Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1884-07-10
THE LETrERs TO FISHER.

THE LETTERS TO FISHER.
AS rejoinder to an attempt ON the
part Mr.. William Walter Phelps to
reply to these charges, the Post, three
weeks afterwards, printed the follow
ing documentary evidence:
"The story about Mr.. Blaine's con-
nection with the Little Rock and Fort
Smith Railroad had been floating
about good deal in The spring Of
1876. So he met it in the House i'll
this fashion, April 23th of that year,
admitting that he held bonds Of the
road:
AS to the question of propriety involved
in a member of Congreis holding an invest
ment of this kind, ii must be remembered
the lands wero granted to the State OF Ar
kansas and not to the railroad company, and
that the company derived its life, franchise
and value wholly from the Statc,and to the
State the company is amenabfe and answer
able, and not in any sense to Congress.
Since purchased the bonds but one act of
Congress has passed in any way touching
the subject, and that was merely to rectify
! previous mistake in Legislation.
In the seven intervening years since Lit
tie Rock and Fort Smith bonds were placed
upon the market I know few Investments
that have not baen more affected by the leg
islations Of Congress. But this case doea
not require to be shielded by any such COM
parisons or quotations for l repeat that the
Little Rock road derived all that 1t had
from the State Of Arkansas. and not from
Congress. 1t was in the discretion of Con-
gress to give or Withhold IRON the State, but
it was solely within the. discretion of the
State to give or withhold from the Little
Rock Railroad Company.
This statement was accepted gener-
ally as a conclusive answer to the
| charge till June I, 1876, when the iu-
vestigation and the publication of his
letters revealed the amazing fact that
it was not true; that the franchises
and securities of the Little Rock and
Fort Smith Railroad hal no
value unless the land grants to- the
State, which was in danger of lapsing,
were renewed by act of Congress.
! Mr.. Blaine not only knew this in 1876
but knew it in 1869. In that year
! Mr.. Warren Fisher took contract to
build the road, with the aid of the
land grant, of course. That he was
directly interested in getting the act
passed which was to provide the money
| to pay the cost, is highly probable,
though not proved. The date on
| which he made the offer to Mr.. Blaine
of share in the enterprise does not
appear in the evidence, but it must
have been made very soon after the
passage of the bill april 81 and the
making of the contract, as appears by
the following letter:
AUGUSTA, June 90 1859.
| Ny DEAR MIR. FIsHER: R:-Yo.r offer to
admit me to partnership in the new rail-
| road enterprise is in every respect as gener-
Gus as | could expect desire. | thank
| you very sincerely for it, and in this con-
nection 1 wish to make a suggestion OF rath-
er selfish character. You spoke of Mr..
! Caldwell disposing of share of his interest
to me. If he really designs to do so, wish
! he would make the proposition definite, SO
| that l could know just what to depend on.
| Perhaps if he waits till the full development
| of the enterprise he might grow reluctant
| to part with his share; and do not by this
mean any distrust of him. | do not feel
/, that should prove dead-head in the en-
| terprise if | on-e embark in it. i see va
rious channels in which l know l can be
useful.
Every hastily and sincerely your friend,
J. G.. BLAINE"
| MIR. Fisher, India ST., Boston.
1t will be seen from this that he
had been already talking of this
point of interest" to Fisher, but was
eager to bring it to Caldwell's notice
So he wrote again on the same day
this time speaking Of the bill frankl j
as your (Fisher's) bill" At thi:
date Mr.. Phelps evasively says, "the
transaction was nearly closed. II
may have been, but Mr. Blaine's ex
pectations, were not closed:
AUGUSTA, Me-, Oct. 4, 1869.
Ny DEAR Mr.. FISHER: Find incoset
contracts of the parties named in my letter
of yesterday. The remaining contract.
will be completed as rapidly as circum
stances will permit. inclose.you part o
the Congressional Globe of April g. contain
ing the point to which | referred at some
length in nay previous letter of to-day. Yor
will find it of interest to read it over, ane
see what a narrow escape your bill made or
that last night Of the season. OF course i
was my plain duty to make the ruling wher
the point was once raised. If the Arkansas
men had not, however, happened to com,
to me when at their wits ends and in de
spair, the bill would undoubtedly have beer
lost, or at least postponed for year. ]
thought the point would interest both yol
and Caldwell, though occurring before eth
er of you engaged in the enterprise. be,
you to understand that thoroughly appre
ciate the courtesy with which you hay
| treated me in this railroad matter, but you
conduct towards me in business matters .ha
always been marked by unbounded liberalit,
In pastyears, and of course i have naturall
come to the conciusionto expect the sam
OF you now. You urge ME to make as mucl
as fairly can out of the arrangement int
; which ne have entered. 1t is natural tha
II should do my utmost to this end | an
bothe-ed by only one thing and that is de
Unite and expressed arrangements with MI
Caldwell am anxious to acquire the in
teresf he has promised me. Bat do no
get a definite understanding with him as
have with you. shall be in Boston fc,
J, days, and shall then have AN opportunity t
talk matters over fully with you, am dis
posed to think that whatever'I do with M,
Caldwell must really be done through yor
Kind regards to Mrs. Fisher. Sincerely.
w. f., Jr., esq }. G. BLAINE.
By the third letter it will be see
that Logan had an interest in Blaine
schemes In 1879, as well as now. ]
is this letter that the Demeerati
press has particularly gloated over
and which certainly caused a sensatio
In political circles at the time of it
publication. Letter No. 3:
5 AUGUSTA, Me-, Oct. 4, 1884.
MY DEAR SIR: spoke SO you a shol