The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1884-08-14
m,. BLAINE AND TnEHAnrERs,

can.
FRANKLIN SQUARE, NEW York,
August 4, 1884,
em-That public record shouid nave
been made of private letter TO the Hon.
VIM, Walter Phelps, In which frankly
expressed my admiration for certain
qualities In MIR. Blaine, which are
readily conceded by hla political 0ppO-
nents, Is OF no moment 30 far as l nm
concerned personally; for on all proper
occasions am ready TO renew such ex-
pressions. But these views, which may
be creditable enough In themselves, be-
come impertinent when they are dis
creditably and unfairly made public In
connection with private business mat
ter. The ayowed object Of such publ
cation was TO impugn tho political hon
esty of Harper's Weekly, whose publish
era "are now accused Of having a per-
sonal spite against MIR, Blaine because
no declined their eager 0iier TO publish
his book" Harper - Brothers, In their
letter OF Auguat 2 10 the Philadelphia
Press, pronounced this accusation un-
1ualiAedly false. | propose 10 demon
Strate Its falsity and TO show that the
position OF Harper's Weekly is In no way
inconsistent with the utteTances In my
letter of March 10, 1888, to the Hon.
William Walter Phelps.
Before doing 30, however, ! cannot
forbear the expression Of my sincere re-
gret that such unworthy and unjusti-
liable use should have been allowed by
MIR. Phelps OF private and personal
letter. MWill.the honorable gentleman
from New Jersey declare his RESPONSE
blllty for the publication OF private
letter; and, unmindful, as ho appears TO
be, of the wholesome precepta OF alma
mater, and having yielded himself TO
the Influence of Rls present political
associations, will he Insist that such
use Of q personal letter is strictly honor
able. and when candid men pronounce
such conduct dlsh0norable, will no de-
ride them as only 30 many (0r no few)
independent dudes, Pharisees, ministers
and mugwnmpsY ..
Now MIR. Blaine ana his publisher are
quite welcome TO the FIRST rate notice
which has been extracted from my pure
ly personal lettor TO Mr.. Phelps. Amerl-
can publishers, az a rule, are not enyi'
Ous or jealous OF one another In our
friendly rivalry and wholesome c0mpe'
tition we are not unlike college crews
In boat race, where when our own
college cannot win, 10 IL left for ns 10
cheer the crew which fairly wins; aud
II was left to Harper Il Brothers to wish
success, which they did most heartily,
to Mr.. Blalne's publisher, Mr., Henry
Bill, who has been the friend OF my
house for nearly lifty years. Albeit, my
disappointment was somewhat alleyl'
ated by Mr.. Phelps assurance OF Mr.
Blalne's repeatedly expressed gratlllca
tiOn NJ the Oiler-which does not accord
with your statement that the offer was
cOldly declined.
The success of Mr.. Blaine5 book
shows how true was my Instinct as 4
publisher, while the result Of the Chi
cago Republican Convention amply
confirmed my judgment OF Mr. Blaine's
great personal popularity The book II
u good one, ana unQuestl0nably "thC
historian OF his own times" has the
sympathies Of the people with his liter
ary undertaking,
You assert that Harper s. Brothers
were disappointed In securing the pub,
licatlOn OF Mr.. Blaine's book, and that
therefore they are politically hostile u
the author. This statement IA utterly
without foundation. The fact is that
Harper a. Brothers, as u firm, were un'
aware, until after the Weekly had 70
fused 10 support Mr., Blaine, that any
such application had been made In theil
behalf; though my suggestion on the
subject In my personal note TO MIR
Phelps was one which my partners
would have cordially approved, Nc
Phelps explanation In his reply Of
March, 90. 1883, that II was too late Tor
business" with Mr.. Blaine, owing TO the
fact that "some old'time Maine trieud
had by degrees beguiled him into u Pub
llcatOn Association, aud there no was
fastened left no room whatever for
chagrin or resentment on my part. But
MIR. Phelpss insnuatiOn that MIR
Blaine had become the victim OF
the lnsidlous wiles OF Down Easter
and had been deceived by juggling trick.
into arrangements hostile TO It's inter
elts, Is, IN my Judgment, unfair 70 his
present publishers, ana not credltAblC
TO Blaine's sagaClty.
The business relations between Ou'
thors aud publishers aro not unlike the
business ana professional relations OF
other classes OF the community. Pub
lishers have their political convictions
quite Independently OF their authors, ~
The same way that bankers and mer
chants and lawyers ana physicians hold
their political opinions uncontrolled by
the dlctatlOn Of their customers ant
clients ana patients.
For more than ilyo years Harper
Weekly has been on record In Us 0ppo
sltlOn 10 Mr., Blaine AZ u candidate FOL
tho Presidency, and any business rela
tlons which We might have had witt
Mr., Blaine ~ the publishers Of MI
Twenty Years Of Congress- could no
have affected the course OF the paper
lts proprlct0rs would have been false Il
the trust which they have inherited ant
regardless of the highest obligations oI
journalism; they would have been blint
10 the signs OF the times, Indifferent u
the teachings OF their own journal, anl
dlsloyal 10 the editor who has been N
long associated with them, had they nj
lowed the Weekly 10 advocate Mr.
Blalne's nomination or TO support hi
candidacy. II would have been easy e
throw up our caps ana 20 join In TN
enthusiasm OF The June convention, anl
TO pay th0ughtleas tribute by pen anl
pencil 10 Mr.. Blalne's unquestloney pop
uMrltS But asa Journal of ciVilizl
tlon, " Ia the duty Of our Weekly to con
tlnue 10 protest against the Indifference
tOp0llticdl integrity which N dlalnteg
rating tho Republican partyi TO con
tinue its eight for the people against thl
worst class OF politicians, aud to adv0
cate the great patriotic measures whicl
the people are determined upon aud tn
politicians hute, civil service reform.
| have no wish TO recall or Withdraw
my last years estimate Of Mr.. Blaine
Extraordinary popularity But while
freely c0nCede tho warm sympathy o
hie nature and confess 10 continued nd
II a "A A.