The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1867-01-31
|" Old Blair

eidt, has the following on one Of tho
note worthy characters at Washing.
tom;
Probably thore is no more active
political worker behind the scenes in
Washington this winter than "0ld
Blair as the father Of Frank and
Montgomery, the head and brains Of
the family, is called. The old mRu
may frequently be seen, even in these
cold January days, trudgiug il af1ot
up aud down the avenue, going to oil
returning from the White House, as
the supposition always is when he is
when he is sqsn in the streets HC
looks old-It would bo strange if hv
didn't at upwards Of seyenty--but is
fer from being feeble in body or mind
either. In fact, | saw him skirtinp
along the avenue yesterday, slipping
aud sliding on the icy pavements
but still making such headway as
might have puzzled his grandchildren
to beat He wore that old, low crown
ed, broad. brimmed hat, without which
his little round head has not appeared
appeared for many year--not tho
same hat, but the same style, | mean
lie was hugging very tightly to .
light cape over his shoulders nnd
seemed feel the effects Of the keen
frosty air, that cut like a razor against
younger ehins than his, but he threw
out those short thin legs Of his with
a nimbleness nothing less than re.
markable in one SO advanced in life
He neither looks nor acts any Older
now than he did ten. fifteen, some sa
twenty years ago. He began to with.
er and swivel uplonger ago than that,
and the process has been going on
slowly aud scarcely discernibly since.
Other men have grown gray, old aud
decrepid. "0ld Blair" seems TO be
an exception to the common course o
nature. lie will simply "wiiher up
slowly, and pass away some day-dis
tant by many years yet, apparently
not because he will be dead, lik,
other people, but because he will b
icompletely shriveled out of existence
A wonderful man is "0ld Blair
perhaps the most entertaining politi
cal talker to be found in the country
at the present time. Not that hi
principles are better than other men $
or that he has a moro pointed way o
putting them. But he can call up {
greater number of interesting and i'm.
portant "reminiscences in tho politica
history Of the country, anywhere
since the war of 1912, than any othei
living man. He has been for NOR,
than fifty years a prompter behinC
the political scenes, aud knows NOR
of what occurred during that tlm'
than any who took active part on tn,
stage And tn hear hi'a t"lh ia com
pauy, you wouldn't think him an ole
man until lie acknowledges the fac
himself, by speaking of the events o
fifty years ago as occurring when h'
was a young man. His memory o
such events is wonderful, and hi
manner ef relating them is Away
exceedingly ,Wid and interesting
He will work himself up TO the high
est pitch OF enthusiasm sometimes il
describing one of the old quarrels be
tween Clay and Calhoun, aud th,
strong personal interest he took il
the Democratic side of the contro
lversy. .n.f O. ..IH i-tH
What an interesting hook of re
miniscences "Old Blair" could write
1t might not be strictly impartial il
all it said, still it would be invaluabl
even if written in a partisan spirit
1t could be taken cum grdao sails, au
still be more interesting than an
book on American politics yet give
} to the world. 1t would be sort Q
Americanized Pepy's Diary, from tn
, days of Monroe TO those of Liucol
: or > ohnson. 1t is strange We hav
had no such book before this-noth
ing as much like it even as Wrach
all's (" "Reminiscences Benton
"Thirty years F" is o droary expans
of egotism. And latterly Sam Co,
published his eight Years in Con
gress," for which he ought to hav
been Indicted for obtaining none
and Subscribers uuker false preten
ces. Instead of eight years in Con
gress, its only eight years of Sam
Cox.