generally appreciated as they deserve you
would do we'll to explain them in some detail and
you can triumphantly ask what machine did
Senator Edmunds or Senator Sherman ever set up
or boss?' Then you will naturally pass with glow
ing words of paise to the noble attitude Mr. Arthur
maintained towards the civil service order of
President Hayes defying both the President and
the Secretary for one whose second term had been
as unsatisfactory as that of General Graut
You may, however, feel some personal delicacy
in dwelling upon this part of your favorites career
and if so you can easily blame Conkling for it and
represent Arthur as a reformer in disguise. If at
this portion of your address you wish materials for
pathetic and thrilling picture, you will readily
find them in some of the well known incidens Of
the Chicago convention four years ago. You can
tell how everybody was determined that Mr.. Conk-
ling must be placated at any cost and how every
body begged him not to force Arthur upon the con-
vsntion, and how Mr.. Conkling refused to consider
any other name and by his chivalric devotion and
refusing to either obey their orders resign his
office.
You will ne doubt introduce copious extracts
from the commission which investigated Mr.. Ar
thurs administration of the custom house. and it
worthy of such high commentator, and a rebuke
could be neatly administered this point to Roose
welt, the son, by reminding your audience how the
honored father was rejected with contumely as col
lector of the port in order to keep Arthur in that
important Office in spite of the expressed opinion of
both his superior officers that he was an unworthy
official and deserved to be turned out. You will
next praise him for the prominent part he acted in
his effort in 1880 to stide by packed conventions
and the unit rule the voice of large majority of
the Republican party against third term
for anybody and particularly to his friend who COM
pelled his nomination for the Vice Presidency
But would not # in your place, weary the au-
dience by details of the grateful return Arthur has
made for this devotian after all and you must re-
serve your highest of eloquence for an adequate
description of that occasion when your candidate
displayed his true nobility of soul and made his on
ly recorded public speech. need not say that
allude to the Dorsey banquet at Demonicos in
February, 1881. Mr.. Arthur's words on that &C.
casion deserve to be written on palms of hands
and worn as frontlet between the eyes by every
reason than for their praise of the. free use Of
''soap." You can tell your audience without fear
of successful contradiction, that it the first and
occasion in 0oF history when S ONE man publicly
Mr.. Arthur's part in the resignation Of
Messrs. Conkling and Platt and his conduct at
touch Of Guiteau's pistol Perhaps you had better
touch lightly as there are some sentimental" Re
publicans in this State as well as in New York and
Ohio who don't quite enjoy those "reminiscences
would not advice you to dwell long upon that mad
riot of calumny and defamation of the dead Gar
friends snd q Mr. Arthur ndngd WitS
out any signs of disapproval by him, and in the
cases of Gorham. Hatton and Hastings with album
dant signs of approval.
You will of course admit that when Guiteau pro-
noted him to the Presidency Mr.. Arthur was
proud to be known as an enthusiastic supporter of
the "boss" SYSTEM the "spoils'' system, third
term for General Grant and the unit rule He was
then fifty years of age and your task is to persuade
anybody you can that his desire for second term
has effected complete change in the methods
standards and ha bits of his whole life. You will
oner the appointment of Chandler to the Cabinet as
one proof OF this change and the stab dealt Gen.
Burt because of his services to civil service reform
as another then by long stages Of descent you will
interest your audience in the pleasing story
reputation even of compromise bonds forced
upon unhappy creditors of Virginia, the
alliance with Chalmers in Mississippi the mastery
campaign in New York only two years ago and its
brilliant ending the delay in filling actual vacancies
IN this city ana in Delaware and elsewhere to the
detrimeDt of public interests and efforts to trade
those places for delegates; the KeOgh case in North
Carolina, the Strabach case in Alabama the KEEL
logg case in Louisiana, the promotion of Barney
Biglin's brother and the appointment of Proxy
Frenchs brother, with many other like perform
ances admirably calculated to ruin public con-
hdence and regard, and you can truthfully declare
that Mr. Arthur can boast of distinction shared
with no other candidate,
He is under no obligations for single one of his
delegates, all of them were secured for him by his
own ofice-hoders, and the only peroration YOU will
need will be to read the roll-call of distinguished
patriots, whose names find in your newspapers of
a conference with him during bis visit
to you of last week, when he resumed
personal charge of his "boom" in your city and
started the movement for your meeting.
Listen to their illustrious names: Stephen B.
French, Robert G. McCord, John r. Lydecker
John +. Smyth, Dewitt Clinton, Wheeler, and
John j. 0Brien. l commend these patriotic
and high minded gentlemen, your fellow
WORKERS.. to your charitable consideration,
, In 1875 they would not have trusted themselves
In your company. and even now they will harbor q
lurking suspicion tn At you intend indct them as
tnat Is the penalty you pay for having been a re-
former. Tney win, however, do their best;