Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1884-09-17


Common honesty and a decent recognition
of fidelity and wisdom demand ii. Littl,
short of hypocrisy would deny il. But be
ing denied, the alternate should be a MAJ
whose public life is guarantee that the
good work will go on. He should be the
! highest and best type Of political integrity
Statcsmanship and Republican principles.
Mr.. Blaine is not such man, but, in my
opinion, embodies most in-Ameriean poll
tics that is menacing to public morals and
integrity in government With long pub
| lie career, mainly distinguished. for sort
of declamatory and pugilistic .statecraft, he
is not the inspiration of single valuable
policy, or the author of an important stat
ute, but, on the contrary has often suggest
ed and supported unwise and bad, and OPP
posed good legislation. With record
! clouded by suspicion and accusation OF job
berry and corruption undefended, he brings
to ms PERSONAL antagonisms which have
torn and weakened our party in the past,
invading the administration of the lament
ed Garfield with demands of personal ven
geance so yiryulent ms to infiame the spirit
of assassination, and eliminating in the de-
feat of Judge Folger and consequent cleo
ton of Grover Cleveland Governor of the
Empire State. Mr.. Blaine's friends justif-
ed their detection, which defeated most
excellent man, by the plea of fraud in one
proxy at the State convention. Such ex-
cuse pales to Wilderness when compared
with the dishonorable methods employed
to secure Mr.. Blaine's nomination. Here
many delegates were treated as merchandise,
to be bartered for wine, money, or promise
of position. The convention, instead of
being deliberative body, was converted
into bowling pandemomium, oyerflowed
by the worst elements of Chicago, admit
ted without tickets.
But returning to the candidate. The
acknowledged leader of his party at home
(the Pine Tree prohibition State Of Maine),
Inc registers an ignominous defeat for his
State only four years ago, pending the pres
idential campaign, so disheartened TO our
party's cause, that only the timely and stall
wart efforts of Grant and Conkling could
have redeemed the field and secured Gar
fields electon-a work soon rewarded by
the gallant knight when opportunity (as
Garfield's advisory was given him by deal
ing cowardly blow from ambush to his
old antagonist, Roscoe Conkling. Himself
Il speculator enjoying a fortune too great to
have been acquired by honest industry,
Legitimate business enterprise, or his coun-
try's service at $4,000 year, he sympathiz-
es with and profits by speculative stock job
bling and gambling methods of acquiring
which have wrought ruin,
disgrace and business disaster beyond conf
mutation, schoolcd youth and persuaded
to avoid honest and useful in
dustry, made suicide and insanity common
place, unsettled values, placed the fruits of
honest toll in the power of the Goulds and
Armours to bear down or bull up the mar
kets as within or interest may dictate; meth
DDS which recently gave US but an cxagger-
ated illustration of their Ubiquitous conse-
quences in the Grant 4 Ward $l5,0OO,OO0
failure and robbery. u .l.s
Reference to Blaines congressional re-
cord relating to subsidies, class legislation, !.
corporate exactions, etc, will readily salts
fy the honest inquirer Of his uniform sup
port of monopolies and Indifference TO the
veal Little wonder that he omits
in his letter to refer to or explain the cause
of the great disparity in the marvellous in
crease Of wealth accumulated during the
period lie chooses for comparison; that he
fails to note the fact that one three hun
drcd part of the S44 900 900 900 is held by
one man, while others rank little below,
and his own palatial residence command
ing q rental Of Sl1 900 year, suggesting
more than an average per capital of wealth.
Little wonder that he is silent on the SUBJ
iect of Interstate commerce, the regulation
of which is demanded by all producers and
legitimate traders. Great corporate inter-
est command non-interference. IL was
lame defense of his devotion to improve
civil service to cite the fact that during
prolonged public service lie only advised
the removal of -four persons" The ex-
pert observer will conclude that the true
betterment of the service demanded the re-
movai of ten times four. He should have
his position by noting the fidel-
ity with which n horde of relatives have
been constantly fed at the public crib, no.
tably the favorite brother Bob, drawing pay
for another's service. Nor will the citation
Of his pacific assurances to Mexico, quite
cover up his South American policy and
interference to protect the Landrau guano
scheme. The death of his servant, Hurl- !
but, whom lie feigued to rebuke, may serve
10 conceal the true inwardness of this affair,
rs did his garbled rendering of the Multi !
gan letters first mislead many charitable
people touching the Little Rock bond job.
The disingeniousness of his letter Of ac-
,eptance is further betrayed by its signi6- |
can't silence touching the events of the past |
hree years. Bringing down his historic |
figures TO the present would have revealed |
he fiction involved in his statement would |
have shown marvellous shrinkage in NOM
nal values would have noted the down.
fall of business prosperity and business
morals, and would have pictured as few |
IAN do so graphically as he, the furnace
fires dying out, the wheels of factories |
standing still, wages reduced, beggary usurp- |
ng the place Of labor, bank and business |
failures, creditor and depositors wantonly |
lefrauded, homes lost, and crookedness in |
public affairs. Mr. Blaine is Objectionable |
for the company he keeps, for
Inc friends he has made. Will the chief
promoters of his nomination be his chief
advisors, if elected? There's the rub. |
need mention no names, but will suggest
that the least Objectionable Of his pet sup |
porters are the 'Tribunes supporters of
Greedy in 1872 and acousers Of Blaine in
1876 and 1880, charging him with bribery
and other penitentiary crimes.
With no pronounced ISSUES between the |
two great parties, VIC can safely afford to
yield temporary executive control at this
time to an honest man, though he be
Democrat. And if grave questions OF pub
lie policy were at issue, they cannot be de-
by the executive. This is the
prerogativc of congress, the law-making
branch, heretofore for u time and now UNI
der Democratic control. 1t is vastly more
important 10 good government that the Re-
publican party be restored to supremacy in
than the administration Of law be
TO an unworthy partisan surround
ed by bad counsel. While Mr.. Blaine is
known TO be unworthy, Governor Cleveland
has demonstrated his fitness and worthi-
ness for tho position by his fidelity, ability
and integrity in the discharge Of his execu-
tive duties as mayor of Buffalo and COVER
nor of the great State Of New York, and,
in my opinion, very large majority of in
telligent and unprecedented voters believe
he should be elected. If .one-half of the
Republican voters who agree in this opin-
ion have the courage Of their conviction
and vote conscientiously, he will be trium-
phanty elected. The scandals affecting