The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1884-10-15
The MulIIgan Letters.

The critics VINO are aSsallln0 Blaine
most fiercely, with the Mulligan letters
for their text, are q queer lot. For
eight years they have been branding
Blaine as liar because he asserted that
there was one letter missing from the
package obtained by him from Multi
gan. They have charged him with the
suppression of this particular letter,
and have over and over affirmed that it
was put out of the way because it would
criminate him. Now we find them,
with rascally effrontery, producing the
letter, which was all the time accessi-
BILE 10 them, reposing, rs 1t did, in the
hands of the disreputable fellow Multi
gan, who with vindictiveness rarely
matched, has been holding it in read
iness to use whenever 1t would, In his
Judgment, most injure his hated enemy.
And now that it has been made public,
and with IL some other letters, any hon
est man will be compelled to admit that
there is no foundation for the malicious
charges that have been made on the
strength OF this correspondence. The
letters show clearly that the
transaction which has been so much
condemned was one that any honorable
man might have engaged in, and the
reference made to a past accidental
service was perfectly innocent 1t is
manifestly absurd to charge that Blaine
was guilty of crime in referring to one
of his rulings as Speaker months
after it had been made, unless it can
Re shown that he made IL with a guilty
object and that the ruling in itself was
o bad one. But his most vicious enemy
does not 90 so far. 1t is tacitly ad.
mitted that the ruling was in every re-
spect fair and proper and no one
charges that the bill was bad one. On
the contrary, it is one of the few Pa
cific Railroad Acts passed by Congrhs-
about which there has been little or no
scandal, except that at the expense of
Blaine, about whom nothing more scri-
Gus has been alleged than that several
months after Congress had anything
further to do with the railroad in ques.
tion he reminded an official of the com.
pany that he had an opportunity to rem
der q service in the past which deserved
at least recognition enough to permit
him 10 purchase stock on the same
terms as other favored purchasers.
1t Is very safe to assume that il tho
managing editor of the New York
Times were in quest OF position and
should happen to remember that at
some period in his career as a journal
ist he had done service for some
writer who had subsequently became
the owner of newspaper, he would
not hesitate to remind him Of the fact,
If, for instance, he had recognized that
the subsequently successful journalist
had merit, and had encouraged him t1
persevero by accepting his articles, al.
though in 80 doing he was strictly per.
forming his duty, would it have been a
crime for him TO allude 10 the service
he lad done? Certainly not. Unless
it could be shown that the articles ac-
cepted were not fit TO publication. aDl
that they were only taken by the editor
with the view Of securing the friendship
of the contributor, there could be no
harm, not even an indelicacy, ia allud-
ing to the service.
The very best evidence that the charges
prough. against Blaine are groundless
and not honestly believed by any we'll
informed person is furnished by his
social position. While in Washington
Mr.. Blaine had hosts OF friends, among
them being numbered some o. the most
distinguished men in the Democratic
party. Do those OF that political copi
plexion. who are now SO busily engaged
in throwing mud at him, think that
Bayard, Lamar, Thurman and numer-
ous others who have considered them
selves houored by an intimacy with
him. would have met him on easy
social terms II they believed him
to be rogue, whose hands had
been soiied with dishonesty acquired
money? IT is an insult TO suggest the
idea. When Garfield asked Blaine 10
accept the portfolio of Secretary OF
State did he believe him TO be rascal?
Since that day no successful criticism
OF Blaine's answer 10 his aecusers has
been made, yet sheets like Hdrper'S,
which in 1880 declared that he stood
above rcproach, are now assailing him
in most scurrilous manner. But their
"mud-slinging" will prove unavailing.
The people are convinced that Blaine Is
the man most needed at this iuncture
to fill the office OF Chief Magistrate OF
the United States, and on tho 4th Of
November next they will record their
verdict In such an unmistakable fashion