Democratic Sentinel, Volume 8, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 August 1884 — BLAINE’S LETTERS. [ARTICLE]

BLAINE’S LETTERS.

He Writes to Fisher in Bedard to Little Bock and Fort Smith. •*1 I»o TS'ot Feel that I Shall Prove a Deadhead.” As there is a general interest in Mr. Blaine just now in consequence of his nomination for the Presidency, the following charming effusions from his versatile pen are given in their entirety. They are especially interesting from the fact that Mr. Blaine showed in them that he has an eye to business, and was not above making a nimble penny out of the Speakership, over and above the salary pertaining to the office. The letters were written in regard to stock in the Little Rock and Foi-t Smith Railroad and addressed to Warren Fisher, a railroad capitalist and millionaire, of Boston. The following is the first of the series: Augusta, June 29,1809. My Dear Mb. Fishes : I thank you tor the article from Mr. lewis. It Is good in itself and will do good. He wii es lkc a man of large intelligence and comprehension. Your offer to admit mo io a participation in the new railroad enterprise is in every respect as generous as I could expect or desire. I thank you very sincerely for it, and in ihis connection I wish to make a suggestion of a somewhat selfish character. You spoke of Mr. Caldwell disposing of a share ot his interest to me. It he really designs to do so, I w sh he’would make ihe proposition definite, so that 1 could know what to depend on. Perhaps if he waits till the full development of the enterprise, he might grow reluctant to part with his share; and 1 do not by this mean uny distrust of him. I do not feel that I shall prove a deadhead in the enterprise if I once embark in it. I see various chances in which I know I can be useful. Very hastily and sincerely your friend. J. G. BLAINE. Mr. Fisher, India street, Boston. The second letter expresses Mr. Blaine’s appreciation of Mr. Fisher’s “ liberal mode of dealing ” and satisfaction with his offers, in relation to the railroad enterprise. But Mr. Blaine is not so well pleased with the treatment of one of Mr. Fisher’s associates, Mr. Joseph Caldwell: Augusta, July 2,1869. My Dear Mr. Fisher: You ask me if I am satisfied with the offer yon made of a share in your new railroad. Of coursp, I am more than satisfied with the terms of the oiler. I think it a most liberal proposition. It 1 hesitated at all, it is from considerations in no way connect'd with the character of the offer. Your liberal mode of dealing with me in ail onr business transactions of the past eight years has no, passed without my full appreciation. Vs hat I wrote yon on the '29th was intended to bring Caldwell to a definite proposition, that was all. I go to Boston by the same train that carries this letter, and will call at your office to-morrow at 12 m. If you don’t happen to be in, no matter. Don’t put yourself to any trouble a bout it. Youra J. G. B. \V. Fisher, Jr. Two days after Mr. Blaine concluded that it was necessary Mr. Caldwell be reminded how useful as Speaker he had been in preventing the railroad from losing the land grant. Caldwell was evidently selfish and did not wish to lot Mr. Blaine in. Hence this letter: [Personal.] Augusta, Me.. Oct. 4, 1869. My Dear Sib: I spoke to you a sho t time ago about a point of interest to your railroad company that occurred at the last session of Congress. It was on the last night of the session, when the bill renewing the land grant of the State of Aikansas for the Little Kook Road was reached, and Julian of Indiana, Chairman of the Public Landß Committee, and by right entitled to the floor, attempted to put on the bill as an amendment the Fremont, El Paso scheme—a scheme probably well known to Mr. Caldwell. The House was thin and the lobby in the Fremont Interest had the thing all set up, and Julian’s amendment was likely to prevail if brought to a vote. Roots and ihe other members from Arkansas, who were doing their best for their own bill, to which there seem'd to be no objection, were in despair, for it was well known that the Senate was hostile to the Fremont bill, and if the Arkansas bill had gone to the Senate with Julian's amendment, the whole thing would have gone on the table and slept the sleep of death. In this dilemma Roots came to me, to know what oil earth he could do under the rilles, for he said it was vital to his constituents that the bill should pass. I told him that Julian's amendment was entirely out of order, because not germane; but he h.d not sufficient confidence in his knowle ,ge of the rules to make the point, but ho said Gen. Logan w&-< opposed to the Fremont scheme, and would probably make the point. I sent my page to Gen. Logan with the suggestion, and he at onoe made the point. I could not do otherwise than sus.a:u it, and so the bill was freed from the mischieveous amendment moved by Julian, and at once parsed without objectiou. et that time I had never seen Mr. Caldwell, but you can tell him that, without knowing it, I did him a great favor. Sincerely yours, J. G. Blaine. W. Fisher, Jr., 24 India street, Boston. It will be seen from the above letter Gen. Logan was mixed up in the business in some way, and was the instrument used by Blaine to bring before himself for decision a matter which he afterward used to his own advantage. Not content with the appeal in this letter, and fearful that Caldwell would still prove obstinate, on the same day Mr. Blaine wrote to the gentlemanly and appreciative Fisher another letter. This completes the story: AUGUBTA. Oct. 4,1869. My Dear Mr. Fisher: Find inclosed contracts of parties nam d in my letter of yesterday. The remaining contracts will be completed as rapidly as possible as circumstances will permit. I Inclose a part of the Congressional Globe ot April 9, containing the point to which I referred at some length in my previous letter of to-day. You will find it of interest to read it over and see what a narrow ercape your bill made on that last night of the session. Of courie it was m.v plain duty to make the ruling when the point was once ra sed. If the Arkansas men had not, however, hap;>ened to come to me when at their wits’ end and in despair, the bill would undoubtedly have been lost, or at least postponed for a year. 1 thong ht the point would interest both you i nd Caldwell, though occurring before either ot you engaged in the enterprise. I b g you to understand that I thoroughly appre ia e the courtesy wi n which-you have V eated me in this railroad matter, but your conduct toward me in bnsln ss matters has always been marked I y unbounded liberal ty in past years, and, of oonrse, I Lave naturally come to expect the same of you now. You urge ms to make as mnen as I fairly can out of the arrangement into which we have entered. It fs natural th&r. I should do my utmost to this end. lam bothered by only one thing, and that is t e indefinite arrangetn' nt with Mr. Caldwell. lam anxious to aoquiro the inter •• t he has promised me, but I do not ft t definite understanding with him as I have with you. I shall be in boston in a few days, and shall then have an op: ortunity to ta k matters over fn ly with you. lam disposed to think that whatever I do with Mr. Caldwell must reai v be done through you. Kind regards to Mrs. Fisher. Sincerely,

W. Fisher, Jr.

J. G. BLAINE.

Wb would respectfully call the attention of nnti-monepo islg to the fact that the I National Cable Company, alias the Standard I Oil Comp nv. which is now tiying to seize a arg? number of streets in this city, is the ! corporation which fought, with might and ; mai l at Abiny last wi t-r to defeat th? I general surface railroad bill, and that in

signing that measure Got. Cleveland planted a blow ripht in the fare of the most gigantic and grasping monopoly this country has ever known. —Hew York Pmm' {.Rep.).