Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-11-08
JAMES G. BLAINE cor 1884.

The Tiescs of T,co Prophetic Politicians-
G0rern0r Foster and SenGtOr Sherman on
the Neat Presidential Candidate.
| Washington Correspondence New York Sun.
! By authority of Governor Foster, the an
nouncement is made that Blaine intends to be
the next candidate of the Republican party for
the presidency. Gov. Foster has added, with
the earnestness of conviction; that Blaine will
| be the candidate and the next president. II
| Mr.. Foster has made this announcement as
| boldly in one place as in another, then John
| Sherman, Secretary Window, John Logan, not
to say President Arthur, have been notified of
the intentions OF the secretary OF state. For
| Mr.. Foster, in his brief visit here,
| neglected nobody. Though oftenest seen,
Riggs house lobby, or blowing clouds of
smoke into the face of the retinue that al
ways gather around him in the reading room,
yet Mr.. Foster has not failed to visit every one
| in high place, as is also his custom. Whether
he came here or not for the purpose OF starting
the Blaine boom, he has succeeded in doing it,
and no longer does lingering doubt exist re-
specting Mr. Blaine's purposes, Mr.. Foster
has not said, but his friends and Mr.. Blaine's
| friends are saying it for him, that the ticket
is to be Blaine and Foster, and that it will sweep
the country. It Is not probable that
in his delightful talk with the presi-
dent, as he characterized it, he made the
announcement so blunty and boldly as he did
to friend at the Briggs house, but he un-
doubtedly limited something of the kind. The
Blaine enthusiasm bubbles over, and Blaine
is apparent in every enthusiastic prognosis of
the future of the party which Foster -utters.
For instance, when a friend asked MIN the
other day if Blaine was going abroad, the gov
ernOr placed both hands on the friends
shoulders and began: "Abroad? notmuch
He stays in America. Why, man,
don't you know that Blaine is the
strongest man in these United States
the next president of these United States, and
you just remember what tell you. Why,
man, just see how Blaine stands. He made
tremendous personal sacrifice for the defeat of
the third term. Then what record he made
as secretary of state while poor Garfield was
sick. Why, he is by all odds the strongest
man in the Republican ranks, and he is going
to be stronger three years from now. Yes,
two and half years from now. Do you
realize that in two and a half years the next
convention will meet?''
That is the way Gov. Foster has been talk
ing while he has been here. The governor is
very enthusiastic man. He is known to be
very close to Blaine, and while he is not re-
garded as the most discreet man in his utter
ance that ever was, yet it is thought hardly
probable that he would make such strong as
sertions unless he had some reason therefor.
But what does John Sherman think about
it? Mr.. Sherman, during the recent canvass
in Ohio, was disposed to be conversational.
By the warmth of a cosey fire in the chambers
OF the country taverns where he stopped while
on his stumping tour, he used to entertain
friends an hour or so before bedtime. While
they smoked and listened he chatted. On one
of these evenings the conversation turned on
Blaine, and there came out little bit of his
tory. The story that was told in that chamber
was as follows: When Gen. Garfield sc in the
names of some ten ar twelve appointments in
New York state to the senate during the special
session last spring there was great conster-
nation among the half-breeda. It looked as
though the president had forgotten that they
made his nomination possible. The choice
offices in New York were distributed to the
stalwart friends of Mr.. Cenk1ing. The
senior senator had, in fact, seen the list, and
had informed the president that The NOM
nations we're satisfactory to him and would
be to Mr.. Platt. The bounding Daggett
was kept on the road between Albany and
New York, and all his fertility of magma
tion was not sufficient to concoct satisfactory
assurances that all would be right yet. At
last Mr.. Blaine was appealed to. He was told
that it looked as though the president was
going to snub Blaine's friends, and that some
thing must be done at once. The president
had assured Mr.. Conkling that all nomina-
tions for New York would be shown to him
before they were sent in, and the half-breeds
had heard of this. The man whom they had
elected to the senate, Mr.. Platt, was not keep
ing his pledges. He was completely domi-
mated by Conkling.
This was the story that Blaine heard, and
which he knew well enough without hearing
it. He went to the president on the evening
before the day on which Judge Robertson's
name was sent to the senate as collector of the
port of New York. His demand was plainly
put 1t was nothing less than that Judge
Robertson's name should be sent to the SEN
ate next day. The president for a long time
declined. He remembered the under
standing which he had with Conkling,
what to do with Collector Merritt Blaine
suggested the list of changes in Europe by
which Merritt could be taken care of, and
while the president did not quite like the
tipping of SO many men out of places in or
der to get one other man in place, still he
was ready to do this if there were
not other objections to such action.
At last Blaine delivered his ultimatum.
He said that the treatment of his friends in
NcaU York placed him in a most seriously en-
barrassing position. He could moi suffer
himselfto be placed in any such light. If the
president could not find it consistent 1,ith his
ideas and plans to nominate Judge Robertson
on the neat day, Mr.. Blcine mould be
obliged to retire from the cabinet. This
acas at midnight, and a .fe,o minutes later Mr..
Blaine arent home ,cith the president promise.
Nert day Judge Robertson acas nominated.
The impression which John Sherman gave
his listeners that evening was that be could
not see how Blaine now could care to become
presidential candidate. Mr.. Sherman has
little doubt that it was Blaine who induced
the Ohio delegation, under the lead of Gar
field and Foster at Chicago, to desert him.
Mr.. Sherman thought that Blaine should
have remembered the suspicion which might
arise 1n case delegate to the convention,
sent there by his state to urge the
claims of another candidate, should
himself receive the nomination. Mr.. Sherman
called to mind the case of Gov. Allen, of Ohio,
in 1S4S. Then, when the friends of Cass and
Van Buren were fighting so bitterly that it
seemed as if neither could be nominated, or, if
nominated, elected, leading men went to VIM.
Allen and asked him to accept the nomination.
He refused to listen for an instant, claiming
that he was friendly to Cass, was committed
| to Cass, and it would be treachery to
do anything to prevent the nomination Of
Cass. Mr.. Sherman believes that Blaine's
sense of political honor is less acute than ex-
Gov. Aliens was.