The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1888-10-05
g.. AIM: INTERVIEWED.

Makes Same Interesting Statements
Anert the Times Covered by Mr.. Con;s-
iirs's Alleged Letter.
AUGUSTA. Me-, Sept. 26.-The Keuaebcc
yourf,ai to-day publishes the following:
"A representative of this paper called on
sir. Blaine yesterday to ask il he desired
10 saw anything in answer to the recently
published letter attributed to the late
Senator Conkiing. Mr.. Blaine said:
Nothing could induce me to enter into
a controversy over Mr.. Conkling's grave.
During our joint service in Congress
some sixteen years in alive had some
.xasperating controversies, but l never
spoke or wrote a word concerning him
except publicly, and now that he is dead,
my lips are Sc aled against every form OF
criticism or unkind expression. no mat
ter what may be the impru1ence or in
justice Of any of his surviving frie nds."
Our reporter asked Mr.. Blaine if he had
noticed that doubt had been expressed in
several papers as TO Mr.. Conkliny being
the author of the published letter.
Mr.. Blaine replied that of course ho
knew nothing about that point, hit it VA
great surprise TO him that such lrt.c:
should have Been written by Mr.. Conk-
ling. The date shows that the letter was
written just six days after the close OF an
exasperating personal debate with Mr..
COnkling, and if Mr.. Conkling had in
tended TO say any thing of the kind he
would have been apt to say it then, and
not Immediately afterward in a private
letter, which was not given TO the public
for twenty two years: not until Mr..
Conkling had been dead several months.
The whole affair was not in Accordance
with Mr.. Conkiing's hapitual courage in
debate.
When asked il he knew anything o.
Crandall or Haddock. Mr.. Blaine replied
that he had never seen either of them,
and had never heard the name of either,
except on the occasion of his personal de .
bate with Mr.. Conkling in April, lSf6.
Though he had not charged his mind
with the fact, so rs to remember accn-
rately, bis strong impression was that
they were both officers in New York under
the enrolment act during the war. and
that both had been dismissed from tho
service for misconduct in Office.
Mr.. Blaine was then asked if he hal
any thing to say about the charge thIs
he had made money out of the recruiting
funds of the war. He replied that IL
might with equal truth be charged that
he had made money by rObbing the
mails, or by piracy on the high seas.
'Never," said Mr.. Blaine, twas sub
ject more thoroughly or more persistent
~ investigated than the recruiting
scandal which grew up in this State the
last rear of the war in connection with
the filling of town quotas by what We're
known as paper credits Ii was lnvesti-
gated by special committees of tin l. -gi>-
lature, and finally and more searchin Fly
by public commission composed %
three prominent gentlemen, two of whom
were prominent lawyers and the third a
distinguished officer in the late war.
One of the lawyers was Democrat os
the most pronounced type. There is II ~ =
word OF evidence or even a suggestion o.
hint, in any one of the three reports tist
had any more connection with the mat
ter than had Mr.. Conkllng or his unwi-,,
friend who publishes this Letter AMI 1T.
tributes it to the dead statesman"
Our representative then asked Mr..
Blaine if he had not assisted the pub &c
commission in their investigation. Mr..
Blaine said that in a certain way he hal
done so. The commission, Meeting
voluminous Information from the War an |
NAVY Departments in respec. to recruit
ing frauds, found great difficulty in ob.
tanning what was essential TO their ilvas-
tigation. They then applied to him for
aid. In the final report to the Leg stature
the commissioners made the follow n,
acknowledgment of his assistance: "Olr
inquiry had been so long haff.sd by
formal references to inconsequent facts;
and ingenious overlookiny OF the material
matter, about which there Was uncc-tain-
ty, that it seemed probable that no evil
dence OF any value to our purpose coa,d
be obtained from Washington within tao
period to which our labors were confined.
In this dilemma we applied to Hon. Jane;
g. Blaine. member OF Congress from tho
Third district of sfaine, and to his effec.-
I've intervention by personal appeals 10
the departments where our regGiSit!ou
tor documents were waiting coinpl iapce,
we consider ourselves largely indebted
for whatever Information from these
sources we have been able to obtain.r
Mr.. Blaine was further asked if lie had
not tried in Congress to stop all fraus,u-
lent recruiting. He replied that he had.
During the last year of the recruiting
fraud was running riot throughout many
of the loyal States. A system OF traudu-
lent credits had been invented by which
quotas were filled without soldiers being
added to the army. 1t was in this field of
operation that the bounty Spectators
made their money. When the last en-
rollment bill was under discussion dur
ing the session of Congress which began
in December, 1864. lie had offered an
amendment in these words:
That in any call for troops no county. town.
township ward, precinct or election district shall
49,. L. f,r,
IN said call or preceding calls by said county.
town, township, ward, precinct and election
district, and mustered into the military AMI
naval service on the quota thereof.
In advocating this amendment Mr..
Blaine said he had explained the frauds
that were in progress in many States,
and during his speech in the House he
had said:
1.-THE amendment which have offered is de-
signed to correct this evil: to cut it up by the
roots and bring back recruiting to an honest,
meritorious and patriotic effort TO fill the ranks
Of our gallant army, and not the shadowy
fictions which come under the general name
of paper credits. We have witnessed with
amazement the quotas of entire cities and
districts technically filled without adding a
single man TO the effective military force OF
the Nation
Mr.. Blaine said his amendm emit was
passed by a vote of 81 to 36-the Repub-
licans voting in the affirmative with
few Democrats like Mr.. Holman. of In.
diana. The negative was unanimously
Democratic. 1t will be seen, said Mr..
Blaine, that the official record Of the
State and Nation refutes the whole
charge.
Misso urls Tobacco Industry.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 25.-St. Louis keeps
"a iuf laa Iood fnhaNNo mn