reat influence as Speaker. It was
further claimed that in letters addressed by him to a man
named Mulligan he had demanded conveyances of such stock in
compensation for a ruling he had before made by which a measure
in conflict with the interest of the road was defeated. These
charges were referred to the Committee of the Judiciary. The
House was then Democratic and the majority of the Committee
was made up of Mr. Blaine's political opponents. The investigation
was conducted in a spirit of bitter hostility to him. The
evidence was taken by a sub-committee of which I was not
a member. But as disputed questions of procedure and as
to the admission of evidence were constantly coming up which
were referred always to the full committee, which was considered
in session all the time for that purpose,--the members were
every day, sometimes several times a day, summoned from their
seats in the House to the meeting of the Committee. I was
familiar with the whole case as it went in. It was expected
that there would be a hostile report, and it was understood
that I should be charged with the duty of making a minority
report.

I studied that evidence as thoroughly and faithfully as I
could. I have gone over the matter very carefully since.
I was then satisfied, and am satisfied now, that the charges
against Mr. Blaine of any corruption or wrong-doing were
totally unsustained. They would never have found credit
for a moment except in minds deeply excited by the bitter
political passion which at that time raged to a degree wholly
unknown in our political strife to-day. All Mr. Blaine did
was to say when he applied for the purchase of the stock to
the men who were then trying to dispose of it that "he should
not be a dead-head." He meant by that only that he was able
to be of advantage to any undertaking in which he should be
interested, an assurance which his known ability and energy
and large acquaintance with business men thoroughly warranted
him in making. There was no action of Congress expected,
or legislation in which the railroad was likely to have an
interest. All that it expected to get from Congress had been
obtained already.

The other charge that he demanded a favor in this purchase
as compensation for a ruling he had made as Speaker was, in
my judgment, equally unfounded and trivial. He simply alluded
to the fact that he had made a ruling which had saved the
road from hostile legislation. Every lawy