Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1884-05-23


Why are Mr.. Blaine and his organ Mr..
Mills and Mr.. Blaines Tribune, so virulent
toward Senator Edmunds all at once?
Is it because Mr.. Edmunds is likely to be
formidable antagonist of Mr.. Blaine at Chi
cago? Perhaps SO, For the present Mr.. Ar
thur has the greatest number of delegates ;
but, undoubtedly, if the convention should
not be able to agree on Mr.. Arthur, Mr.. Ed
munds's name might come up, with a strong
backing, Just as Secretary Lincoln's or Post
master general Greshams. 1t is not easy to
foretell what will be tho course of events or
the final result at Chicago.
There is, however, another reason for this
sudden virulence of Mr.. Blaine and his organ
toward Senator Edmunds. he is a man by
whom, if he wero nominated and elected, Mr.
Blaine could not hope to be made secretary
of state, and Mr. Blaine knows this. Mr.. Ed
munds Is q statesman and not a political ad-
yenturer. He meyer took stock in the notori-
ous "guano policy" On the contrary, it is
generally known that he opposed this policy
aud helped President Arthur TO reverse it as
soon as it became known by the dismissal Of
Mr. Blaine from the cabinet
No; MIR. Edmunds is not likely, il he ever
becomes president, to further MIR. Blsine's
plots and ambitions, and this is one reason for
the attempt now made to ''kill him of" We
do not perceive that this attempt gives much
promise of success, by the way, though sew
eral journals which are inspired by Jay Gould
influences are taking part in it.
The Utica convention stirred up the wrath
of the Blaine people. Was that because il
there became evident for the first time thai
there arc men behind the Edmunds move
ment who know something of politics? Per
haps so. The result at Utica was q huge dis
| appointment to Mr.. Blaine-necessarily 80
| for it developed the weakness of that "Blain,
boom" which before then had been made L
| fill all the newspapers. Did it show Mr.
| Blaine that he cannot be nominated 1t mad'
that plain to almost everybody else and nj
doubt he saw it as we'll. Thereupon he had t.
reform his plans it became necessary to th'
success of his plot that every candidate know
to him as unlikely to play into his hand
should be blackened
At first the Blaine people laughed at tn
candidacy of Mr. Edmunds; of late the.
| show that they fear il. What is the reasOl
for that change Mr.. Edmunds is not a can
didate by his own announcement or consent
His name has been taken up in different part
of the country by honorable republicans, VIII
believe that to elect their candidate this tim
he must be very different kind of man fror
Mr.. Blaine, and instantly the Blaine peopl
begin to fling dirt at him, with the idea appai
emily that If they can throw enough they ca
make him, by and by, look good deal lik
Mr. Blaine. But that is a vain hope.
Mr.. Baines highest hope at this moment
not for his own nomination, for he does nc
expect that 1t is to secure by any means tn
nomination of q man who will be his tool
who will accept him az his boss !" who wi
put him back into the state department, an
let him begin new series of intrigues {
home and abroad. With such candidate {
his own his restless and adventurous natuI
would have even fuller scope than If he wei
himself president, for he would work in g.
cret without responsibility and we shoul
see renewal of those disgraceful and injur
Gus excitements in our home politics which
stirred up and made President Garfield respoi
sible for.
While Mr.. Edmunds is in the PRESIDENT
chair Mr.. Blaine's opportunity would be los