Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1884-07-11
THE MULLIGAN LETTERS.
Blaine and Logan in 1869.

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print the 1.-TWO important Mulligan letters y
There were fifteen letters in the package OBJ
tanned from Mulligan possession by Mr.. Blaine,
on the pledge of his word of honor he would
give them Immediately back. and they are all i'm
portant. We suppose. however, that our cor
respondent refers particularly TO the letters IN
which Mr. Blaine urges Mr.. Warren Fisher, Jr.,
to let him into the Little Rock and Fort Smith
Railroad enterprise, and recounts his services
IS Speaker of the House in preventing the tor
fixture of the land grant TO that railroad
There are four letters which are essential TO the
proper development of this episode in the ca
reer of the Maine statesman.
The letters were all written while Mr.. Blaine
was Speaker of the Forty-frst House of Repre-
sentatives. In thc earliest of these interesting
epstes the third officer of the Government OF
the United States goes down on his knees TO
the Boston capitalists and tells them that he
knows how to make himself useful
"AUGUsTA, June 20, 1869
'MY DEAR Mr.. FISHER Il thank you for the
article from Mr.. Lewis. 1t is good in itself
and will do no good. He writes like man of
large intelligence and comprehension.
Your offer to admit me to participation in
the new railroad enterprise is in every respect
as generous as | could expect or desire. thank
YOU very sincerely for it, and in this connection
| wish to make suggestion OF somew hat sell
"You spoke of Mr.. Caldwell disposiny of Il
share of his interest to me. If he re lily designs
to do 80, wish he would make the proposition
definite, so that could know just what TO de-
pend on. Perhaps if he waits till the fult de,
iselopuent Of he sntsSGSi6n be mig ht I'D
luctant TO part with Eiy snare ah7 DO q Soy
this mean any distrust of him.
81 do not feel that shall prove deaihesd
in the enterprise if once embark in it, | see
han IN oh I Ia
useful. VERY hastily and sincerely your
friend. ~ G. BLAINE
''Mr. Fisher India street. Boston"
In his second letter on the subject the Speak
er and Statesman expresses his appreciation ot
Mr.. Fishers 'liberal mode of dealing with
him but inrimateS that the other Boston ca vita.
list, Mr.. Josiah Caldwell, may need it'll.
prodding.
AUGUSTA. July ; 500.
"MY DEAR Mr. FISHER You ask M am
satisfied with the offer you made OF n share in
your new railroad eaterprse.
OF course, | AN mrre than satisfied with the
terms of the offer think it a most liberal
proposition
at hssiisted at ALL il is from consi leration
in no way connected with the character OF the
offer Your liberal mode OF dealing With the
in all our business transactions OF The aast eight
years ha. not passed without nv full apprecia.
ton. What wrote you on the 29th VAS in.
tended to bring Cala we'll TO a definite PROPOSE
ton. that all
Il 20 10 Boston bv the same train that car
ries this letter. and will call at your OIL = To
morrow At II VI Ifyou don't hlpp.n 10 b.
in, no matter. Don't put Yourself ~ Aar ir"n.
Die about it. Yours j q B
Nv Fisher, Jr"
4 II appears from the third letter that C.ld sr.I
did aeei TO tie reminded hrs useful 'hc Speak
sr hal been to the Litr Rock and Frrt Suirh
people. Al time wh"n their ian K ,ai Ia
imminent danger Of FORFEITURE
ACGUsrA Ma. u,t ! IS69
''MY pCNR SR.-i sprk- to voa short sim"
ago about point Of interest 20 your r.ilrp,i
company that occurred at the last S-s,iou 81 Goa
gre,s.
al was On The last nigh, Of the session sh.n
the bin renewing the Ian grant TO tie State ~
Arkansas for the Little Rock road wss reached
and Julian OF Indians, chairman Of the public
lands committee and. ny right epiiIki TO IN.
floor. attempted TO pat on the hill. s,sa amend.
m@nt, the Fremont + Peso s-hem--t s-hemr
probably well known to Mr. Ctiseil The
House was thin. and the lobby IN the Fremont
in,eres, had III. thing all set up aud Iuh,n' :
J amendment was likely 10 prevail IL brought 20
a vote. Roots and The other mem -rs from Ar
kansas, who were doing their best fIf their ov n
bill Ito which there seemed TO he % jrciion h.
