Rock people in obtaining the bonds. Even if it could be made out that these statements were technically correct, they would still remain actually false. A man under such circumstances has no right to shield himself by mere technicalities. But his statements were technically as false as they were actually. The subsequent miscarriage of the speculation did not in the least degree change its character. His arrangement with Fisher was intended to be an extremely advantageous one to him. He actually did get the bonds without paying for them.
3. As to Mr. Blaine's conduct before the Investigating Committee, his protests against any inquiry into his “private business,” being the business transactions of the Speaker of the House with land-grant railroads—etc., etc., that is largely a question as to what standard we apply to such things. In my opinion no man of a high sense of official honor will for a moment think of conducting himself as Mr. Blaine did.
Pardon these hasty, offhand remarks.
TO R. R. BOWKER
Your letter of the 16th reached me yesterday. I had one from Mr. [George Fred.] Williams of Boston at the same time. I wrote him that as to “making a new speech” for circulation as a campaign document, I am saying new things all the time but, as I am travelling 100 to 150 miles a day and am constantly surrounded by crowds of people, I have not time to sit down and write out a new argument. You must go on disseminating my Brooklyn speech, which after all contains the whole case. You may supplement it with my answer to Hoar, the new Mulligan letters and such other things as you can pick up.
