The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-10-11
nLATNE's LACK OF POLICY.
Croffut Declares that He Is Apt Uninten
tionally, to Snub His Best Friends.

Crofrut Declares that He Is Apt, Uninten-
tionalIy, to snub His Best Friends.
Letter in Pioneer Press.
Blaine has some qualities that have not been
alluded to In the canvass. and are, indeed not
generally known. He attracts to him
strongly, but he repels them sometimes by an
impolitic heedlessness. [ never before knew q
great leader who made so many enemies mad
vertently. The Republican party has more than
one Achilles who is sulking in his tent because
the candidate in moment of thoughtlessness,
has put upon him some humilating slight. A
few years ago ] met in Washington half breed
congressman from New York. He was raging
up and down the corridors of the Riggs House
in subdued fury, Inquired the cause of his
perturbation:
Cant get to see Blaine. -- him. he broke
out Here | am one of the best friends he has
got-been engineering his cause in our State
now that I've got where he is | may run my legs
off and not find him Been to his house three
times, and treated as if l were deputy
sheriff trying to serve a subpoena! The worst of
it is am here on his own business. Confound
him, I'll draw out and let him take care of him
self"
An ex congressman from Maine soon came
along, to whome he told mis- woes, and who in
stantly went to Blaines house. why is he in
town. asked Mr.. Blaine in surprise Send
him right up, or I'll call on him. | want to see
him" And a serious misunderstanding was
averted When l lived in Washington l re
member Blaine having card brought to him
when he was in his committee room. He was
warmly discussing some detail of legislation-I
forget now what it was-and he took the card
and rolled it up in his fingers into little scroll.
This he unroed and rolled again as he talked,
looking through the little cylinder occasionally
at the light trying experiments in optics | sup
pose. After some minutes of this, as the argu-
ment grew warmerf he tore the card into bits
and flung it into the waste-basket The page,
who had been patiently waiting, then ventured
fO hat hall toll f1oo tlato ar,lr
what gentlemanl Who was it!' asked Blaine
eagerly, peering into the waste basket The
page, with an amused expression, fished the dis
carded bits out and reconstructed the card on
the table, and Mr. Blaine said: oh Why, bring
him right in on the floor. I'll be there in a
minute to receive him / suppose the man got
in, but l never knew for certain.
Only week ago / was talking with an ex
congressman from Maine about this broken cog
in Blaine's mental machine, and he said; Yes,
all his friends have been annoyed by it, A few
years ago l found a Western Republican of
prominence in Washington and he was in high
dudgeou.
" L have been snubbed by Blaine he said, 4
have called on him twice at the Senate and once
at his house, and have written to him ! have
been one of his warmest admirers and want him
for President Why. - it! You know |
seconded his nomination in the convention! Yet
Eve been chasing around here three days and
can't get at him, Now I'm going home
1T was a serious matter, ! offered to go up
with him and see Blaine. He couldn't go
jumped into carriage and went up. Blaine
had meant to see him, he said but had forgot
ten it, but he at once invited the man to dinner,
and carried back the invitation. But l told
Blaine there must be something wrong about his
household when the best friends he had in the
world couldn't get at him. l saw the man after
the dinner and asked him if he saw Blaine.
Saw him. he said, well l should think so!
Why, hadn't been with him five minutes before
he made me believe that he had been chasing
after me for three days.
Its just like Blaine, exactly. He doesn't
mean to neglect his friends, but he does some
times. l have felt somewhat disconnected occa-
sionally by his abruptly leaving the subject
which we had been talking about and which the
meeting was for the very purpose Of discussing,
and straying off upon another theme and for
getting to come back until recalled to it. His
brain is like strong, swift and splendid horse
imperfectly broken to harness.