Democratic Sentinel, Volume 8, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 October 1884 — BLAINE’S CROOKED RECORD. [ARTICLE]

BLAINE’S CROOKED RECORD.

As Pictured by the “Original Blaine Organ,” Eight Years Ago. Choice Extracts from the Chicago Tribune—To Bo Cohtirtued. < • ' *. ■' • - SUGGESTIVE OF A BURLESQUE. - The people of the United States do pot want a man who has been whimpering before a clerk for the return of his personal letters; the situation is too suggestive of burlesque to be carried through an entire campaign.— Chicago Tribune, June 9, 1876. WHAT MR. BLAJNE DID. Mr. Blaine was exceedingly anxious that Messrs. Fisher and Caldwell should understand fully how much service he had rendered the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad Company by first suggesting the means for saving the bill for a renewal of their land grant, and then so ruling as Speaker of the House, as to kill the Julian amendment, which would have defeated the bill In the Senate. Mr. Blaine did all this at the time he was seeking to get from Mr. Caldwell a definite arrangement for some of the bonds in this road. — Chicago Tribune, June 9, 1876. WHAT BLAINE FAILED TO EXPLAIN. Mr. Blaine has thus far omitted in bis various explanations to give a clear idea as to the meaning Of a portion of the letters and memoranda rescued from Mulligan's custody. It is shown that for the trouble and skill exercised in negotiating the sale to his Maine constituents of $390,000 nominal value of bonds for $130,000 in cash, Mr. Blaine received bonds of the nominal value of $162,500, worth about $55,000 in cash at that time. According to the agreement this large donation to Mr. Blaine was partly in tbe nature of a commission on the sale, and “for other valuable considerations." Mr. Blaine has so far neglected to explain what these "other valuable considerations” were. They must have been very valuable to have swelled the aggregate compensation to $55,000, or about 43 per cent, upon a sale which amounted to $130,000 in cash. This part of the documentary display was quietly passed over and not read by Mr. Blaine, with the remark that it was unimportant.— Chicago Tribune, June 10, 1876. EVIDENCE PILED MOUNTAIN HIGH. Mr. Blaine made a curious vindication" yesterday. He read fifteen of the eighteen letters he took from Mulligan. These letters instead of being a vindication, seem to pile evidence mountain high that Blaine, ever since he has been in Congress, has been an active and extensive operator in the securities In wild-cat railroads. In one of the letters he refers to a decision made by himself As Speaker, in which he. rulsd out a nroposed amendment to the Fort Smith and Little Rock Railroad bill, which admentment would have defeated the object sought by the company. ♦ * * His worst enemies have not been able to fix upon him the character of» gambler and speculator in the securities of questionable corporations, as he '■ his done in those letters, all of which were written,- he says, iq secrecy and confidence. Instead of a vindication, the Tetters seem to establish ‘ the charge. ■ * The reason why the Cinciiyiati convention should not think seriously of nominating Mr.-Blaineis sufficiently set forth Im-the -single letter -tp Mr. Fisher which was made public several days ago, and which is admitted on all’ sides de be genuine.’[Hpre follows Mr. Blaine's famous letter of ' Nov. 25,1870, to “My Bear Fisher."] A careful rending of this letter; .will convince any intelligent person, we think, of thfe following circumstances: (1) That Mr. Blaine was the party moving in the. transaction, and that he was not acting at the solicitation of others; (2) that the additional legislation, secured by the Northern Pacific had some influence in ep- • aiding* him tb control the stock which he had previously failed to obtain; (3) that he was anxious ’to make the sale, since he pressed the special advantages of the transaction—getting nearly $500,000 of stock and 275,000 acres of land for s2s,ooo—and spoke of this as being much cheaper than other small lots of stock had been sold for: (4) that he was not anxious in behalf of Mr. Fisher or any other particular person, since he suggested that five or ten could make up a pool; (5) that he could not himself with . propriety assume and retain the ownership of this stock; and (6) that he wished the transaction to be closed up without the use of his name, except to Mr. Caldwell, with whom he appears to have had confidential arrangements. It is useless to conceal the fact that the deduction which has been made from this state of things is that Mr. Blaine was to receive this lot of stock in consideration for the aid he had rendered the Northern Pacific Company in securing additional legislation, and that he did not dare to take or hold it in his own name, but that he was to receive the proceeds of any sale made of it. * ♦ * The additional legislation referred to consisted of the passage of a resolution by Congress granting the Northern Pacific several millions of acres of public lands in addition to the 47,000,000 which had been previously granted, and authorizing the oompany to mortgage its lands and franchues and issue its bonds in advance of the construction of the road. This resolution encountered strong opposition, and there was a special effort made, but in vain, to fix a maximum price on the lands for actual settlers. The whole measure was passed finally, and it does not appear that Mr. Blaine, at any time, made the slightest opposition to it; on the contrary, it is asserted that he gave it the benefit of his influence, without which It could not have been passed. A short time after he wrote the letter to Fisher, quoted above, offering a part-of the stock for sale, and pointed out the advantages of this additional legislation. The most favorable construction that can be put upon this matter leaves Mr. Blaine in the unfortunate position of a broker offering certain railroad stocks for sale whose value had been just previously enhanced by national legislation which he had favored while Speaker of the House of Representatives. This construction is also effected to Blaine's disadvantage by his failure to specify who was to receive the benefit of the proposed sale and how he came to be selected as an agent; and his injunction to keep his name secret as having been connected with the transaction seems to indicate an apprehension on his part that he was not acting as he ought to act in his public position. * ♦ ♦ Mr. Blaine’s nomination under these circumstances would be a virtual confession on the part of the Republican party, either (1) that it has no available candidate who has not been engaged in similar transactions, or (2) t]jat it approves of such conduct on the part of the men it sends to Congress. We do not believe that the Republican party can afford to acknowledge either one or the other, and we know both to be untrue.— Chicago Tribune, June 6, 1876.