Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-09-26

The EOrmer's Denial OF Recently Pub
lished Statements

The EOrmer's Denial OF Recently Pub.
lished Statements.
HIS LIPS SEALED AGAINST cRrrIcrsx OF THE pKAD-
THRowNa DOUBT OVER THE AUTHENTICITY OF
THE LETTER ATTRIBUTED TO coNKLNG.
Under the heading, "Mr Conking and Mr..
Blaine. the Kennebec Journal publishes the fol-
! lowing Interview with Mr. Blaine:
representative OF this paper called on Mr.
Blaine at his residence yesterday to ask II he de-
| sired TO say anything In answer to the recently
published letter attributed to the late Senator
| Conkling. Mr.. Blaine's reply was as follows:
Nothing could induce me to enter Into contro-
versy over Mr.. Conklings grave. During our
joint service In Congrcss-some sixteen years In
ALIVE had some exasperating controversies. but
| never spoke or wrote q word concerning him ex-
cept politically, and now that he is dead my lips
are sealed against every form Of criticism or un-
Kind expression. no matter what may be the I'm
prudence or the injustice OF any OF his surviving
| friends"
WHY Mr. BLAINE WAS SURPRISED.
The reporter asked Mr.. Blaine II he had noticed
that doubt had been expressed in several papers
as TO Mr.. Conkling being the author OF the pub
lished letter. Mr.. Blaine replied that OF course
great surprise 70 him that such a letter should be
written by Mr. Conkling. The date shows that
the letter written just six days after the close
Conkling, and II Mr.. Conkling had intended to say
anything Of the kind he would have been apt to
say II then and not Immediately afterward in a
private letter. which was not given to the public
Tor twenty-five years, and not until Mr. Conkling
had been dead several months. The whole affair
habitual courage In debate. When asked II he
knew anything OF Crandan or Haddock Mr.
Blaine replied that he had never seen either OF
them and mad never heard the name OF either ex-
cept on the occasion OF his personal debate with
Mr.. Conkling In 1866 Though he had not charged
his mind with the fact, so as to remember accu-
rately, his strong impression was that they were
both On1cers In New York under the enrolment
act during the war; and that both had been dis
missed from the service for misconduct in ONCE.
THE RECRUITING SCANDALS
MI. Blaine was then asked II he had anything to
say about the charge that he had made money out
OF the recruiting funds in the war. He replied that
he might with truth be charged that he had made
money oy roDbing the mails or by piracy on the
hlSn sea-. The reporter asked IL the whole buSi-
ness or the recruiting scandal had not been fully
Investigated In Maine. Never said Mr. Blaine
was subject more thoroughly or more persist
entity investigated than the recruiting scandals
which grew up In this state the last year OF tie
war In connection with the filling OF town quotas
oy what were known as paper credits. It was
investigated by special committees OF two Ieyisla
latures, and finally and most searchingly, by a
public commission composed OF three prominent
gentiemen-two OF whom were eminent lawyers,
and the third distinguished officer In the late
war. one OF the lawyers was a democrat of the
most pronounced type. There is not word OF
evidence. or even suggestion or hint Ia any one
OF the three reports that had any more connec-
lion Win the matter than had Mr.. Conkling or his
unWlse 1rlend who publishes this letter and attrl-
pu1es IL 10 the dead Statesman"
Mr. BLAINE's POSITION IN THE NATTER
Mr. blaine was asked tf no bod no, ,',-.., 81,
nnnl,c corn,,,ss,on A. 49,. .N nv. "..'eu .no
PSoA~ SouAiSSAon III sneir ih'estlgatlon. MI.
Blaine said that In certain way he had done So
The commission needing yoluminous inror,no,,on
from the War aud NAVY Den lrfmentS IN resnacT ~
recruiting FRAUDS found great dificultv in 6hta,n
ing what was essential 10 their ,nyaat igottnn
They then applied TO min for AID In tbefr A. az
report TO the ievlslalure the commtssioners na% a
the following ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ar niS &C, go.
s.Our INQUIRIES mad bee1 50 ione h. ma n1 TO-
NAL reference 10 incoDseo;,entiaI f,c1s = ~ ingaot
Gus OVERLOOKING of the maIeriai msfiar Snn,
which there was uncerIa1ntv thar n 'seaWeI
probable that no evidence or any value 10 onr mr.
pose could be obtained from Uash,no, ~, VII ~.
the period to which our labOrs we're cSnined In
this dilemma we applied to Hon Lanes a. Rl,ina
member of Congress from tine third oi.trtc1 -,
Maine and 10 his effective Intervenfion nv no. y.
sonal appeals at che departments where oI1r rarHni
sttions for documents were waiting comn,ia Hca
we consider ourselves largely indS,Ieo for unaI'
ever Information from these Sources WE n We haan
able TO obtain" 0S0A
Mr. Blaine was further asked II he had M, triad
in Congress To SION Ali rraudnIant racr'itt