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Estimate: $ 500 - $ 750
(CLEVELAND, GROVER.) Archive of 9 items: Republican Committee correspondence from the Blaine campaign, including 4 manuscript letters, one ink transfer copied letter, and 4 telegrams. Format and condition vary. Vp, October and November 1884
Most of these letters and telegrams are addressed to Samuel Fessenden (1847-1908) as secretary of the National Republican Committee during the closing weeks of James Blaine's unsuccessful contest against Grover Cleveland. One of Blaine's scandals during the campaign was a dodgy insider-trading arrangement: he had notoriously written a damning letter which concluded with a demand to "Burn this letter." This gives an edge of irony to Fessenden's 2 October letter copy to Blaine, updating the candidate on the latest fundraising efforts: "Mr. Chaffee has a promise from Russell Sage of $5,000, also tomorrow. He and I are going into the Swamp tomorrow evening." He concludes: "Destroy this letter"--but he obviously kept his own copy safely preserved. Also included is an Autograph Letter Signed from candidate Blaine to Fessenden, 4 October: "The Democratic pressure on Ohio is immense. The contest is a life or death one." Another hasty 9 October letter from Blaine is initialed "JGB": "It is all important if Ohio goes right that we keep the tide running. It is still more important if we have disaster in Ohio that we be prepared to have free cooperation in N.Y. Do not for heaven's sake allow disaster to happen there." Senator John Sherman (brother of the general, and an erstwhile candidate himself) sent two letters, refusing to go on the stump due to ill health. One telegram was sent by a Connecticut operative on the morning after the election: "State was close, could not get figures until five this morning. Cleveland has about 1500 plurality. Irish failed us everywhere." The Reverend Samuel D. Burchard had inadvertently cost Blaine some Irish votes by describing the Democrats as the party of "rum, Romanism, and rebellion." Blaine apparently cast the entire blame on his defeat on Rev. Burchard. The collection concludes with Blaine's telegram dated 15 November, 11 days after the election: "No part of the disaster if disaster it may be called lies at your door. I would have carried New York by 10,000 plurality if we could have had a fair day and Doctor Burchard had been doing missionary work in Asia Minor."
