Daily Kennebec journal., 1884-06-19
DIR. StOrrs for Blaine.
HE REGRETS THE COURSE OF THE IyDE-
PESDents.

/ FROM an interview IN the y. i. tOmmerClai
| Advertiser, June -.
The Rev Richard S. Storrs, ID. D.: "Of
course you understand that / am out of
| politics altogether. except as an individual
voter. haven't made political speech, or,
so far as can remember attended political
meeting, since the war ended: and whatever
may say represents only one ballot out of
several millions. My sympathies have been
pretty uniformly with the republican party.
| II has seemed to me TO include at least fair
share of political integrity and wisdom,
though very likely q good many corrupt men
| have become connected with it. 1t has GER
tainly great record, of msny noble things
accomplished iu the past; and in its general
aims and plans, in recent years as well as in
the earlier, it has seemed to me to contem-
plate and to assist what was for the general
public welfare.
"But as to the candidates presented by the
party I learned good while ago to be dis
trustful Of my own judgment. The only
two, since Fremont. who have ever repre-
sented my personal preference for President,
have been Mr.. Lincoln at his second election,
and General Grant at his first was bitter
ly disappointed when Mr.. Lincoln was nomi-
mated over Mr.. Seward in 1860. He had
been represented to me as q rough western
demagogue, fond of the coarsest stories,
moderately successful on the stump, but
| without the character, experience. or civil
wisdom fitting him to be the leader of the
Nation. thought his nomination a fright
full mistake at a perilous crisis. l came
afterward to feel that he was as truly
| a Providential man for his time as Will
liam of Orange had been for his, or
as Cromwell and Washington were
for theirs. On the other hand, thought
johnson for Vice President in 1864, and had
| to bite my lips afterward to keep from saying
what thought OF that mean white man in
his subsequent career. Then it was very
hard work TOR me to vote for Mr.. Arthur for
the second place on the last ticket; and
have been delightedly surprised, in the main,
at his administration. | have now a very
high respect for him; and hoped earnestly
that he would be renominated at Chicago the
other day. | don't yet understand the stren-
uous opposition to him of some who are
among the best men in the party. l havnt
| for some time, therefore, dared to be dog
matte about candidates. The party would
have gone to pieces a good while ago. and
perhaps the country With if my preferences
about some men had been governing. As to
Mr. Blaine, have only certain general i'm
pressions. | never saw him but once, some
wears since, think at New England dinner
in New York. / never met him socially; and
have never felt the least touch of that per
| sonal magnetism which is often attributed to
| him. But some of the attacks made on him
| have seemed to me almost brutal For ex-
ample. when he was smitten by sunstroke in
Washington, in 1876, think, it was openly
charged that the whole thing was a pretence.
that he might avoid an investigation Then
the man was hanging on the edge between
life and death. with the chances largely in
favor of death, that seemed to me nearly as
base a thing as ever was said.
"Then, when lately the first volume of his
history was published, it was stigmstized as
a campaign document by some of those op-
posed to him. have read it and certainly
any statement of that sort seems to me an
absolute misrepresentation. 1t is written
carefully, very impartislly, with large knowl.
edge of the subject and with what strikes me
as a quite remarkable perception of moral
and political tendencies and discrimination
as to personal character.
Then it has been charged that he has
made millions out of the Government and
has become a man of enormous wealth
through his connection with public affairs. |
believe this is now universally conceded to be
untrue. As to the matters alleged against
him in 1876. if that was the year, remem-
WI W ha'S oSSh intsSssSu ~ tue ttue w
the remark of gentleman in whom l had
great confidence, who WIS not a partisan of
Mr.. Blaine, and who came to the conclusion,
after good deal of examination. that while
he had been doubtless indiscreet in his &C.
ton and correspondence, and had fairly laid
himself open to very damaging interpreta.
,ions, he had really done nothing to demand
political ostracism or decisive moral con.
demustion. The recent letter of Mr. Walter
Phelps, for whom have had high respect
for many wears has recalled and seemed to
confirm that early representation do not
regard him As an ideal candidate He has
not been my candidate. But inasmuch as
the republican party has nominated him, iu
a convention fairly chosen, at a time when
he was quite out of public Office and had
been so for more than three wears, it seems
to me reasonable to assume that all are wiser
than one; and, while personally should
have preferred President Arthur as the candi.
date, and have felt strongly that he had won
the right to be such. shall probably, so far
as now see, vote for Mr.. Blaine.