Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1884-06-11

Olay was bQ0 mOSG naBneblC OF speakers
and the most charming of gentleman in
either house Of Congress, it is safe to
say that no man except James G.. Blaine
has ever dared to rival the reputation of
the sage OF Ashland. But it was favor
tie expression of the late Judge Black, of
Pennsylvania, that Blaine was a greater
man and more effective speaker than
Henry Clay ever had been, and surely
the Judge, as one of the most pro-
nounced of Democrats, could hardly
have been very partial to the Republic
an leader who was par excellence, the
radical of radicals and who was the only
Republican member of Congress during
his long term, whom the opposing party
was never able to match either in power
as debater or in shreWdness as par
Humanitarian.
James Ct. Blaine was born on January
81, 1880, at the Indian Hill Farm in
Washington County, Pa. His father
WAS one of the heaviest landed proprie-
tors In the state, and the son spent sew
eral years in early youth at school in
Lancaster, O., living in the family of
the Hon. Thomas Ewing, who was at
that time secretary of the treasury and
an uncle of the future statesman. In
1843 he entered Washington, Pa. Col
lege and graduated in 1847, at the age
of only seventeen years.
After his graduation, Mr.. Blaine
taught for some years in the schools OF
the neighborhood, at the same time max
ing decided mark as magazine and
newspaper writer. In 1853 he went to
Kennebec, Me-, where he had been
asked to assume the management of the
Kennebec Journal. Shortly afterward he
accepted the control of the Portland AID.
vertiser. In 1853 he was elected to the
Legislature and served there four years
at the beginning of his last term of two
years, he was chosen speaker and per.
formed the duties of that office to the sat
isfaction of the lawmakers of the Pine
Tree State. It was during the war Of
the Rebellion in 1862 that "Blaine o.
Maine" was first sent to Congress. h
at once devoted himself to careful
study of the rules of the House, and i
was not long before he began to be re.
garded as one of the best parliamenta
rians in that body. He was repeatedly
re elected from the same district and In
1869 was made speaker of the House
His rulings were always prompt and &C
curate and it was not often that his bit.
terest enemies could find a flaw In
his parliamentary armor. He made the
finest speech in Congress against what
was known as the s'Ohio idea" of paying
the national debt in Greenbacks, which
was product of Mr.. Pendleton's fertile
brain.
There can be no question that at the
time when the Republican Convention
was held in 1876, Mr.. Blaine was the
most popular leader of the party. But
Proctor Knott's commission of investi-
cation in the House of Representatives
had taken occasion two days before the
convention met to present report
falsely attempting to implicate him il
certain improper transactions as speaker
and his manly outspoken explanation
and reputation of the charges only par.
TALLY removed their effect on the con-
vention, backed as it was by the elo-
quence of Ingersoll, whose "plumeC
knight speech will go down to history
as his greatest effort. Mr.. Blaine re-
ceived 351 votes In the final vote as
against 379 for the Hayes combination
engineered by Roscoe Conkling, who
had never forgiven the "Plumed
Knight" for his severely Yivacious ref
erence to him OH the floor of the House
as the ''turkey gobbler member from
New York."
Nevertheless, Mr.. Blaine went into
the campaign with the best of feeling
toward the Republican candidate anc
worked night and day for his election
Ii is said, however, that after the cleo.
ton and after the Southern policy Of
the administration had been enunciated,
he never went to the White House, feel.
ing that President Hayes had not done
his duty by the party which had elected
him.
Mr.. Blaine had been chosen member
OF the Upper House and had entered
upon his duties in 1877. He had voted
against the electoral commission bill
on the ground that it was unconstitu.
tional. In 1880 he was once more 9
candidate for the presidential nomination
and succeeded in so using the influence
which he had, as to defeat the third
term scheme and to overthrow the
Conkling Cameron-Logan triumvirate.
He did as much as any other one man
worker to elect President Garfield,
and his appointment as secretary OF
state was perfectly natural one. The
history of his connection with the Pres.
ident during his brief administration
and after the fatal bullet of Guiteau had
done its work is too fresh in the public
mind to need repetition here. He re-
tired from the cabinet shortly after Pres
ident Arthur's accession. James G..
Blaine is, to-day, one of the keenest
statesmen of America, and although in
private life, is regarded as exerting a
greater influence than any other leader
in the Republican party.