The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-04-28
DEFENDING BLAINE.
William Walter Phelps Takes UP til.
Cudgels in his Behalf
Pen Picture Of Roosevelt, the Young
New York POIiticfan--Letfer fro IN
Ben Eutler--Another POIIt-
fcal League.

CHICAGO, Ills, April 2S-The Tribune
has a long letter from William Walter
Phelps Of New Jersey, in which the writer
vigorously defends the record Of Hon. james
G.. Blaine from the charges of corruption in
connection with railway legislation
which have been made The let
t." is addressed to The New York
Evening Post, which paper had not published
it mp to the time of its publication in The
Tribune Mr.. Phelps says the first charge is
the one upon which all the others hinge and
is to the effect that while speaker of the
house Mr. Blaine got John A. Logan,
then member of the house, TO make
point of order which saved bill in the in
teTcst of the Little Rock q Fl.
Smith railway, in which some of
Mr.. Blaine's friends were interested; that
Mr.. Blaine wrote at once to the promoters of
the railway, calling their attention to the
service he had done them, and for that sery-
ice received a number of the bonds Of the
railway.
MIR. Phelps gives q long argument in refu-
tation of this and other charges, saying that
the friends of Mr. Blaine were not connected
with the railway in question; that one Of the
friends Mr. CALDWELL Mr.. Blaine did not
even know of the existence of; and that the
evidence of the truth of these assertions was
before congress at the time.
With reference to the ruling as speaker the
letter says that the Little Rock bill was a
just one, but an attempt was being made to
attach to it the Memphis, El Paso & Pacific
Railway bill, which was very unpopular,
and which Senator Logan was hotly oppos-
ing. With reference 10 this Mr.. B!ajne'a
letter to Fisher is given which says:
IN this dilemma Roots, the Arkansas
member, came to me to know what on earth
he could do under the rules, for he said it was
vital to his constituents that the bill should
| pass. | told him that the amendment was
| entirely out of order, because not german @,
| but be had not sufficient confidence in his
| knowledge Of the rules to make the point.
| But lie said Gen. Logan was opposed to
| the Fremont scheme and would probably
make the point | could not do otherwise
! than sustain it, and 50 the bill was freed
| from the mischievOuS amendment and at
once passed without objection.
"Mr Blaine added these significant words:
| AT that time l had never seen Mr.. Caldwell
| but you can tell hirn that without knowing
! him, did him great favor. .
thought the point would interest both You
and Mr. Caldwell though before either OF
| You We're engaged in the enterprise
| With reference to the celebrated Mulligal
| letters Mr.. Phelps said:
"Your fourth charge is, that after MI
| Blaine got possession of the so-called Null
! gan letters he subsequently read such o.
them as he pleased to the house in aid of hi
| vindicatiOn.
"The answer is that Muiligan's memoran
DUN Of the letters, III which he had mum,
berei and indexed each one of them, Wa.
| produced, and Lumber and index CORE
sponled exactly with the letters read. This
was fully demonstrated on the floor of TIE
house, and is a part Of its records"
The other charges Mr.. Phelps takes up aud
! presents evidence which il conclusion he says
, refute each and every one of them, and add
that he is proud to be numbered among the
friends of Mr.. Blaine, whom he regards as
| one Of the truest and most honorable Of mer