Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1884-10-18
mR. BEEOHER ON BLAINE.
COrroborattng the Herald's Dis.
patches In Regard TO MIR. Joy
of Michigan.
IFrom the N. Y, HeralJ.l

kilograms TO Mr.. James f. Joy. of Dc
troit, but now in London, and his re-
ply, compels me to publish the facts of
all interview with him at his house on
or about September %, 1877, in order
to clear myself of the charge of bearing
false witness against him. | have
steadily refused to give to the public
press the story of that interview ut
the hospitable board of Il private
house; but as the utterauce of a public
man about a public man | had right
to mention it privately among my in
tiinate friends. In what way the par
tlal and imperfect story of that inter-
view got into the newspapers / do not
know. Certainly not with my knowl-
edge or privity. Misled by these re-
ports, you telegraphed to Mr. Jov in
LOndon:-
DETROIT. Sept 80. 1854.
Joy, care Brown, Shipley e Co., Lon
DOM
Did Blaine offer to appoint commit
tee TO suit you if you took Little Rock
bonds oil his hands? Henry Ward
Beecher said you told him Blaine did.
ALGER.
Henry Ward Beecher said nothing of
the kind, as you shall soon see. 1t was
easy for Mr.. Joy to reply
LONDON, SEPT. 80, 1884.
Il. "A. ALGER, Detroit, Mich. -
Blaine never made me any offer to
appoint committee to suit me III any
manner or form or for any cunsidcra-
ton of any kind whatever.
J.F. JOY.
Please send to him the following mar
rafive, and You may depend upon it
MI. Joy Will not contradict its substan-
tial accuracy, neither will any one of
the gentlemen who were at the table
with me; nor will other witnesses, not
a few, deny that the same substantial
statements have been made BY Mr.. .JOv
to others not infrequentlv.
Toward the close of the dinner, Sep
tember 20, 1877, political matters
were introduced, and among other
things Blaine's failure to receive the
nomination that went to Hayes. Mr..
Joy spoke with contemptuous severity
OF Mr.. Blaine and gave this statement:
"When difficulty occurred i'm regard
to certain lands in the southwest in
which was interested, a committee
was about to be appointed by congress
to examine the matter, Blaine being
speaker of the house. Through a friend
l asked Mr.. Blaine to have one sound
lawyer appointed on that committee, L
did not care of which party. l simply
wanted q sound lawyer. I'm a day or
two Mr.. Blaine sent me word through
friend that he had certain depreciated
bonds, and that ii would enable him
to place them at par Il cou'd have INV
committee as l wanted it," cannot
forget with what cutting scorn Mr..
Joy leaned back in his chair and said
THAT is the man Blaine is,' and he
added, Il refused the offer, and as the
courts soon settled the matter no COM
mittee was appointed.
AT that time knew nothing of the
lands in question nor of the bonds
alluded to, but l did understand fully
Mr.. Joys opinion of James G Blaiiie.
What changed Mr.. joys noticn and
led him to nominate Mr.. Blaine at the
Chicago convention in 1880 i do not
know. II can probably be found out
by inquiring Of the editors of certan
great daily newspapers, who hardly
found language bitter enough for wears
4" inveigh against Mr.. Blaine and who
now cannot find language enough to
pour contempt upon the men who do
not approve of placing Mr.. Blaine in
the presidential chair.
l shall not prOlOng this letter by mar
rating Mr.. Blainc's views OF the mat
tcrs in an interview with me which
took place after my speech at Cooper
Union, during the Garfield CANVASS, at
his own request, in the Fifth Avenue
Hotel. l can hardly believe that he
has forgotten that.
l cannot but admit the indOmitablc
pluck with which Mr.. Blaine is defend.
ing himself against such IL cloud of
charges as was never made against anv
other presidential candidate since the
government began. Yet | cannot al
low myself TO be misled by sympathy
with his undOubted kindheartedness.
Courage and audacity.
Unsound in stateinanlikc Judgment,
INSCRIPTIONS in political methods, dim
eyed in perceiving the distinction be-
tween truth and untruth, absorbingly
ambitious, but shOrtsighted as to the
methods of gratifying his ambition,
with genial social disposition and a
brilliant rhetorical capacity, Mr.. Blaine
makes an alluring candidate but would
make dangerous president.
pray you to excuse my adding to
the cares of your canvass by consid-
Grafton Of these matters. 1t was, how
ever, but just to you to point ont how
misleading was your telegram to MIR.
Joy and how irrelevant to the subject
matter was his reply.
HENRY WARD BEECHER.
MIR. BEEcHER's STORY IN THE HERALD.
Mr.. Beecher's story was told sub
stantially as above, but with somewhat
less detail, in letter from Detroit,
published in the Herald of September
~ last. The passage read thus
1t was, he said, while he was a guest
in Mr.JOy's house here that MIR. .Blaine's
name came up in conversation. There
were several gentlemen present. Mr..
Joy thereupOn said that he knew Mr..
Blaine to be corrupt man, and went
on to give his reasons. AS well as Mr..
Beecher remembered them they were
as follows:-He (Mr. joy was in
Washington in behalf of southern
railroad in which he was largely inter-
ested, and which was threatened with
hostile legislation by congress. MIR.
Blaine being speaker of the house. A
committee was to be appointed having
special reference to this road. Mr..
Joy iisheu hF. Dlalne, Ill Inc appoint
ment of the committee, to put on it a
certain member. Mr.. Blaine gave no
answer at the time, but the next day
an intimate associate of the speaker
came to Mr.. Joy and said that Mr..
Baine had $4,000 in railroad bonds
(Mr. Beecher did not remember which
or of what road), and said that if Mr..
Joy would take them off his hands he
would make up the committee us Mr..
JOY wished it made up-at least to the
extent Of not arousing too direct sus-
picion. Mr.. Joy said that he declined
the bargain.
This was Mr.. Beecher's recollection
of Mr.. joys statement. 1t will be OBJ
served that the general details it is
practically the statement made in the
Detroit News. MIR. Beechcr added
that he used the facts in public ad-
dress, and that some days afterward he
received message from Mr.. Blaine
begging him to call Oh Afr. Blaine at
the Fifth Avenue hotel. He did so,
and Mr.. Blaine asked him his authori-
ty for the statement He gave the de-
tails of his talk with Mr.. Jov. and