Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-04-04
sLAlNE.s BAD nEcoRD.

HIs Appointmenf to : Hleh once m I'm.
pusnment OF National Honesty.
After Mr.. James G. Blaine had been
SO sun-struck as to stop the investiga-
ton of his methods of securing money
while Speaker of the House of Repre-
sentatives, he retired to Augusta, and
when an attempt was made to resume
the investigation, his physician, DR..
h 81. Hill, telegraphed: ''What he
| needs is absolute rest"
TO that opinion we hold now. With
no malice toward Mr.. Blaine. we must
tell the truth about him as long as he
insists on taking public Office for
which he is unfit. He needs absolute
rest-and repentance.
Mr.. Blaine's record is too long for
review here 1t fills many pages that
shame the American people with in
disputable evidence of the venality of
man trusted in many high trusts
and false to them all. Though we can
not review the record in single arti-
Gle. it is our duty when he is given the
helm of a National administration by
the party of which he is representa-
tive to revert briefly in protest to
some of the more salient points of his
career. Initially we extract the fol-
lowing from the New York Tribune,
in which it appeared editorially on
September %. 1872:
If Speaker Blaine thinks he has effectually
''squelched'' the Credit Mobilier scandal by his
pompous denial he may find new exercise for
his peculiar talents in that direction in the
story which we print to-day. In the course of
railway litigation. proofs of Mr.. Blaines opera
t1oEs in railway stocks have come out and are
now in possession of lawyers in this CITY, We
publish as much OF this business as MIR. Blaine
will find time to attend to at once. By these
documents the Spedker is proDed to haze receiusd
1880 of assfssa6le stock o, the Union Pacific
rdita0dv, E. d., and 1000 ssabts SHARES of
the same. Why aCds the Speaker Of the Houss
ddbbting in this businesse Why receirin9 stock
The entries show that it was assigned TO him
among others. to secure the ratification of the
Delaware and POttawatomie treaties and the
passage OF bill in Congress. Mr.. Blaine's rec
ord in regard to railway matters grows darker
IS it is examined. He has never vet given any
explanation of his conduct in peddling stock in
the Fort Smith & Little Rock railroad among
his neighbors in Maine He has now an oppor-
tunity to rise to an explanation of his extensive
operations in Union Pacific E. D., stock 1t
may be n0bOdy's business hoa0 he has become
millionaire on a Congressmdn's pay: but it is the
business of has constituents and of the country to
knoac hon the Speaker of the House of r epresenta-
tees came into this rich rai!aUay speculation.
+, Why Mr.. Blaine was receiving "32,-
500 of assessable stock of the Union
Pacific railway, E. d., and 1000 unas-
sessable shares of the same" appeared
later on in evidence in similar connec-
lions, leaving no one room to doubt
that he became ''a millionaire on
Congressman's pay" by selling him
self-taking brides. betraying his
trust, perjuring himself.
The Blaine whom Harrison has
called to the highest Office in his gift
is the person referred to by the .Trib-
une in the above extract; the person
who used his public trust for black
mail; who as Speaker of the House of
Representatives forced the Union Pa
cific and other railroads interested in
pending legislation to bride him by
buying from him at high prices the al
most valueless securities of the Little
Rock and Fort Smith.
1t is as detected thief and as a con-
victed liar that Mr.. Blaine is called to
the premiership of the Harrison Ad-
ministration and of the Republican
party. The following is from the tes-
timony of Mr.. James Mulligan, con-
fdential secretary of Mr.. Blaine's
friend. Mr.. Warren Fisher. Jr.:
Mr. Blame said if should publish them they
would ruin him for life, and wanted
to know II I would surrender them. told him
no. and that would not give them to the COM
mittee unless it would turn out it was neces-
sary. After my examination here yesterday
Mr.. Blaine came up to the hotel, and there had
a conference with Mr.. Adkins Mr.. Fisher and
myself. He wanted to see the letters had. 1
declined to let him see them. He prayed and
almost went on his knees-I would say on his
knees-and implored to think OF his six
children and his wife, and that if the com mittee
should get hold of this communication it would
link him Immediately and ruin him forever
1 retired to my room and he followed
me up, and went over the same history about
his family and children, and impiored me to
give them up to him, and even contemplated
suicide.
On April 16. 1872, Fisher wrote
Blaine:
have placed you in positions where you
have received large sums of money without a
dollar of expense to you, and you ought not to
forget the act on my part. OF all the parties
connected with the Little Rock & Fort Smith
railroad, no one has been SO fortunate as your
self in obtaining money out OF it. You obtained
subscript ons from your friends in Maine for
the building of the Little Rock & Fort Smith
railroad. Out of their subscriptions you OBJ
ia ned large amount both OF bonds and money
free of cost to you. / have your own figures
and know the amounts. Owing to yonr polits-
cal position you were able to work of an your
bonds at a very high price. i
To this Blaine. replied on April IS,
1872: ~ g
MY DEAR FISHER-I answered yours very
hastily last evening as you said you wished an
immed ate reply. The demand you
make on me now is one 1 am entirely unable
to comply with. can not do it, 1t is not in my
power. You say that necessity knows no law
That applies to me we'll to you, and when
1 have reached the point I at, 1
simply fall back that law. = W tn
very kind regards to Mrs. Fisher, I am yours
truly.
Was there ever in the world more
pitiable spectacle than of this Plumed
Knight of the Highway, when, after
consorting with sharpers and cooper
ating with them in their plans of
swindling. he found himself in their
power? That under Harrison such
man should take the place just vacated
under Cleveland by Bayard is a re-
proach to the civilization of the
United States-an impugnment of the
honesty of the American people St
Louis Republic.
Wanamaker's Philanthropy.