The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1883-11-16
BLAINE'S RESIDENCE.
A Washington Palace That Grew
Into a Tiresome Elephant

Washington Letterin N. Y. World.J
None of the latter day houses built in
Washington are very expensive ones. There
are but few OF the so-caIled palaces found in
the commercial cities. The average house
does not cost over $40, 000 or $50, 1000.
The house that has been most talked about
is the one begun by Mr.. Blaine when he was
secretary of state. This has been called
palatial because 1t is large and cost much
more than any OF the modern houses of
Washington. II cost $4,000, including the
lot upon which it stands, facing the wild
Dupont circle where Senator Stewart built
his castle several years ago. The circle was
long known as the honest miners camp, for
Stewart, when he built here, went far be-
yond the then fashionable locality, and his
house stood alone for some years. Stewart
found the very next year that he could not
afford to live in his house. 1t has been shut
practically, for n number of years, the moths
making high havoc with the imported blue
satin-covered furniture.
Blaine's house Is nearly In the shadow Of
this Inflated castle. 1t stands upon a high
terrace about six feet above the street. 1t is
built for show and comfort at the same time.
There are twenty-four rooms in 1t, all large
as IL made with the view of entertaining
large companies. When this house was
planned Blaine was a great figurer in Ameri-
can politics. His was the dominating will Of
the Garfield administration. In all i'm
portant matters he wielded the power of the
chief magistrate. With his passionate love
of power and great ambition Blaine resolved
TO call to his advantage all the aids of social
life. He said he would build for himself a
splendid house where the brilliancy Of the
receptions and the gifts Of the talented host
would overshadow even the White
House, clouded by the small means of the
/ Garfield family md the act1Va diglika of
Mrs Garfield to anything like social dis
play. In everything Blaine is a keen
speculator. He bought land quietly about
the place where he intended to build, and
then permitted IL to be known that he was
going to build a great house there. Skillful
real estate agents blew this fact through
large horns, and the lots round about went
up rapidly, 50 when Mr.. Blaine came to sell
out he was able to clear the price of his own
lot.
Guitean's bullet found him with this house
on his hands. Blaine at first resolved to sell
1t outright, but the social ambition of his
wife opposed the sale. She thought It would
look as IL they were hit with disappointment
II they should give up the house about which
so much had been said and written so soon
after his retirement from the cabinet. Blaine
went into the new house. The family soon
found that it was too prominent and too
large. lney were overwhelmed with NlSltOrS
from all parts Of the world. The family had
no official engagements to protect their
privacy. Nine servants were required, and
they were too much for even Mrs. Blaine,
who has n positive will of her own. Mrs.
Blaine, when spring came, said she was tired
of keeping a hotol. II her husband had had
some official position to sustain. the social
prestige might have compensated her. She
said to Mr.. Blaine that she was tired Of the
whole thing. 1t was an elephant. The game
was not worth the candle. Their family was
small, and there was no reason why she
should work like a galley-slave to keep the
hotel and servants in order to sustain merely
a private position. Everything in social life
at Washington runs after the people in power.
While Blaine ranked as a worthy citizen
and a member OF the best society
none OF the society leaders ran after
him. The great house did not make up to
the Blaines the loss OF their official position.
This was another disappointing element to
Mrs. Blaine in the new house. When he
went away this summer Mrs. Blaine had re-
solved to give up the house absolutely. Mr..
Blaine, who was hard at work on his book, and
conseq uently ready to do anything for a
quiet life, consented readily enough. Then the
shrewd Spectator left his books long enough
to rent his place to Letter, the Chicago
millionaire. The Letters are going to do
what is called "the social act,n and as he
has S20,0 900 to do 1t with he was n good
customer for Blaine. The latter has rented
his house for 81 900 and the payment Of the
taxes. This is a good percentage upon his
original Investment. Furniture and all must
be inside Of S10O, 900,
Ho is certain TO make o very handsome
sum of money on his history of From Lin.
coin to Garfield The book is to be sold by
subscription. Blaine is to have 81 on each
volume at the very least. As Mr.. Blaine
has other works on the stocks, of n historical
character, it will be seen that he Is not very
near starvation, whatever may happen to
what he has already acquired.