The daily gazette. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1874-1883, 1881-03-07
ketches Of the New Cabinet.
SECRETARY OF STATE BLAINE.


Sketches Of the New Cabinet
SECRETARY OF STATE BLAINE.
James Gillespie Blaine, the new
Secretary Of State, was born in
Washing ton County, Pa, January
81, 1880, being the great grandson OF
Ephraim Blaine, Washington's
Commissary- General, who did so
much To save the army during the
clark winter" at Valley Forge. He
studied first at an Ohio school, then
at Washington Presbyterian Col>
lege, from which he was graduated
about lS47, head of his class. Going
west to Kentucky he taught school
at Georgetown, and was Professor
at the Western Military Academy;
there he married, his wife being a
Miss Harriet Stanwood. In 1883 he
turned eastward, and going to Aug
usta, Me-, became editor of the Ken
nebec Journal, and for brief inter-.
val of the Portland Advertiser. He
was elected to the State Legislature
n 1857 and served five years, during
two of which he was Speaker. In
1862 he was sent to Congress-, be-
coming Speaker in 1869 on Mr.. Col
fax's elevation to the Vice Presi
dency. He held the Speakership
until the Democrats obtained con
troll of the House in 1878 and in 1877
was elected to the Senate. At the
Republican National Convention
OF 1876 Mr.. Blaine was the most for
midable candidate for the Presiden
tial nomination; he would haye re
celvcd it but for the preliminary
laundering OF his friends in Pennsyl
vania and the action of the opposi
ton in the convention in securing a
postponememert by tampering with
the gas pipes and next day uniting
on Hayes.
Again In 1880 he was one ofthe lead
ing asrirants, and by uniting his strength
with Sherman's succeeded in defeating
Grant and nominating Garfield. During
these campaigns the eX-Speaker suffered
not a little from the Mulligan charges
concerning the Little Rock and Fort
Smith Railway transactions. He favored
the bill restricting Chinese immigration
vigorously denounced the abandonment
of Packard's government in 1877, and
latter, in the debate over Mr.. Jefferson
Davis, made himself the spokesman of
the stalwarts. On the silver question, in
February, 1878, he, to say the least,
'temporized," and on the Resumption
bill declared, May 20, 1873, that he had
no faith that the Government would pay
gold at the date fixed and that 1t was not
compelled to do 80 by any existiag law.
SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY WIN
DOM.
William Window, the new Secretary
ofthe Treasury, was born in Belmont
County, o., May 10, 1921, received an
academic education and studied law at
Mount Vernon, where he practised until
his removal to Minnesota to the Thirty
sixth Congress and served in the House
of Representatives five terms, being APP
pointed to the Senate in July, 1870, to
fill the unexpired term of Daniel S. Nor
ton, deceased. He wa was elected to the
Senate in 1871 and reelected in 1877.
In 1878 Mr.. Window was chairman Of a
special committee, or which John Sher-
man, Conkling, Mitchell and others were
members, on transportation eThc report
of this committee, written by Mr.. Win
dom and covering 300 or 400 pages, is
regarded as a standard work on the SUBJ
iect. One of the results of this report
was the opening Of the mouth of the
Mississippi river-the most important
improvement In the interests Of the West
and South ever accomplished by legisla-
lion. The House passed bill looking
TO the building of canal, aud although
the Government engineers estimated the
cost at Sl2, 900, 900 the appropriation was
limited to Ss,000,000. BY WINDOWS sug-
gestion 1t was tabled in the Senate, and
a committee appointed to inquire INTO
the jetty system. Their favorable report
was adopted, aud contract made with
Captain Eads. The result is we have q
channel new 81 feet by 300 feet wide
aud constantly improving, at an expense
Of but So, 250, 900, instead of the $l2, oO0,-
900 canal.
sEeRErARY OF THE INTERIOR KIRK
WOOD.
Samuel j. Kirkwood, the new Secre-