The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-10-23
BLAINES DEFENSE.
The Crookedness Of Mr.. Blaine's
SpeculatiOns.
How n Great Religious Newspaper Look:
Upon the Lame and Impotent Efforts of
the Republican Candidate to
Clear His Skirts.


see for himself in Mr.. Blaine's defenSe-the
crookedness of il. We propose to tell the
story and leave IL TO make its own impression.
Fifteen minutes after Mr.. hulhgan arrived
in Washington TO give his testimony, he was
met with an invitation to Mr.. Blaine's house,
which he declined. Il did not. said he, want
to have it said that l had gone TO see Mr..
Blaine. wanIed to come into this committee
untramme ed Up - Moi. Doc. rs, Part Il
When his testimony began, he went on
quietly until he remarked that certain letters
between Fisher and Blaine were in his pos
session. What happened then was described
by Mr.. Hunton, Chairman of the Sub-comnit-
tee of the House, in the presence of Mr.. Blaine,
who did not contradict him.
Mr. Mulligan was testifylng very quietly;
there was no excitement in the committee
room at all, when he happened TO mention
that he had in his possess on certain letters
written by Mr.. Blame TO Warren Fisher, Jr.
The mention of these letters seemed to have
an extraordinary elect on Mr.. Blaine; for. in
moment or two afterwari. he whispered to
Mr.. Lawrence, the Republican member of that
committee. Move an adjournment 1t so
happened that | heayd the suggestion. Mr..
Lawrence got up with great sOlemnity, and
said: MIR. Chairman. am very sic6, and |
hope the committee will ad iourr.
MIR. Blaine then proceeded to make the most
of his one chance more with the man who
would not come TO him.
The first interviews are admitted to have
been friendly. Mr.. Blaine. on his own account,
VS. still hob-nobbing with him, and doing
what he could with persuaSiveS 10 get the let
tiers or TO lock them up.
Mulligan's account of Dlane'S importantly
is much of it, met with that gent eman's de-
NAL, and must be set aside as improved.
That MIR. Blaine tried him with hints as to
great things To be done for him in case he
proved plant is denied too feebly TO leave it
doubtful IN his own account of the matter.
81 iOkingly rem arked whether he would not
like 10 20 abroad n some official capacity. As
he has represented here il would be inferred
tnat had asked him 10 accept a cOnsu!Ship;
but there WIS nothing of the kind whatever.
| would not sar that Mr.. MullIgan faiS .tieS. |
do not want TO saw that ii all. There might
have been room for his putting construction
on What | said.
Failing to set tire letters he obtained Il look
n them on the promise 10 return them. mis-
look apTarcntly made him clear that he muSc
have Them; and when Mulligan, with easy
gDOl-nature, pat them into his hands for
another look, ne carried them of, on the plea
that this time the promise tn give them back
d.dnot hold. and that they were his private
correspondence and not 10 be used against
him.
The next turn in this tortuous lane brings
us to the extraordinary scene in the House,
June D. ls,6. when on Il question of privilege,
Mr.. Blaine proceeded. as he said, to invite
the confidence of 40 n,OO0 of my countrymen
while | read these letters from the desk In
plain words, he broke away from the judicial
examination the moment it threatened TO dis
close anything against him. dragged the evl-
denCe away from Il tribunal where 1t would be
strictly examined, 10 another W ere 1t could
not be examined at ALL raised the party cry,
forced his case on TO party ground, and broke
Reports of the letters he read are printed
in the Congress .ondl Record, but the docume ITS
were never verified. Mr.. Blaine treated the
House and the ~ COO O01 of his cOuntrymen'
as he did his lawyers He invited their con-
tiderce' and INFO med them that those let
tiers were received from James Mulligan."
TO Mr. Hale's question
Docs the exhibit which the gentleman has
made cover every paper, OF every kind what
ever, that came from Mulligan:"
he replied:
=. Every SOLITARY ccran and serinntion
But how could the 100000. whose conf
dence he had invited, know that those were
the Identical papers taken from Mr.. Null
gan?
Mr.. Blaine met that point, first by his aSser-
ton, and next by affirming their correspond
ence with Mr.. Mulligan's memorandum seized
with them. He said:
They are dated and they correspond pre-
cisely with Muligan's memorandum, VIII CHI
have here. Ikcep thus menordndum us a pro
tect on to myself; for At is rery UIlItdble sOC
ing the identity Of the letters iTs eUeTU respect.
