The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1893-02-23
BLAINEANDCONkLINf
TIE NEW YORK SENATOR'S $40
ny OF The LIFELONG FEUD

Charge Of keceiving Illegal tres Which
the Statesman Never fnrgave-one Side
Of an Estrangement That Meant Much To
American History.
Colonel Edward Gebhird a lawyer i'll
the Mutual Life Insurance building, sand
thar he Thought the true reason for the
bitter feeling between Roscoe Conkliug
and lanes q. Blaine had never been
printed. He said that during Mr.. Conk-
ling hfe in New York city he frequently
met the great Republican statesman
from Uuca. and ON several occasions
they talked about his difference with Mr..
Blaine Colonel Goddard said.
sCoukling used to come mp 10 see me.
We were intimate friends and one after
noon ! told INN that ! would like TO get
at the bottom Of the estrangemeut be
tween Mr.. Blaine and himself. | told
Mr. Conklin5 that It seemed 10 me alb
surd that lnau who had been lawyer
all his life. and public man. should
have taken otfense AT Mr. Blane's speech
calling him turkey gohbler, etc. 1t
was something could not comprehend.
Mr. Conkling replied: 1t is just as alb
surd TO me 10 take it that way as it is TO
Won You know have practiccd law
all my life. If lawyers permitted the
animosities of public trials to warp their
sensibilties we would be in fight with
all the world. The true cause of the
quarrel between Mr. Blaine and myself
is that Mr. Blaine took an unfair advan-
tage of me in the house of representa-
tives to reflect upon my personal integ-
rity.
In the discussion growing out Of the
diseoutinuing of the office of provost
marshal general Mr. Blaine rose to a
question of personal privilege. Mr.
Conkling told me that he did not pay
much attention to Mr. Blaines speech
until lie heard his name mentioned.
Then after listening, he found Blaine
was making personal assault, foreign
to the matter of personal privilege and
alien To the subject under discussion
Conkling said he listened and the more
he listened the more lac was amazed, and
then he became angry. Conkling said
that he so lost control of himself under
the impulse of the moment that he went
TO his friend, Thad Stevens, and said;
Mr. Stevens, You have heard what
Mr. Blaine has just said. What shall |
DO; The question of personal privilege
Mr.. Blaine used was "A personal attack
l.. H..
lied me as "A man who has accepted en-
ploymcnt from the government while |
was n member of congress, and while in
that employment had received fees paid
to me by Secretary Stanton. and that the
I fees embraced pay for services which
had been Illegally rendered by me to the
government of the United States in do
ing some work in the western part of the
state This work included the investi-
CATION Of certain bounty frauds which
had taken place in Elmira, and the sec
rotary came to me and employed me to
get at the root of the trouble. devoted
great deal Of time to the business, and
the upshot WAS that the government re
covered, through my efforts, many thou
sands of dollars. Upon my return to
Washington Secretary Stanton sent for
me and offered $4,000 in payment for
my services. which | refused to accept.
! said Ia him at that time that if was
to receive anything | preferred to ar
range the price myself and AT all events
! would not accept such n sum.
Pending tho discussion between Sec
Rotary Stanton and myself went to
Utica and talked over the matter with
Governor seymour and Judge DEMO,
chief judge of the court of appeals, both
Democrats told them that did not
want to take step which could be used
against me in any way. did not want
to make a show Of purity that would be
ridiculous. and did not care about &C
cepting fee that might he questioned
On my return to Washington the check
of Secretary Stanton was reduced to
$500 Even then / was tiInid about &C
ceptng 1t, but Stanton said: by God.
! know what services are worth. ! have
been a lawyer all my life, and this money
you have got to take" did take the
money. felt that had earned it, and
when Mr.. Blaine referred to this in the
house felt that he had taken a mean ad-
vantage, and determined never to speak
TO him again.
Mr. Conkling told me, continued Mr.
Gebhard. that Mr.. Stevens said to him,
I'll attend to this for you, Mr. Conkling,
and will call for committee of inquiry
"A committee was appointed for the
purpose of investigating and reporting
and when it became evident that the re-
port of the committee would entirely
exonerate Mr.. Conkling from the alleged
irregularities, then it was that he recog-
nized the fine hand of Mr.. Blaine or his
friends in the successful attempt to frus-
trate the purposes for which the com
mittee was appointed.
Mr. Conkling told me that he never
spoke to Mr.. Blaine from that time; that
NIL the charges that Blaine had brought
against him We're groundless. That is
the cause for my feeling against Mr..
Blaine, said Mr.. Conkling. and | shall
never speak To the man again or recog-
nize him till he, i'll ms public a place as
The house of representatives, makes an
apology for the assault he made upon
me at that time,
Several attempts Were made to recon-
Gle Mr.. Conkling aud Mr.. Blaine, but
Mr.. Conkling always said When Mr..
Blaine gets up in congress and takes