The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1884-09-25
A REVIEW OF THE LETTERS.
The Correspondence Demonstrates Blaine's
Innocence of Any Wrong Doing.


The New York Tribune, commenting on the
new batch OF Mulligan letters, says:
malice has overreached itself at last. The
new letters published for the purpose of injur-
ing MIR. Blaine go far to vindicate him. When
Mulligan and Fisher ransacked their corre-
spondence eight years ago for material TO black
EN- Mr.. Blaine's reputation. their cold and de-
Gberate malice rejected the letters now pub
lished. IL there were then in their hands any
which could have done him harm, we may be
sure those would have been produced But the
letters now printed, though they contain no
new charge, nor a scrap of evidence that tends
to sustain any old charge, do contain much that
is OF the greatest value to Mr.. Blaine. For that
reason his accuseIs when cool shrewd
enough to suppress them But now they see
public OpniOn moving forward with resistless
sweep toward Mr.. Blaine's election; they are
Inaddened and desl crate they hunt their
pigeon holes again for the dregs OF ancient
scandal, and in their Jury they brand them
selves wit talsehoOd, and for the first time
disclose the true character OF the transactions
between Mr.. Blaine and Mr.. Fisher.
THE new publication embraces that very let
ter OF Oct. "a, 1871, which Mr.. Blaine has for
eight years been accused of suppressing. AS
the sam showed with great clearness, the Oft
reiterated charge was reduced at last to this one
letter which was named in Mulligan's memoran-
dun, but which Mr. Blaine declared was not in
the package received and publicly read by him.
Continually the Times, the Post, and other
papers have repeated that Mr.. Blaine lied and
had deliberately suppressed this letter. Yet
now the laundering rage OF his batfied accusers
produces it from their own stock and makes one
thing clear. For eight years Mulligan has seen
Mr. Blaine falsely accused OF suppressing this
letter and has known all the time that the
charge false, because he held in his posses
sion the proof Yet he has kept back that proof
and silently allowed the lie TO go on dol ny its
dishonest work, and thus has made that lie his
own TO blacken the character of Mr.. Blaine. In
the light of this fact who should now be be-
Heyed, Mr.. Blaine, who told the truth, or his
accusers, self-convicted of falsehoody And why
was this letter then suppressed? Because, as IL
now proves, Fisher and Caldwell had failed TO
make good the pledges upon which Mr. Blaine
had borrowed S25,0UO for their benefit.
The great fact which the new letters estab-
lish is that Mr. Blaine was the victim of Warren
Fisher, deceived by him from the start. induced
to involve himself and his friends in under
taking in which they all suffered, crippled bv
the refusal of Fisher TO keep his word, persuaded
when disaster came TO borrowsmoney for the
ENTERPRISE upon his personal credit, and finally
left in the lurch by his professed friend, who
reasoned that Mr.. Blaine, being a public man,
could never afford TO demand what was justly
due him, for fear of scandal. The letters of
June, 1869, previously published, prove that
Fisher then made proposition to Mr. Blaine
which he hesitated to accept, uncertain whether
At might involve larger resources than he could
command The new letters of Oct. and show
what has been evident all along, that he had
closed the arrangement with Fisher TO take from
him certain bonds in order TO raise money for
the enterprise, and that he did not prove a
-deadhead. but performed his part to the letter
He not only took bonds and placed them TO lit
the enterprise over obstacles, but had disposed
OF Sl2j,0 200 before the letter was written making
mention of his ruling in Congress. Thus he
has been UNANIMOUSLY slandered all this time by
the charge that he referred to his ruling in
order to get into the concert. He was In 1t
already, as the new letters prove, and had placed
all the bonds he was expected TO place.
But these new letters also prove that
privacy about that negotiation was urged. not
by him, but by Fisher, who was at that time
negotiating with Caldwell 1t may be in
ferred thar Fisher did not then want Caldwell to
know that the enterprise had been in such
straits. He IL was who wrote about THE inn
portance OF keeping all quiet, and to him Mr.
Blaine wrote, No one will ever know from me
that have disposed OF a single dollar in Maine,
so there need be no embarrassment in talking
with Mr.. Caldwell There was not thing in
the transaction of which Mr.. Blaine had reason
to be ashamed. He had taken at his own risk a
block OF securities, and by his personal credit
and reputation with friends had placed them,
receiving, as both Fisher and Mulligan admit
ted. the average rate OF percentage that others
received. Thus, May 81, 1876, Warren Fisher,
Jr., testified Mise. doc. 176, pages 81 and s9:
"Question-Was any other bonus besides
stock ever given in the purchase of these boudsp
Answer-No sir
"Q.-were not land grant bonds sometimes
Givenp 40, yes IL i sold $4,000 of these first
mortgage bonds l would also give as bonus
$1O.0O0 of land grant bonds, $4,000 common
stock. and $4,000 of the preferred stock
$50 that in a sale OF $4,000 of these bonds
there was really transfer of $4,000 mortgage
bonds, $1,000 Immigrant bonds, $4,000 pre-
ferrod stock, and $4,000 common stock2 A
Yes.
"Q.-Making transfer of $4,000 instead of
$4,000? A-Yes, sir.
May 81, 1915, james MulllKan JeStlneu. mis-
cellaneous document 176, page 94.l
"Question-Do you know of any other sale
(than the one to Mr.. Blaine) of the bonds of that
company Answer-Yes.
"Qucstion-Were the other sales made on the
same terms as this sale2 Answer-No, SIR Quite
different.
"Question-Was the percentage which was
realized by Mr. Fisher on those other sales diff
Ierent from that realized on this sale? Answer
1t averaged about the same.
-Afterward what2 long gap in the cor
respondence. Even now 1t Is evident. Fisher
and Mulligan still hold other letters which they
dare not publish, but deliberately suppress, be-
cause at this and other points in the history the
whole truth would vindioate Mr.. Blaine COM
Detely. Bat in December, 1870. IL appears that
Mr.. Blaine trying to borrow money for
Fisher and Caldwell TO help them through. aud
az the same time appealing In vain for the bonds
promised by Fisher to him and by him TO his
friends who had purchased. As he states. Dec.
49, Mr.. Blaine did borrow on his individual
promises. but In the letter OF Jan. 20 he had to
beg I'm vain for good notes for the t25, O0O,' and
FOR the $4,000 bonds which were made by
yourself and Mr.. Caldwell the express basis OF
the $4,000 loan Thus entrapped by a de-
liberate breach OF faith, he saws: It's personal
hardships TO me are bitter and burning. and hui
initiating In the last degree. Yet Fisher and
Caldwell left him 20 bear the loss. note fell due
March / and ne was compelled to meet It, Another
came in April, aud he wrote: IL n no more
INV debt than the debt of President Grant or
On~en Victoria and cannot believe that You