The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1884-08-14
BLAIN ON blaine.
The plumed Knight Conyiots lIlmselfo OF
Deliberate hplsehOod Ia the Fort
smith business,

candOr and acnteneas have kept even
step, brings out very clearly the fact
that Mr.. Blaine told ut different times
two entirely different stories about his
connection with the Little Rock and vt.
Smith speculation. In other words,
leaving out of sight altogether the Ques-
tlon OF HIS guilt or innocence OF c0rrup.
tiOn In that business, his own state
ment and the testimony afforded by the
letters he admits having written con-
Wet him Of deliberate falseh0Od.
" will be remembered that the same
thing happened In the case OF several OF
the Credit MObilier Congressman dur
Ing the investigation that, cUiOusly
enough, was set on foot by Mr. Blaine
himself. In their Ignorance OF the OK.
istence OF Oakea Ames' memorandum
book, some OF the Senators and Repre-
aentatiyes whom 0akea Amea had brl-
bed, made sworn Statements nj the be-
ginning OF the investigation, which
were utterly demolished by the produc.
tiOn of the record evidence a few days
later. Then they were obliged TO change
their defense, The wholesale denial
under oath which had been the first ref
nge OF the lneulpated statesmen prOhted
them nothing; In the light OF the subse.
quent disclosures II simply added per-
Jury TO their load of shame.
MIR. Blaine made the same mistake In
April, 1875, when the report was frat
circulated that Mr.. Thomas Scott had
taken off hls hands, for $6i 900, bonds OF
the Little Rock and Fort Smith Rail.
road Company Of the face value Of t75,.
900, Mr. Blaine haatened TO his feet In
the House OF Representatives with a
personal explanation. II was made on
April 2ith, 1874, and II IL printed on
page 2,725 of volume 4, part 8, OF The
Congressional Record, Mr.. Blaine then
said;
"The absurd rumOr has lately appeared
In certain newspapers that 1 was the
owner Of from $4,000 10 $250,000 OF
the Little Rock and Fort Smith railroad
bonds, which received without c0nsld.
erati0n, and that II was from these
bonds that Thomas A. Scott received hls
$4,000, The statement Ia gratuitOusly
and utterly false,
"The Little Rock and Fort Smith com.
pany received u grant from the State.
Finally toward the close OF
1868, q company OF Boston gentlemen,
representing considerable capital, un.
dert00k its construction. In raising
the requisite means they placed the
bonds OF the road on the New England
market In the summer OF 1869, Offering
them on terms which seemed very favor.
able to the purchaser, aud Offering them
NJ time when Investments OF this kind
were fatally popular,
"ln common with hundreds Of other
people In New England and other parts
Of the country, bought some of thep5
bonds-nOt n very large amOunt--ray-
Ing for them at precisely the same rate
that others paid.
~ never heard and do not believe that
the Little Rock cOmpany-which know
Is controlled by highly honorable men
ever parted with bond TO any person
except Mt the regular price fixed for the
sale. 1" My whole connection
with the road has been open as the day.
II there had been anything 10 conceal
about II, ah0nld never have touched Il.
Wherever concealm0nt IN desired avoid.
ance IL advisable, and do not know
any better test to apply to the honor and
fairness OF o BUSINESS transaction.
After putting this noble sentiment
Into the form OF IN ap0thegm, Mr..
Blaine summed up hls denial.
"lnstead Of receiving bonds Of the
Little Rock and Fort Smith road as a
gratuity, never had one except at the
regular market price, and instead OF
making q large fortune out OF that com.
pAny, | have incurred q severe pecun-
larry loss from my investment In lts
securities, which lstlll retain. Aud out
Of such affairs as this grows the popular
gossip OF large fortunes amassed In
Congress-"
At the time when Mr., Blaine made his
statement In explanation of his owner.
ship of the Little Rock bonds and II
our recollection Ia right this very state.
ment was subsequently incorporated at
hls own request into his sworn testl-
m0ny before the Investigating Commit
tee--he had no reason 10 suppose that
hls own letters TO Mr.. Warren Fisher,
Jr,, would ever see the light again, OF
tkat the memorandum OF Mr.. Fishers
bOokkeeper, Mr.. Mulligan, would ever
bo produced for the information Of q
committee OF Congress. He, therefore,
took high grounds, The rumor that he
was the owner of $4,000 or more Of
these bonds was absurd, He had bought
some OF the b0nds--nOt u very large
am0unt-paylng money for them pre-
cisely M every other investor did, and
at the market price. Had II como TO
this, he demanded, that an American
citizen was 10 be excluded from u per.
perfectly honorable and open business
Investment merely because no happen
cd to DO q representative In Congress ?
Mr., Blaine's indignation was as lofty as
the sentiment which he advanced was
virtu0us "WhOro cOuceRlment IL dc.
sirablo avoidance Is advisable"
Yet II was destined that within six
weeks Mr. Blaine should be forced 10
read In the House u letter written and
signed by himself, showing the exact
size OF the 'small amount" Of his hold
ings In Little Rook and Fort Smith
bonds-a small amount, AZ he said, paid
for In cash nj the market price, and
magnined by m absurd rumOr 10 some.
thing over 100000 On October 4, 1861,
no wrote TO Mr.. Fisher:
~ have been ueod with positive cru
city In regard 20 the bonds | have your
positive written contract TO deliver me
Si25 600 land bonds and S32,500 1rst
mortgage bonds, OF this whole amount
Of bonds due me hax0 received but
$4,000 land grants, leaving $4,000 Of
those and S32,500 llrst mortgage still
duo"
II appears that the "absurd rumor" as
to the amount was about right, But II
Mr.. Blaine had pald In cash for,h $751;.
500 Of bonds, Just like every other inves.
tor, aud at the open market price, how
was II possible for Josiah Caldwell and
Warren Fisher, Jr., TO defraud him OF
his rightsp How did II happen that the
Boston capitalists woro In position to
trent the Innocent and slmple.mlnded
legislator with positive cruelty"
The answer IL afforded by the memoir
andum In Mr. Blaine's handwriting,