Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-12-30
JIM BLAINE.
The Plumsd Knight Out of Range
as a Presidential Candidate.
The Man Who Went Down With Flying
Coors in the General Wreck That
Made all Nations
Mourn.
TOO SMART TO TAKE A HOPELESS RISK.

NEw York, December ga recent con.
versation with Mr.. Blaine amply confirms
the late reports that he regards himself a;
out OF the range Of Presidential possibili'
ties in 1854 He can foresee no potable
combination of circumstances likely tc
bring him again into the front of battle
for the nomination. Indeed, it is doubtful
whether if he could be the Republican can.
didate by saying the word he would say
il, yet | presume there is nobody
in the United States who has a
stronger desire to be President. Blaine ha.
always had the faculty SO rare in politi,
lians, OF seeing the field OF politics from a
standpoint quite outside the circle of his
personal desires and interests. He can
Judge of his own availability much more
accurately than can his friends-almost as
accurately, perhaps, as his enemies. I'm
less there should be- new and unexpected
turn to the current of public feeling which
should sink in rising tide OF enthusiasm
over some fresh Issue all the rancOr of the
Republican factions, Blaine does not be.
lieyc he could be elected if nominated.
The Opposition TO Blaine.
Asa candidate he would represent the
antagOnism TO Stalwartism which culmina
ted in the election Of PattisOn in Pennsyl-
vania and in Grover Cleycland's stipend
Gus majority in New York. Where the Re-
publican party comes out when running as
Stalwart machine we have just seen this
last fall. 1t would no doubt do better as an
anti.Stalwart movement, but it could not
successfully fight the Democrats and the
Stalwarts at the same time. StalwartiSm is
unpopular to the verge of being disreputa-
bic, but il is still strong enough to defeat u
candidate nominated as i.s conspicuous
opponent.
Blaine has no ambition To- run into a
yawning and inevitable gulf os defeat, even
though the race might be enlivened by ban.
ners and music and the cheers Of the larg.
est and most devoted following any Ameri.
can statesman has gathered AT his ,all since
Harry Clay. When he says he i9 not to be
a candidate in lSSt he means it. lie does
not mean, however, that he is ont Of poll
Tics. When fishes leave the water you may
expect Blaine to leave politics, and not be-
lore. His hand will be powerfully fet in
the convention of 1884 believe he will
select the candidate. He is the only rsan
left Of the Republican leaders who has vital
and abiding popularity. Can anybody
name a single man beside him who has
now any force outside his own State? Who
talks OF John Sherman or Window or Ed
munds?
Ende Il with Assassination.
Elaine finds a satisfaction in the fact that
he went down in the crash of a great ma
tional calamity that made the whole world
mourn. He did not play out little by little
and slip into private life on the down
grade of waning popularity. HIS public
career ended when he was at the height of
his power. The assassination of Garfield
cut it short. There was a dignity in his
fall which he is not willing to forfeit by ef-
forts to scramble back into Office.
ii he should make the next president he
would doubtless lac glad to go back into the
State Department tO carry ont the Amerl-
can continental policy he set sEoing in
1851. Probably he realizes the mistakes he
made then-not mistakes OF policy, but OF
method. He chose poor field to begin
upon in South America and very poor
tools to work with. by appointing Hurl-
but and fitzpatrick to pay his political
debts to them he got the whole business he
had set his heart on bOtChed and discredit-
ed. ! wonder if he sees now the opening
for an expansive American policy is to
the north uf US aud not among the mon
grel, thievish peoples south OF .he 18TH
tB.t