Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-09-25

The Mistake of the Blaine Editors.
One Of the most remarkable things in
connection with the Mulligan letters is
the manner in which the Blaine organs
treat them. These letters, according to
the Blaine oreans, instead of showing
Blaine TO be a political jobber and dis
honored politician, prove him to be pure
and an upright man.
It is simply marvellous how Republican
editors can ignore the facts and make as
sertions that are so much at variance
with the truth. There are some men,
however, who seem to think that in po-
litical matters they are at liberty to adopt
a lower standard of morality than thai by
which they are guided in other matters.
1t cannot be possible that the editors
Of papers which declare that latter
careful reading of the Mulligan letters
they fail 10 find anything which iasIens
guilt on Blainen believe what they pup
lish. They fail in accomplishing the END
they aim at. because, instead OF c0nVlnc-
ing these who read their productions,
they succeed only in exciting contempt
for themselves.
Why, even Blaine admitted that the
letters contained the most damning evil
dence Of his guilt. Did not Mulligan, in
his testimony before the Judiciary Com
mittee ofthe House, when Blaine's cOnnec-
ton with the Little Rock and Fort Smith
Railroad matter was before it, testify
that Blaine said that the publication Of
the letters would ruin him; Here is an
extract from MuIligan's testimony:
He still importuned me to give those
papers up. / declined to do it. L retired
to my own room, and he followed me up,
and went over the same history about his
family and his children, and implOred me
to give them up TO him, and even con-
temDlated suicide. He asked me If /
wanted TO see his children left in that
state, and he then asked me again II l
would not let him look over these papers
cOnsecutively ( / had them numbered(. l
told him l would il he would return them
to me. He took the papers, read them all
over. and among them had memOran-
dunn that / had made by way of synopsis
Of the letters, and referring to the num-
bers Of the letters-a synopsis containing
the points Of the letters
"O.-Wbat reasons did Dir. Blaine give
YOU for desiring to suppress those letters
sA-That they would ruin him forever;
he contemplated suicide, and appealed TO
me in every way he could. He began then
IN talk politics, and about his friends. |
talked freely to him. He asked me if ]
liked my present position, and l told him
no. did not care about it. He asked me
how / should like political office, and
told him | did not care about one. He
asked me if l would not like a Consul
ship"
1t cannot be said truthfully that Multi
gan gave false testimony. Blaine, who
testified before the same committee, said
that Mulligan was man of "intelligence
and marked character"
In view of the facts, what is the use Of
attempting to make out that the Mulligan
letters are purely business letters which
refer to an honest transaction,a and that they
do not reflect the least discredit upon
Blaine. 1t would have been a much
wiser course to have admitted the crimi-
mating character Of the letters and to
have attempted 10 excuse the political
jObbsry which they disclose. 1t would be
much easier to defend Blaine against the
charge Of corrupt political practices than
to defend him not only against that charge,
but also against the charge of attempting
to evade the responsibility for his wrong
doing By falsehoOd. The Blaine editors
underrate the intelligence, and fail to I'M
dprstand the temper of the people.