The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1884-05-01
ISLANDERS on MI. Blaine Refuted,


WILLIAM WALTER PHELPS LETTER 10 THE y.
y. EVENING POST.
Hon. VIM. Walter Phelps has written a letter
to the editor of the New York Evening Post. in
denial of the charges made in that paper against
Hon. James G.. Blaine. Mr.. Phelps emphat-
caliy denies that Mr.. Blaine, While Speaker in
1863, was interested in a bill before the House
TO renew the land grant to the Little Rock and
Fort smith Railroad in Ark. or that any Of Mr.
FLAMES friends were interested in that bill as
the Post charges. Some months after the
passage OF This bill. Mr. Phelps says, Mr.. Blaine
purchased. i'll the open market, "A block of the
securities Of the Little Rock 4 Fort Smith
Company, paying for it
THE SAME PRICE
That others did. Afterwards Mr.. Blaine sold 4
portion of these securities to Il number of his
friends believing them to be of value. 1t prov
cd. however, that the securities We're worthless
and Mi. Blaine redeemed from his friends all
OF the worthless stock. thus losing a great deal
of money but saving his friends from loss. The
Post charged that Mr.. Blaine had written to
people interested III the road immediately after
the passage OF the bill calling attention to the
services he had rendered them in having the
bill passed. This Mr. Phelps declares to be
ENTIRELY FALSE.
w hen the bill. which was one of great merit
was before the House a greatly Objectionable
amendment had been made to it which was
likely to destroy the efficacy of the bill. An
Arkansas member wished to make a point Of
order on the amendment, but felt himself too
little OF !; parlhmentarian to attempt it. lie
consulted Mr.. Blaine and the latter sent word
to Gen. Logan to make the desired point of
order. This destroyed the amendment and
saved the bill. Mr.. Blaine at that time. Mr.
Phelps says, did not even know who was in
terested in the bill, but some months after in a
letter to Mr. Phelps, and after having purchas-
ed the securities referred to, Mr.. Blaine refer
red III Il casual way to the services he had
unwittingy rendered. In regard to Il further
charge made by the same paper connecting Mr..
Blaine with share in the Northern Pacific
enterprise, Mr.. Phelps declares that all of the
evidence contradicts it. In fact, he says, there
NO EVIDENCE OF ANY SUCH CONNECTION,
and he quotes from letter by Mr.. Blaine,
written AT the time, in which the latter saws he
could not himself touch a share" The North
ern Pacific enterprise, Mr.. Phelps says, has
been organized and recognized and organized
second time and hundred men have been
connected with it. many of whom are personal
enemies of Mr.. Blaine, and there has never
been suggestion or hint from any of them
that Mr.. Blaine had the remotest personal in
tercst i'll the Northern Pacific Company Mr..
Iheps than challenges the production of evil
dence to any such connection. The next
charge is that after Mr.. Blaine got possession
of the sO-called Mulligan letters and subsequent
ly read such of them he pleased to the
House III and of his vlndication. The fasity
of this charge, Mr.. Phelps asserts, was demon
straed on the floor of the House and is
A PART OF IT'S RECORDS.
The charge that Mr.. Blaine receiveda certain
sum from the Union Pacific for seventv-tive
bonds of the Little Rock road, Mr.. Phelps de-
clares to have been made without proof and
against the sworn statement of Thomas A.
Scott, who was the party alleged to have made
the negotiation, and against the written denial
of Sidney Dillon, President of the company.
+. Ill. Rollins, its Treasurer. and Morton, Bliss
n Co., through whose banking house the tran
sactions were alleged to have been made
Gov. Morgan, Mr.. Hooper, Senator Grimes,
Senator Edmunds and Senator Window, Mr..
Phelps says, all while members of Congress
held interests in railroads and no impure
motives were ever charged to them. and he
asks why Mr.. Blaine for the same thing should
be singled out
AS A TARGET
for such charges. Mr. Blaine's reported vast
wealth, Mr.. Phelps declares, consists of less
than half million dollars. In conclusion Mr..
Phelps says he has made these answers over
his own name and challenges denial of any
substantial fact he has stated.
THE REPLY OF THE EVENING POST.
The Post in reply quotes evidence given be-
and concludes by saying: "We may add that
we believe Mr.. Blaine's railroad transactions
have no further interest for the public, and we
do not mean to return 10 them What gave us
or anybody any interest in them was the
chance of his being nominated for the presi-
dency,. which has now we believe passed
away"