The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-12-17
Secretary Blaine.

the admiration and affection of the
people than is accorded to any other
living man. There has been through
out his whole career something bril-
liant and fascinating-a bold, straight
forward appeal to the hearts of Amer
leans, a dashing and fiery genius,
and a winning sweetness of personal
character that won to him the warm
est regards of his political opponents,
and united his friends to him with
hooks OF steel. No such figure has
appeared in American politics during
the present generation. To find a
parallel to him we must go back to
Clay, Webster, Douglass and CAL
houn-to the days when individual
ism counted for more than it does
nov, and discipline counted for less.
Mr.. Blaine has that individuality
that constitutes the leader. 1t was
he who led into new paths and open
ed up new issues.
Beginning his career in Congress,
his fine gifts AS an orator at once
made themselves felt. He has al
ways had the happy knack ofsaying
the right thing in the proper time
the raresu secret of elouuence. For
this reason his oratory always seems
born of the occasion, and if read
after the occasion has passed away
have not the studied splendor of
Webster, nor the red hot logic of CAL
houn. But no man has ever possess
ed the art of persuading hostile au-
diences in greater degree than
Blaine. AS speaker of the House for
three terms, he was known as the
best parliamentarian and presiding
officer that ever sat in the chair; for
his career was at time when there
was a greater pressure of important
legislation and a greater danger of
bad legislation than at any pre- vious
time. He almost created the sys-
tenn by which business is now dis
patched.
When he first entered the Senate
he seemed for a while to be limited
by the smaller arena and the duller
aspect of the public business. The
older debaters, and especially the
trained lawyers, had at times a GER
tain advantage but he. with his ac-
customed facility, soon mastered the
situation there also, and was as much
the focus of public attention and adj
miratlon as ever. But it has been
during the past ten months that he
has grown most dear to the people.
The noble unselfishness with which
he brought his great talents and large
personal influence into the cabinet of
Garfield, ard became its main stay
and its anchor the brilliant services
that he rendered in directing its for
eign policy, and the devotion with
which he watched over the wounded
President in his long and agonizing
illness-all of these impressed the
popular mind with a generosity and
nobleness of private character that
wins them as his genius does. He
had hardly taken his seat in the De-
partment OF State when it was felt
that there was braye, strong man
there, and an American to the core.
Short as was his service there, and
hampered as it was by the illness of
the late President, tine amount of
brilliant work accomplished was
noteworthy. His dealing with the
Cuban difficulty-a small affair, but
it showed that there was a man at
the heIm-the American pork ques-
ton and the Hartmann letter-all of
these were treated in a way that graf.
flied American pride and patriotism.
The letter on the Panama Canal was
a masterpiece. It had that solid
ring about it, that faith and sincerity
that impressed the European mind
1t has been read and discussed in
every capital in Europe, and has fur
nished the theme of editorial treat
ment in all the great journals of
Europe, because it stated clearly.
compactly and positively the Amer
lean position on that subject-no
with diplomatic indirectness, but
with the bold earnestness that char.
acterizes the man. This directness
and earnestness shows itself in all the
actions of Blaine. No statesman has
ever been more frank and candid
than he; he opens his whole heart +:
he utters his whole thought; there is
no fear that he is working in the
dark or pulling remote wires-and
this is why he is so much loved.
The people read his dispatches TO
Lowell, that told the bitter, earnest
truth about Garfield, when "profes-
sional etiquette" was giving out
pleasant fictions: what Blaine said
was believed.
Mr.. Blaine retires to nrivata life .