The Portland daily press., 1881-03-21
(Rutland Herald.1
Blaine. -

| Jonn sherman was easily chief in HAYES s
cabinet. and Blaine will be the commanding
mind among Garfeld's counselors Garfield
will lean on Blaine, when he grows weary and
faint, for Blaine has the unquenchable cour-
| age, the elastic energy of mind and body, the
| personal tact and charm of manner that will
| be sure to make him the most stalwart and
forceful figure in the cabinet The nation has
voted its entire confidence to Garfield, and now
Garfield publicly declares his entire confidence
In Blaine's personal and political worth by call
ing him to his right hand There is nothing
in this nomination that will surprise
anybody who has watched the growth of a
warm and devoted friendship between Gar
Held and Blaine during their long service in
the lower house of Congress. When Mr. Blaine
was Speaker he always gave Garfield the head
OF the most important committees, that COM
manded the largest influence and opened
the way to widest reputation. In the Fortv-
first Congress Blaine made Garfield chairman
OF the committee ON banking and currency.
The Forty-First Congress was elected at a
time when heretical notions on the subject of
finance and currency began to poison the
minds OF many men in both parties. Unsouhd
views on these subjects were held by no less
Republicans of that day than Senator Norton
and Ben Butler. This appointment of Gar
field gave him desirable opportunity to show
the hard-money men of the East that the leader
OF the Western Republicans in the House had
no sympathy with dishonest finance, whether
1t involved constructive reputation or illimit-
able Imitation. Garfield here made his first
broad, deep mark as man of superior political
sagacity and conservative breadth of view at a
time when the West was crazy In the
fzd and 43d Congresses Blaine placed Garfield
at the head of the committee on appropriations
which was then, because of the important
work before it, second to no committee unless
1t was that of ways and means. The Credit
Mobilier investigation excited such general ::p-
roar that the public were disposed to rec klessly
denounce even men like Henry Wilson and
Garfield, who told the truth before the COM
mittee, with perjured fellows like James
Brooks, Colfax and Patterson. In this the
most disagreeable and trying experience of his
official life Blaine stood by Garfield from first
to last, and by retaining him at the head of the
appropriations committee expressed his entire
confidence that Garfelds hands were clean
~--~~~ ~<-S -Se>~e
this matter. In view Of the popular clamor at
the time, Blaine, by showing any appearance
OF diminished official confidence in Garfield,
could have made his situation one of great dis.
comfort and annoyance, but Blaine was warm
and generous in his support in this hour of pass
ing cloud, and Garfield is himself too warm
hearted and generous man to easily forget it.
1t must also be confessed that if Garfield owes
his nomination tn mo OF I.
is Mr.. Blaine, whose friends first broke for
Garfield in such numbers as to make his NOM
ination sure Indeed whatever may be the
faults OF Mr.. Blaine his personal and political
friendship for Mr. Garfield from the opening
OF his career has been of most generous and
loyal character. A friendship Off this sort be-
tween two such gifted and ambitious men il
rare In this world but who shall say that such
1rlendShlp is not in its growth and present |
outcome glory to both the President and his |
brilliant Secretary of State. Blaine has al |
ways held out his hand to Garfield, has al |
ways put him on pedestal, and now Garfield |
says: blaine, you have always stood by me |
when l needed friends come and stand by me |
when have more friends than know what to |
do with" 1t is useless to deny that this calling |
Blaine to the Cabinet has increased the already |
large influence of the Maine statesman. |
Tor the President has, lndorsed Blaine
to the nation, and the nation that |
has endorsed Garfield will not easily believe |
any impeachment hereafter of Blaine's politi- |
cal and personal worth; the nation will reason |
that the President who summered and win |
tered in the House with Blaine for nearly fif- |
teen years, must know him through and |
through. and until the nation believes that |
Garfield is too dull to measure men, or too de- |
praved to care about character, the nation will |
accept Garfield's endorsement and welcome |
Blaine without further question 1t won't |
make any difference where Blaine is in the !
Cabinet; by right of brains he will sit at the |
head of the table, next the President. The |
Utica Herald whose editor, Ellis Roberts is |
one OF the purest and ablest meniin thelEmpire |
State and who served several terms in Congress- |
with Mr.. Blaine, says of him:
He represents the living progressive elements of
the party, he Is practical imam, and wins friends
and disarms enemies. 1t is understood that he |
would not accept the position of Secretary of the
Treasury. The State department requires less |
drudgery, calls for the broad views and large dis
yet it is naturally the place for the real premier In
the Cabinet as in every other relation Mr.. Blaine
Will very easily be recognized as a born leader |
Since the accession of the Republican party the Sec
etary OF State has been the centre of brilliant So
cal circle; he has illustrated the most genial and
nosptabie side OF American manhood to representa-
tlVes OF foreign countries official and voluntary and
has dispensed liberal cheer to visitors who are |
called to the national capital. Superior to Seward |
III wit and readiness of table talk which would |
make the reputation of professional raconteur not
interior to Fish in the elegance of his entertain
talnments and beyond all men in the heartiness of
his bearing, rivaling Evarts his scholarship and
Blaine would continue and enlarge the record of
that courtesy and Hberaty which have demonstrate
ed that American society need not shrink from COM
parlson with any other capital.