The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-08-08
HARPER, THE LIAR AND HYpooR1TE.

lengthy letter explanatory OF the one written
by him but eighteen months ago to William
Walter Phelps, soliciting his aid in prevailing
upon Mr.. Blaine to give to the Harpers the
publication Of his history. This letter ap-
pears in another column of this issue of the
Journal Our readers will observe that the
burden of the greater portion of it is wall
that any one can be base enough to make
public personal and private letter. The
hypocrisy of such complaint coming from
the Harpers is apparent enough to every
thinking reader, Both Weekly and Monthly
published by that firm are constantly fulmi-
mating against Mr.. Blaine, the ammunition
being secured wholly from that gentleman's
private correspondence. Fit be not strictly
honorable" to use such material in the one
case, the same reasoning must unqualifedly
condemn it in the other.
But the dishonesty of Mr.. Harper's Tex
PLANTATION" is equally palpable in other direc-
tions. Acknowledging the authorship of the
letter he wrote to Mr.. Phelps, in March, 1889,
and reafirming the sentiments therein ex-
pressed, he attempts to draw line of distinc
ton between his admiration for Blaine as an
Impartial historian" patriot" and a
gallant leader" and his qualifications as the
nominee of his party In his letter Of March
Is, 1885, Mr.. Harper voluntarily declared that
the popular pulse beat strongly in
admiration and affection for man who has
been absolutely fearless in his patriotism. A
few lines further on he refers to Mr.. Blaine
as "a brave fighter, and gallant leader in the
most critical events Of our Nations history"
And in closing his letter to Mr.. Phelps, Mr..
Harper asserts that, "while the doors of Frank
lin Square always stand wide open to them
literary fellers, such as scholars and poets,
and novelists, and essayists, and travellers, the
proprietors generally go down to the sidewalk
to welcome [Blaine1 the historian of his own
time, and, with uncovered heads, reverently
help him to unload the manuscript" Joseph
w, Harper, jr., either was liar and hypocrite
in March, 1883, or to-day is slanderer
through spite. If James g. Blaine was
the people then, it will not 'be demonstrated
in the November election that the people be-
ieve him guilty of official indecency" If
Mr.. Blaine was then, as Joseph w Harper, jr.,
declared, fearless in his patriotism, a man
to be approached with uncovered heads, rev.
erently," he was an honest and honorable
man. That he is the same to-day must be
conceded, for since that time he has been
buried in the privacy Of his library, engaged
in the work that Joseph W. Harper, jr., and
his business partners were SO anxious to pub
hsh
Mr.. Joseph w. Harper jr., is evidently a
man who lightly esteems his word To-day,
as the indorser of the sentiment that Mr..
Blaine is known to be thief, as charged by
George William Curtis, as editor Of Harpel's
Monthly, he gives the lie to his own words
written a little more than year ago, when he
voluntarily confessed that the character Of
Mr.. Blaine was such as to command s.the adj
miration and affection" of the people, while,
so far as Harper & Brothers were concerned,
they would gladly go down to the side
walk to welcome him. fsreyerently, with
uncovered heads. The falsity of his assertion
now, that Harper & Brothers, as firm, were
unaware that he had made such proposition
to Mr.. Blaine as was contained in his letter of
March Ii, 1883, is evident enough to stamp
him as man scarcely to be believed under
oath. That the publication of such work
as that now in preparation by Mr.. Blaine,
written by man Of his prominence, and in
yolving, as it would, hundreds of thousands Of
dollars and immense profit to the publisher,
was not matter Of consideration by that
firm, as indicated by the letter of unqualified
Endorsement of one of the firm, will not be
readily credited But even conceding this
point enough remains to show that Joseph
w. Harper, jr., is one of the most unscrupu-
lous slanderers Of his time. Either that. Of
he was most shameless hypocrite when he
paid tribute to the man 50 popular among the
people, so high in their admiration and af.
lection, 50 fearless in his patriotism, and I'll
to be approached "reverently and with un-
covered heads by all the firm, Of which
Joseph w Harper is the chief. According to
Mr.. Harper's own showing he stands con
fessed liar. His word can neither help nor
harm Mr.. Blaine and the Republican party
No one, perhaps more than the Harpers,