Wichita eagle., 1888-10-28
DICKINSON THE DEFAMEk.
The Postmaster General Makes VillainouS
Attack Upon Mr. Blaine.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich, Oct. 27.-Post
master General Dickinson delivered po-
litical address here tonight. He devoted
most of his speech to Mr.. Blaine. whom he
characterizes as the Catalina of American
politics and the Aaron Burr of modern
statesmen. He congratulated himself on
the fact that Mr.. Blaine had criticised him.
He denied the accuracy of Mr.. Blaines
figures and statements in vigorous man
ner and continued:
He has done more to corrupt the public
conscience and to debauch the political
morals of the young men of this genera
tion than all other influences combined.
He mas been enabled to do this like all
public men of history who have attained
bad eminence, because in him the Burr In
politics has been made so attractive that
he las been sometimes successful. Bril-
liancy and magnetism have attracted, but
it has been the attraction to ultimate
destruction. He has attacked, NAL
igned and slandered the pure pub
lie men of his own party and
| they with out exception since he came
to his eminence and control have been IL
lustrious in the ranks of his enemies. At
their head stood the great Conkling, who
went to his honOred grave, followed even
there by the revilings of this man-hiS
creature. 1t is true of Mr. Blaine, as of
no other man, that while all honest men
are not his enemies all dishonored public
men have been his friends.
lido not know that his character as a
man when brought to the touch where any
innate honor or where moral obtuseness
must be shown IN men can be better
illustrated than by one incident which be-
came historical in best days of the cam
paign of 1884. This is the man who goes
about the country slandering others in the
T., IF rp1 rr1th h for
this is the man of false pretenses, upon
whom was placed the insignia of the sol
diers of the cross the plumes of the
knights, by an infidel and a scoffer A
piumed knight indeed! \ plumed knight
was he who was kissed by the first
ray of sunlight in the morning
as it glanced from the cross of his sword
hilt over the waters of Jerusalem, praying
that perchance it might rest again in
blessing upon his country in the west.
But this man, so far as his public life has
shown, has had no thought of his country
save as means to his own ends of self
and power. He never originated a meas
ure for the good of mankind. His name is
connected with no policy to advance the
interests or renown of America. No high
and noble sentiment can be quoted as
having fallen from his lips during all his
public career. True men have been men
toned by him only to be maligned. He
entered the liSUS 10 40 DdltIe Only when
the battle was done and then only to
charge the crippled and defenseless alike,a
craven to insult the vanquished. a
plumed knight, indeed! From the time of
his beginning of service in the national
field as the agent and lobbyist of the Spen-
Ger Rife company at Washington during
the first year of sthe war, through his
record in congress, through the black Null
ligan history, at the close of which he
saved himself from expulsion by auda-
cously stimulating of Divine Providence,
through the state department when the
power of government through him was
eXerted in the I.andreau iobbery in guapo,
down to his last record, he has been the
center and the light of systems of jobbery,
corruption, fraud and falsehood There
was no jobber in Washington but was his
friend. No other man when in the speak
er's chair ever intimating to or ever caused
statement to be sent to a man with p
money scheme before congress calling at
tention to the money value of the speak
er's ruling; no other man was ever turned
from the state department and his entire
policy in shame reversed.
Mr.. Dickinson concluded his speech with
a mass of statistics in opposition to Mr..
Blaine'S statements.