St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-08-12
BLAINE DESP0NDENT.
1t Begins to be Rumored That the
Plumed Knight Expects to be
.. 500 Defeated.
With the Germans, Prohibitionists, Work
ingmen and Irishmen Doubtful
Things are Mixed.
[special Te legram to the Globe. |

New YORK, Aug IA special to the San
from Washington says: Blaine is causing
those who are managing his canvass no lit
tie anxiety. He is no longer the dashng
and audacious Plumed Knight of 1876. He
is a changed man. Though always the most
cautious and secretive of men, he
used to conceal these traits by an assumption
of dash and pluck that was most artistic as
well as long sustained piece of acting. Now,
however, his friends find that his brilliant
aggressiveness is gone. He seems to be not
only timid but almost indifferent. If he has
any great interest in the approaching canvass
he does not reveal it. He simply urges his
friends to go on with the canvass in their
own way and let him be at peace so far as
possible. That was not at all what the ener-
getc Elkins and the diplomatic
Phelps expected when they procured his
nomination. They looked for an abundance
of some audacious and overwhelming line of
policy for carrying on the canvass from the
candidate, but Blaine has, so far,
seriously disappointed them. The Plumed
Knight has already received a great deal of
information touching,t the political situation
and he thinks it justifies his dependency.
| He claims, at all events, that his political
forecasts last winter were correct, and that
the country has entered upon canvass that
will be unique, and will show some I'M
expected results, which the wisest men can
not now predict.
While Blaine has no such organized force
of clerks, letter openers and assistants as
were at Mentor in 1880, yet he has bright
and energetic son, diligent secretary, and
through them great deal Of correspondence
is conducted. The news that has already come
to Augusta agrees in the main with that re-
ceived by the National committee. 1t is far
from cheering, though it is not thought by
Blaine's friends to justify his own gloom,
and, while they do not share it, they are
very anxious about some of the states
that have been counted surely
Republican. Unless there be change of
sentiment in these states before November
the party is in very serious danger of losing
some Of them, and it is certain to lose others.
The committees have not failed to take notice
that the western Germans, prohibitionists,
labor and IrisiI-American voters, indepen-
! dent Republicans and Gen. Butler are to
elect the next president, unless, in fact, the
house Of representatives does, a contingency
which some regard as far from impossible.
There is not such fiery and oVerwhelm-
| ing desire that Blaine shall go to the
White House as there was in 1876.
This is precisely what Blaine saw to be the
case last winter. He knew his heyday was
in 1876 and that since then his popularity
has moved like that of all politicians who
have passed their day. All the flattery of
not dissuade him from that belief. Blaine
last winter said the rank and file of the two
parties would not decide the battle, but the
deserters would and he knew his candidacy
would result in large number of deser-
tons.
Blaine, himself, regards the choice of
Cleveland as an unwise one for the Demo-
cratic party, yet he thinks that in spite of
the bad nomination that assertions are going
to be great enough in some states now re-
garded as surely Republican, to cost the
party those states. The Republican man
ayers, both the national congressional com
mittee are in despair. Reports confirm the
suspicion of some shrewd politicians who
were at the Chicago convention that the Blaine
enthusiasm was not genuine, but was man
ufactured to great degree, if not to some
! extent bought.