I were in despair for il was well kaown that thu
Senat. vas hostile to the Prsm N, sch-ms. aud
If the Arkansas bill had gone back TO The S~n
ate with Jalian's anenin~nt the whole thing
would hare gone on the table All step, The
sssa<a a. !ssIh--=@----a
| In this diemmt Roots came TO IN. To kaos
~hai on earth he could do sai-r the ulrs. for
be said 10 was vital 10 his constituents Tat tn
I bill should pass | told him that J8lian' 5
amendment vas entirely out Of ORDER. because
DOT grrmsne hot he had not suthcirnt conf
denee in his knowlei &c Of The rules to III Ike the
point but he said Gen. Logan ~As opposed 10
the Frenoni scheme ADD would probably make
the point. sent my page to General Logan
with the suggestion and he a. once made the
point | could not do otherwise than .sst,iu
it, and so the bill VAS freed from the mi,chi-v.
Gus amsndmeni moved by Julian, aud Al oacs
passed without objection.
"At that time hal never s-sa Nr C,ilSrlI
hut you can tell him hat. without S9 ,~ia. It
did him great f.ror. Sinc~rclv you're,
- g. BLAME
wv. Fisher. Jr. E.q - Indi. ST. Boston"
On the same day Mr.. Blaine sro'r another
letter To bis generous Piigoa Fohsr, which
completes thu glory:
AusCsTA, OCt T. 1859.
"My DsAR Ma FIsHss Find enclosed coa.
tracts ofpsriies named IN nv letter OF Yesterday
The remaining contracts ~ili he completed as
rapidly as possible as circumstances will per-
nit
IL enclose you part of the Congregational
Globe OF April 9, cont lining the pon, 10 which
referred al some length in nv pr-vion, letter
of TO day. You will hud il Of interest to read
il over aud find " hat narrow escape your bill
made on that las, night of the session. or
course it was my plain duty to make the rulins
whea the point was once raised. II the Arksn-
sss meR had not. however happened TO come TO
! me hen al their wits end aud in despair, the
bill would undoubtedly have been lost, or AT
least postponed for year. though, that he
poin, would interest both you anil CaIi well
! though occurring befor, either Of you engaged
/ IN the enterprise
81 beg you TO understand that thoroughly
appreciate the courtesy with which YOU have
! treated me in this railroad matter, bat your
conduct toward me in business matters has al
ways been marked by unboanded libersiry 10
past years, and, OF course, | have naturally
come to expect the same Of you now. You urge
me 10 make rs much as | fairly can out Of the
arrangement into which We hare entered II
is natural tina, | should do my utmost TO this
end. ! am bothered by only one thing aud
| that is the indefinite arrangement with Mr..
Caldwell. am anxious 10 acquire the interest
he has promised me. but DO not get a definite
understanding With him as have with you
s"iii oe w Doslon III II ie" nays, ana snail
then have an opportunity to talk matters over
/ fully with you. ! am disposed 10 think thst
whatever do with Mr.. Caldwell must really
he done through you Kind regards TO Mrs
| Fisher. Sincerely, ~ G. BLAINE
! Nv. Fisher, Jr.''
! 1t is interesting to remark that il was Blaine
and Logan-not Blaine alone-who rendered
TO the proprieiors of the little Rock and Fort
Smith Railroad the important service SO -xalt-
ingly described by the Speaker. Blaine was in
the chair and saw The chance. tie sent his page
TO Logan, who promptly mad the point of or
der suggested by the Speaker. Blaine there
upon made The ruling, and the thing was done
We have not heard, however, that Blaine ever
applied TO Fisher aud CnlIwell for an interest
in the road for Logan, The ground of his
services -Neg York San.
THE work OF CONGRESS