Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-09-25

L
only casual reference here. because the
correspondence does not relate to it. The
sworn testimony of Mr.. Blaine, Thomas A.
Scott, and the written denials of Sidney Dill
Ion, 4. II. Rollins, Morton, Bliss Co, and
Caldwell are dead against it. Opposed to
that array of negative evidence is mlsera-
bic assortment of petty suspicious and I'M
warrantable assumptions based upon hearsay,
Mr.. Curtis disposed of the charge most eff
fectuslly when the evidence was before the
country. The "MuIligan letters" leave
this count in the indictment precisely where
il was
III. Mr.. Blaine has been charged by the
Evening Post and its colleagues in rancorous
defamation (l) with making a ruling in favor
Of the Little Rock and Fort Smith railroad,
an enterprise ''in which some of his friends
were Interested" ~ with writing at once to
the promoters calling attention to the service
he had rendered them and 90 with secur-
ing from them, 'as retcard for ii (the rul-
ing his appointment as selling agent of
''the bonds of the road, on commission, IN
Maine" and with receiving number of such
bonds as his percentage Now, u the let
tiers of October 4, 1869, prove that on April
8, 1863, when the ruling was made, neither
Mr. Blaine, nor Fisher. nor Caldwell was in
terested in the enterprise. (2) The same
letters prove that Mr. Blaine did not refer to
the ruling at once, but months afterward. and
not until Fisher had made an offer and Mr.
Blaine had accepted it in regard TO the pur-
chase and sale of Little Rock securities. (3)
The letters of June 20 and July 2, 1863, and
also the contract of September 3, 1863,
prove that Fishers arrangement with Mr.
Blaine bad been made that the papers had
been signed, that the bonds had
b..ap al ulaped in Maine and maid for
and the entire transaction virtually closed,
before the letters of October 4 referring to
the ruling were written. The charge, there
fore, bv the Evening Post, the Times and
their allies. that Mr.. Blaine made II ruling in
favor of a road in which his friends were in
terested, that he wrote at once TO them TO re-
mind them of the service he had rendered
them, and obtained as a reward for the ruling
financial privileges and actual gratuities, is a
series of monstrous lies. The letters them
selves prove that neither the ruling nor Mr..
Blaine's subsequent reference to it had any
thing whatever to do with the purchase and
sale of the Little Rock securities.
Mr. BlaIne's accusers are unable TO point
to any official act which compromises his
public honor The ruling itself was entire
ly proper and merely tended to separate a
notorious railroad job from an innocent
a unanimous vote, the virtuous Mr. Schurz
himself tacitly giving it his sanction. Con |
gress, having extended the period for the |
construction of the first twenty miles of the
road, could not do anything more for the
enterprise The company was organized |
under the laws of Arkansas and the land
grant in aid of its construction was received
from the State under general law. No
measure affecting the road except a techn- !
cal amendment too trivial to n tice, subse-
quently came up in Congress. Mr.. Blaine
neither ruled nor voted on any bill connected
with the enterprise after he had invested in
the securities; nor is there any evidence that
he used his influence as Speaker or as a
member of the House in behalf of the enter
prise. lie did invest his own money and
induced his friends in Maine to invest theirs
in a railroad enterprise under the control of
the State of Arkansas. When Fisher and |
Caldwell made contract with the State to
build the road, he joined them in placing the
bonds of the company. He had as good a
right to do this as to invest in any other
State enterprise. or to develop his coal tract
in Pennsylvania. The transactions were
of the nature of private business. and did not
affect his official duty and obligations as a
member of the House.
The adyersaries of Mr.. Blaine, failing to
prove any guilty act or betrayal Of public
trust, have sought by mean insinuationS and
forced Interpretation of careless phrases to
show guilty intent. II do not feel that |
''shall prove deadhead in the enterprise if |
"once embark in it'll see various channels in
which know can be useful" The changes
have been rung upon these oil hand phrases
bur the new letters like the old series demon
strate that he did not prove a dead head"
that he placed a long line of stock lent S25,-
600 to the company, proposed the establish
ment of National bank, and in various
channels made himself useful in averting the
bankruptcy of the enterprise, and in finally
completing the road. In like manner the
charge that the reference to the ruling in the
letters of October 4, was made for the cor
rupt purpose of obtaining financial favors,
breaks down the moment it is critically ex-
amined. In relating the incident of the pas
sage of the bill after his ruling was made,
he kes extraordinary pains to belittle his
own service and to demonstrate that it was
entirely accidental lie told Fisher that it
was his ''pIatn duty to make the ruling. that
he "could not do otherwise than sustain" the
motion, and that as he had never seen Caldwell,
and as Fisher had not then acquired an inter
est, the favor had been done inadvertently,
and without knowledge or intention. To
suppose that Mr.. Blame was seeking TO eS-
tablish claim upon his new business
associates by referring to the ruling in this
depreciatory way, is simply preposterous.
A knave craving financial favors would have
enlarged upon his services, and not have
hlurted out the fact that they were uninten-
tional, accidental and of no account.
What then remains? Simply series of
private business transactions with which the
public has no concern. Mr.. Blaine pur-
chased and sold bonds under a special
contract, Fishers percentages, as both he
and Muligan have testified, averaging the
same in this in transactions with
other investors. Mr. Blaine sold
the bonds to some of the most
respectable men in Maine, and to his most
intimate friends-to ex Governor Coburn,
the Morrills and men of like character When
the enterprise proved a failure, he took back
the bonds at heavy loss and made good the
investments of his friends. They certainly
were satisfied with his dealings with them
As for Fisher. he finally had his settlement
with Mr.. Blaine after long correspondence
relating to the Little Rock bonds and the
Northern Pacific contract Neither Fisher
nor Caldwell ever ventured to nsinuate that
Mr.. Blaine acted dishonesty towards them
Like his friends in Maine, whose losses he
made up, they were grateful to him for his
resolute efforts to promote the success of the
enterprise. The correspondence reveals Mr.
Blaines sanguine temperament. confding