Mr.. Glover called for the reading of the
memorandum, to the accuracy of which Mr..
Blaine had thus pledged himself. and when
the clerk came to No. S, and read The now IA
nous note,
October "a. II. Fisher to Blaine. urging
settlement of n. Z. r. account, $4,000.
Mr.. Blaine rose and said:
C''There was no such letter in the package.
The letter he speaks of seems to have been
letter from Mr.. FISHER to myself. There was no
such letter in the package. and the numbers
he has given do not call for it. There are fit
teen letters and three pieces of paper. Atany
rate, II was not Il letter from me-
The memorandum was then read through
with but one moe interruption from Mr..
Blaine. and we are able to test the assertion
that the letters IN his version correspond
precisely with it
First of al. No. 6. described in this memo
randum, which Mr.. blaine had just said he
relied on for his protection" as October
"a, II, Fisher to Blaine, urging settlement
of n. p. II. account, S25.000," was not read.
This is the letter, which, as we have it i'll
those recently published, exposes trans
mon Swindling Blaine denied that it was
in the package, and, to keep on good terms
with the formidable memorandum, added:
The numbers he has given do not call for il.
There are fifteen letters, and three pieces of
paper
Those three pieces of paper" are the con.
tracts referred 10 i'll the memorandum as No.
and No. 6. Mr.. Blaine threw them out of
the fifteen numbers of the memorandum, and
had them printed as foOt-noteS III the tom
gTeSSi"hdi RecUrd. The memorandum does not
call for fifteen letters but for thirteen; and
of these thirteen Mr.. Blaine declared that one
was not in tie package. Twelve only remain
for him TO read. But he read fifteen; and.
to support himself in the assertion that No.
was not in the package, he said that fifteen
were called for, and fifteen had been read.
The examination of the letters shows three
which can not be discovered in the memoir
andum. They follow each other in the Con-
OTeSS ,OnGl Record as they were read, and they
exactly fill the gap and round out the fifteen
him on good terms with the memorandum.
Where did those three letters come from!
But the efrontery of this crook in his de-
tense was to be surpassed by another.
Mr.. Blaine now turned TO the Chairman of
the Judiciary Committee proctor knott. ac-
cused HIM OF having suppressed cablegram
from y OS .ah Caldwell in London generating
him from the charges brought against him
and moved the previous question on reso.
luton to instruct the Judiciary Committee
&c investigate the matter.
cable from
until we have its h story in sworn testimony,
given in open court, under cross-examina.
ton.
Mr. Knott received it from London. but was
so impressed with Its suspicious features that
he held it back until he could satisfy himself
about them Mr.. Frye, Blaine's colleague
from Maine, exonerated Knott from the
charge of suppresSing evidence. He said
openly in Congress that the dispatch was not
evidence in court.
But it has become evidence out OF court:
and this is the story of il.
May %. 1876, the ommittee resolved to send
for Caldwell. Mr.. Whiting, manager of the
Washington Office, produced a telegram to
Caldwell in London, dated that day, signed
by Mr.. Biaines intimate friend, A =. Robin
son. directing him to cable the strongest in
dOrSement OF Colonel SCOTS testimony. just
given to the committee. Two other dispatches
to the same person and on the same subject
were produced
There came another. unsigned, to Colonel
Scott, giving the Endorsement suggested
above; and, within a few minutes of It's ar
rival. while Scott was yet wondering what IL
all meant came one Reed, with a cab,egram
TO Caldwell which he submitted to Scott, and
wished him to send at his own expense. Scott
refused. and Reed went away. saying he
should then have to send il himself, though il
would cnst him S52. - This cablegram was
flied at me Philadelphia Office and runs thus:
Dispatch received. Cable this Immediately
to Chairman House judiciary Committee,
Washington"
Then follows the dictated dispatch which
read, with trif1ing exceptions, word for word
with that which came TO Mr. Knott on the
morning of June !. -Four DAYS later Blaine
took the last crooked step in his defense by
turning on the Chairman of the Judiciary
Committee with furious attack for having
suppressed this dispatch until be conld decide
whether was or was nor the frau1 he