The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-05-18
THE OPPOSITION TO BLAINE.

may come as a revelation to some OF the
Western Blaine worshippers, who little sus-
pect the existence within the Republican
party of a powerful section, strongly opposed
to their idol for reasons purely personal.
That Blaine throughout the West is the most
popular candidate, is not to be denied but it
10 a sign of i'll omen TO find a politicians
popularity increase as the distance increases
from the arena Of his political activity.
Blaine is most popular where least known !;
least popular where those judging CT him are
best qualified to form a correct estimate of
his character. This estimate Is summed up
in an opinion the reverse of favorable re-
specting his personal honor; his sincerity to
say nothing Of his Craftsmanship" or his
idea of craftsmanship, which happens to be a
very full conception of duty and necessity Of
skilful work in politics. Of his candidacy as
compared with that of Grant, She Nation
speaks as follows:
There are a good many reasons for fearing
that the deep and widespread hostility to a
third term, of which there are just now so
many manifestations throughout the country,
Is turning, or is likely to turn, indirectly to
the advantage of Mr.. Blaine. He is, next to
General Grant, undoubtedly the candidate
most acceptable to the delegates who have
been selected for the Chicago convention by
the machinery of the Republican party.
There is much likelihood that, if the mana
gers of the Grant "boom" should find it
difficult or impossible to secure the nomina-
ton of their candidate, they will "transfer
his strength" as the slang phrase is, TO Blaine,
No thu nn1v NthAp candidate v-hn rnn,as naap
their ideal President.
He is already stronger in the convention
than any other candidate but Grant, and he
will not need a great deal of "%strength," in
add. ton to what lie has already, to make him
the nominee Indeed, we do not think it an
exaggeration to say that to a large portion of
the Republican voters who are just now OPP
posed to Grant solely or mainly through their
dislike Of a third term, most of the arguments
against a third term tell in Blaine's favor. In
looking about for an alternative he presents
himself to them as the most available of the
persons to whom these arguments do not
apply. His election would not be that "yio-
lation of the unwritten law of the Republic"
or that "breach of the tradition of the Faith
els,' or 'the dangerous precedent" Of which
they hear so much from those who are assail.
ing Grants candidacy. This is not by any
means an unnatural view of the situation fol
those who hear little or nothing of any objec
tons to Genera Grant except that he has
already had two terms.
There is every reason, short of actual expe.
rience, for believing that Blaine's administra'
ton would in some particulars be as bad As
Grants, and in many others worse. He has
given no more proof than Grant of the pos
session of administrative capacity. He has
shown even less interest in Or knowledge OF
any of the great political questions by which
the country is now agitated. In fact, his
menta grasp of any such questions seems t.
be far feebler than Grants. There is III
Grants mind q certain rude and ponderous
strength, which only needed a different sort
of training to make il an instrument of con
siderable power for political purposes; while
Blaine's attention seems to be as volatile and
superficial as a boys. As far as regards puri
ty of administration, it is to be said for Grant
that he represents corruption per alum, which
is bad enough, while Blaine would in al
probability represent corruption per sc, which
is far worse. THE Grant crowd" as his fol
lowing is called, were q low, dishonest, ant
unsavory set, but they were clumsy, incau
tious, and coarse in their methods
and were easily found out. Blaine
surrounding would all but certainly
be men Of the same stamp, as regards
dishonesty and AS regards the character o
their designs on the public treasury and ser
vice, but they would be very astute. ingeniou:
and wary, and, while doing even more mis-
chief, would not contract open alliances wit!
"whisky thieves OF enter into conspiracie
with burglars to break open safes in order t,
ruin a political enemy. We may be sure. too
that the opposition of Blaine's adherents t.
any of the schemes Of reform, whether in ad
ministration or legislation, OH which thought
ful men all over the country have set thei
hearts, and which every sinister in:eres
breads, would be as determined as, and NOR
etficacious than, that which the Old Set" an
the senatorial Group were able to offer TN
der Grant. In fact, the machine-using tina
term to designate all the instrumentalities b
which political managers remove the govern
nient of the country from the influence OF tn
private morality, the plain common sense
and the nobler national aspirations and mood
of the p~eople-would, in all probability, b
more potent under Blaine than under Gram
This much from the leader appearing i
the Nation of the sixth of this month.
second article in the same number takes Il
the subject in the following strain:
) The opposition to Mr.. Blaine, though oil
I scured for the time by the whirlwind OF pre-
test against General Grant and the third tern
as the more threatening evil, IS not less q
!. termined and has even stronger grounds. NJ
Blaine, with the evidence against him sti
fresh, was typically the Objectionable cand
= date of 1876. He is not less so how. I'll
objections against him are threefold &
t Mr.. Blame is not a statesman or leader, bl
+ a, politician and demagogue. He not on
fails to represent the great principles
measures, but does represent the contrari
to the Republican principles of lS79-sectio
o alism and not union, a new deal OF spells al
not administrative reform, = view of hums
rights paralleled only in the pro-slayery u
tersnces of 80. (2) Mr.. Blaine is, if l
q worse, a commercial %adventurer by his ov
confession, a speculator or g broker" in ra
road stocks which had been or were to