The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-01-26
TWO FAMOUS MEN.
Some Insisse Farts About . Fight That d.
FnsmO@s in Hiss0ry.

Some Insisle Farts About . Plight That IN
FanOss in Hiss0ry.
NEW YORK. Jan. 25.-The Ercniag Spa
i'm am article ON the causes leading tn the
historic rupture between Rosctse Conkling
and J. G. Blaine, says il In able i'm n meas
n ~ tn explain the matter authoritative
testimony. and adds:
The difficulty is traccable directly to
Mr.. ConklinR's pro ecution of Maj. Had
dock, provost marshal at Elmira. This
prosecution was the result of the dis
covcry of enormous frauds i'm the recruit
ing of soldiers i'm New York state. In
April, lssi5, orders were issued 10y &. A.
Dana, assistant secretary of war. and by
direction of Secretary Stanton, author.z-
ing Mr.. Conkling to investigate the
frauds and causing his appointment as
special judge advocate. Stanton urged
him to undertake. the duty and he con-
sented. Mai. Hatidock was tried before
n court martial and sentenced tai pay Sio,-
900 and to- serve an imprisonment of not
over five years until the fine was paid, and
tn be cashiered and forever disqualified
from holding any Office under the govern
mcnt. Had not the war just ended and II
feeling in favor of lcuity prevailed the
sentence Of the court-nartiai would have
Mr.. ConkIing's information. gained
during this trial, was such as tn convince
him that the provost-,narsinl depa,rtneni
with fraud, especially in regard tn bouu-
ties and re-euiistment moneys. In De-
cenltscr, lSbD. Nonkltng tntrailrttt a rt'>o-
luton. and II was adopted. preparing a
way for the abolition of that department..
Later ON Conkling moved Ia strike out of
n pending bill "a section which made pro-
vision for n bureau of the eprovost-marshal
general as II permanent bureau in the war
department, and was fortified in this mo
ton 10y an opinion of General Grant, then
lieiitcnau t-gcNeral.
Gen. J. Ii. Fry was the provost-marshal
general, and in retaliation for the motion
of Conkling wrote n letter to Mr.. Blaine
charging Conkiing with improperly re-
ccrving S3OO as "A fee Tor prosecuting
Hatltlock; that he had not prosecuted in
good faith; that he made n case FOR him.
self by certain tclegrafls sent to the war
department. and that ''thcreupou q. A.
Dana. assistant secretary of war. had
Conklirg appointed to investigate frauds
| in cnlistnents. and finally that MIR.
! Conl<Iing ''can therefore only escape the
| charge of deliberate aud malignant false
hOod a member of congress by confess
ing an Inpar,ionable breach of duty as
This letter Mr.. Blaine, who was n warm
friend of General Fry, caused To he read
T., e.; i,o ,ne clerk Hesk I; al par, % o, ms spIn ;
vestigation followed 10y a special commit
| tee. of which Sam Shellabarger was chair
| and although not very friendly To- Conk-
| ling they exoneratcd him aud ccnsur,.tl
General Fry for writing his letter. This
| censtIre was Thought by implication 10
! reach Blaine. and the latter narrowly es-
| capped arraignnent for breach of privil'
@ Would 81 have ,ns HI isd to wB Biaine's sspalsion
But congress was about To adjourn. and
Coukling was tn step into the senate, and
the matter was lroppcd.
Within a few months one of the wit
ncsscs at the investigation has said. as hs
has previously testified 22 years before.
that Gen. Fry offered tn pay him Sd, 900. {
share in certain transactions then sl,is
him, III hc would go to Utica and get cvi
tlcnce duplicating conkliug in boiint,
frauds there. He received the money, I'm
never produced any evidence. This wa
the notorious The" Allen.
1....
the only ones ever made against him a
that nature, and the fact that Mr.. Biain'
had under cover of IL speech given circtl
lation To them and put them Oh record
wounded Conkiing az he never before a
since was wounsied. IL was not generall.
prosecute Gen. Fry for criminal libel. b,i
some one betrayed conklings purposs
and Ged. Fry went to California.
| That in brief il the story of the caus
and the nature of the rupture betweel
Conkling and Blaine. IL was believe,
later on that Mr.. Blaine would expires
some regret to Conkling for his action a
make "A public explanations. but he neve
made any. nor was MIR. Conkling eve
asked even in private to receive the co,iI
tcsS of apology or explanation. In 1881
when filaine's friends tried IL get conk
ling on the stump he politely declined am
said he thought the least Blaine could a
the vital injury attempted tn ipc done hi'
before he could give him even lul<e-warI
support. Alfred &. Conkling. who has RI
Gently written the life of Roscoe Conk
ling, endeavored to secure AN eNplauatio
. of the matter from Blaine, but the latte
refused To answer the questions put
him.