Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-10-09
Blaine In Ohio.

SOE. OlnClunhl (OfnI0efctal.
The circumstances of Blaine's visit to
Ohio were peculiarly auspicious, and all
things combined to make his welcome a
grand and strikingly popular demon
Stration. He reached his destination by
swift journey down the broad. beauti-
full river, whose bosom is darkened by
day with the smoke pouring from hum
dreds of chlmneys, and redeemed by
night with the lurid flames bursting
from hundreds of furnaces and shops
and mills and kilns. He rode down a
wonderful valley, hemmed in by rocky
heights and green precipitOus hills,
echOing the clack and hum and roar of
busy industry. The day was clear,
bright and beautiful, the heavy morning
mists lifted their white skirts from the
valley like the gauze curtain raised upon
the tableaux of peace and Prosperity
The famous statesman came, wearing
the laurels of great victory in his own
State; he came back for the first time in
many years to'the vicinity of the scenes
of his birth and early training. He met
for the first time since bOyhood faces IA
miliar and dear to him. and when he
arose to speak, he faced no crowd of dis
contented, unhappy hearers or scheming
politicians, but he looked out upon
vast and lustrOus eoncourse of men, wo-
men and children in holiday attire, the
representative of great people, proud,
prosperous and happy. There were the
soOt-stained laborers in iron and coal
stealing few moments away from the
furnace or the mill or the mine, and
there were their wives and children,
neatly dressed, bright eyed and smiling
faced. There were the farmers and
their families with handsome wagons
and buggies, looking happily conscious
of the big stacks and ricks and broad
acres yet ungarnered they left to assist
in the welcome to the man who had
helped the cause that had brought back
cOntentment. And there were the
wealthier ones with fine equipages, Ia
dies elegantly attired and gentlemen in
stylish garments.
And all about the gathering-place
could be heard the roaring of the mills,
the boom of the furnaces; and from
hundred of those much-talked-Of Chin
neys within sight of the speaker rolled
the thick volumes of smoke that, far up
against the sky, hung even over that
great beautiful assemblage like bless
ing. ....... -..-.
In such a combination of surround
ings, under such splendidly suggestive
circumstances, how utterly contempti-
BILE, small and mean appeared the at
tempts of piddling politicians to gain a
little passing nOtOriety, petty position,
a few dirty dollars, in preaching finan-
cial prostration, stagnation, desolation
and despair! And yet but day or two
before, in that same broad common, and
under the shadow of that black benison
of peace, a great Senator to a scanty
gathering of the faithful, and week or
two before the candidate for office in the
State, had stood up and declaimed to the
people of oppression and poverty and
endangered liberties and threatened
famine. This lamentation was chaunt-
ed by the high priests Of misery under
the shadow of furnace smoke, and was
accompanied by the roar and the clatter |
of mills and fOrges. Then it was the
politician to his party. Now it was a |
statesman to the people.
THE ENTHUSIASM
Attending the reception to Blaine was
greater than / have witnessed at any
meeting for years-nOt at the least, |
since the last Presidential election, and
then it was through yastness of crowds
and importance of issues and a conta-
gious excitement. Here it was merely |
a genuine enthusiasm in the welcome of |
a certain man to a certain place. Gener-
al Grant himself could not have pro-
duced greater excitement, sensation, Gu
riosity and enthusiasm. The particu-
lars of the affair have been given you by |
telegraph, and they have not been exag-
gerated. In most cases of the dispatches
from Bellaire the day has been rather
under than Over-estimated in all its fea-
lures. 1t was impossible to adequately |
reflect the occasion in print, without ap-
pearing to be extravagant, and though |
the crowd was an immense one, close to
if not quite 10000, the great feature of
the day was not the crowd, but the man.
ner of the crowd. 1t acted, sometimes,
especially after the speaking was over,
like vast unmanageale mob, sweeping |
everything before it, with usic,cannon,
banners and shouting, and refusing the |
object of their excited attentions even
the privacy of his room or moments |
rest from hand-shaking and cheering. |
The journey, too, fIom Bellaire to Steu-
benville was a memorable one, so full
was it of stops. and bands, and cheers,
and big crowds, and little crowds, and
and general hullaballOo.
The first quiet moment Mr.. Blaine got
was in his trip from Steubenyille to
Dennison, on his way to New Philadal
phia and Canton. when he had an opper-
tunity to read his newspapers and chat
with u few friends who accompanied
him.
ON THE STUMP.
Mr.. Blaine's voice is not remarkably
powerful, and but small portion of
Z M rrronh n,,dinnnn nt Rallnira norild hAar