Editing James G. Blaine (section)

=== Mulligan letters ===
Blaine entered the 1876 presidential campaign as the favorite, but his chances were almost immediately harmed by the emergence of a scandal.{{sfnm|Crapol||1p=44|Muzzey||2pp=83–84|Thompson||3pp=3, 19}} Rumors had begun to spread in February that Blaine had been involved in a transaction with the [[Union Pacific Railroad]] which had paid Blaine $64,000{{efn|Equivalent to ${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|64000|1876}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US}}{{Inflation-fn|US}}}} for some [[Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad]] bonds he owned even though they were nearly worthless. In essence, the alleged transaction was presented as a sham designed to bribe Blaine.{{sfnm|Crapol||1p=44|Muzzey||2pp=83–84|Thompson||3pp=3, 19}} Blaine denied the charges, as did the Union Pacific's directors.{{sfn|Muzzey|pp=84–86}} Blaine claimed that he never had any dealings with the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad except to purchase bonds at market price and that he had lost money on the transaction.{{sfn|Muzzey|pp=84–86}} Democrats in the House of Representatives, however, demanded a congressional investigation.{{sfnm|Muzzey||1pp=87–93|Crapol||2p=44|Summers||3pp=62–63}} The testimony appeared to favor Blaine's version of events until May 31, when James Mulligan, a [[Boston]] clerk who had been employed by Blaine's brother-in-law, testified that the allegations were true, that he had arranged the transaction, and that he had letters to prove it.{{sfnm|Muzzey||1pp=87–93|Crapol||2p=44|Summers||3pp=62–63}} The letters ended with the damning phrase: "Kindly burn this letter."{{sfnm|Muzzey||1pp=87–93|Crapol||2p=44|Summers||3pp=62–63}} When the investigating committee recessed, Blaine met with Mulligan that night in his hotel room. What happened between the men is unclear, but Blaine acquired the letters or, as Mulligan told the committee, snatched them from Mulligan's hands, and fled the room. In any event, Blaine had the letters and refused the committee's demand to turn them over.

Opinion swiftly turned against Blaine. The June 3 ''[[The New York Times]]'' carried the headline "Blaine's Nomination Now Out of the Question." Blaine took his case to the House floor on June 5, theatrically proclaiming his innocence and calling the investigation a partisan attack by Southern Democrats in revenge for his exclusion of Jefferson Davis from the amnesty bill of the previous year.{{sfn|Muzzey|pp=93–94}} He read selected passages from the letters aloud and said, "Thank God Almighty, I am not afraid to show them!" Blaine even succeeded in extracting an apology from the committee chairman. The political tide turned anew in Blaine's favor, but the pressure had begun to affect Blaine's health, and he collapsed while leaving church services on June 14.{{sfn|Muzzey|pp=99–100}} His opponents called the collapse a political stunt, with one Democratic newspaper reporting the event as "Blaine Feigns a Faint." Rumors of Blaine's ill health, combined with the lack of hard evidence against him, garnered him sympathy among Republicans and, when the [[1876 Republican National Convention|Republican convention]] began in [[Cincinnati]] later that month, he was again seen as the frontrunner.{{sfn|Crapol|p=45}}