The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-09-26
A LETTER FROM .C0NKLING.
THE GREAT sTALwART ON BLAINE.
His New York Friends Refuse To Support
Harrison Because OF His Relations To
the Maine Mana Startling Inter-
view with Eeter ID. Crandall.

ITHACA, n. Y, Sept. 20.-Republicans
here are greatly astonished over the fol-
lowing letter from Roscoe Conkling to
Peter r. Crandall of this city, published
in the Ithaca Democrat this evening, to-
gether with a long interview with Mr..
Crandali on the circumstances under
which the letter was written:
May, 6 1906
My DEAR SIR: am glad TO receive your
letter BY this time you will have seen in full
the latter passages Of the Fry-Blaine matter
i think, find fault with the self-command of
your representative when called on without a
moments warning in the presence OF the ma
ton to answer such a libel. What is the effect
upon our people?
Mr. Blaine is said to be too near the business
of recruiting at Augusta, Me-, where he lives
and where there was another Haddock affair."
In crime but not in conviction and punishment.
He has grown suddenly rch. il is said, ont of
government jobs. His brother was convicted
OF forgery and sent TO the state prison, l am
told, and all around you will see there is a very
strong flavor about the whole thing.
III where you and are known any one can
be found to believe the foul imputation put on
us we have lived in vain.
How is this? Your friend
ROSCOE CoNKLING.
Peter B. Crandall, Babcock Hill, Oneida
county, New York
Mr. Crandall is eighty years old. He has
been a prominent man in state and
national politics for many years, and has
always been one OF Conkling's most
devoted friends.
In an interview to-day Mr.. Crandall said:
81 want simply to make a statement for
the benefit of the friends of Mr.. Conkling.
He was a statesman, patriot, an honest
man. Through Mr.. Blaine's intrigues and
Vaccinations he was forced from public
life to his death. 1t is now the duty of
every one of Mr.. Conkling's friends to
repay that treachery by helping to silence
forever that scheming and dishonest pol
itician. | have known Mr.. Conkling all
my life and have corresponded with him
for many years. All of his letters show his
intense suffering on account of the way
Blaine had illuminated him. His last
letter was written a few days before his
death, and in that he still expressed an
interest in public affairs.
when l was provost marshal of Oneida
county great frauds were unearthed by
Conkling and traced to Washington.
Conklng attempted TO introduce a bill
abolishing the provost marshalship. Fry
and Blaine opposed it, as they wanted the
office to become part of the war depart
ment, SO as to continue the frauds. Gen.
Fry sent letter to congress, and Blaine
caused it to be read, charging Conkling
with protecting his own district from eX-
posture in the county frauds Conkling
arose, demanded an investigation, and
turned on Fry and Blaine, charging that
out OF 100000 men to whom bounties were
paid scarcely 100000 ever went
to service and somebody stole
the money. The committees APP
pointed exonerated Conkling, but
the Fry investigation found too big Job
on their hands, and so many persons were
implicated that the matter was finally
dropped. l have all the papers in the
matter, as Conkling told me too keep
them. Mr.. Hotchkiss, attorney for the
committee, said: If we should attempt
to get back this stolen money by spread
ing these transactions over the country
the administration would not last six
months COnkiing said he had letter
from Augusta, Me-, Blaine's home, charging
Blame with making $4,000 in a single day
out OF county frauds. About a month after
this received the letter which Inow give
to the public When Mr.. Blaine has been
pushed to the very front of his party as
arbiter and dictator, and has reached and
holds that position by treachery it re-
moves the obligations of secrecy. The
friends of Mr.. Conkling, now that he is
dead. owe him the right to be heard on all
matters relating to Blaine's integrity The
friends of Conkling cannot vote for Harri-
son this fall if they are true to Conkling's
memory. Blaine is the republican party,
and if it had not been for him Garfield
would have been alive and Conkling still
in politics. / will not vote for Harrison
this fall. / have always been a repub-
lican, but when that party goes in for
plumber leave it. The republican party
seems to have but one purpose, and that to
aid capitalists and bondholders to squan-
der the public lands and build I'D MAN.
moth corporations. l am too old to ask
or expect anything from a political party
now, and all | wish is to leave the world
better than found it. But when 1 think
that if Harrison is elected this fall Blaine
will be at the head of the government 1
cannot die contented, but feel like going
to every friend of Mr.. Conkling and tell
ing him what know personally about
the shameful way he was treated by
Blaine and thereby removing from my
heart the secrecy of a subject which has
ever been painful one to me"
The leading democrats here say this let
ter and interview will increase the dem
ocratic vote in this section by some hun
dredS