St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-07-06
Philadelphia Times, Editorial.
BIaine's Triumph and Peril.

Blaine's Triumph and Peril.
James G. Blaine is the Henry Clay of Re-
publicanism. Like Clay in the Wing party,
he is the most popular idol of all the living
Republicans; like Clay, he is the most mag
neiic and inspiring leader his party has ever
worshiped, and like Clay, his tall white
plume will nerve his followers to the most
heroic battle for his success Like Clay, he
was the acknowledged leader of his party in
Congress and could yanquish the boldest
and ablest Of his rival in every conflict on
the floor. And like Clay, he is the most be-
loved, the most feared and the most hated in
the internal conflicts of party ambition.
Like Clay also, he has been passed by for ex-
pediency in two struggles for the party nom
ination, when he was admittedly and over
whelminly the popular choice and when the
party achieved national triumphs, to be nom
mated for the surely doubtful contest that
threatens to date the beginning of the end of
the Republican organization.
Whether the analogy shall complete its
circle by the defeat of Blaine in 1884, as Clay
was defeated just forty years ago, is the PROT
lem presented for solution by the Chicago
Convention. That James G. Blaine would
have been elected President in 1876 or in
1880 had he been made the candidate, as the
great mass of his party earnestly desired, is
as evident now as it is that Clay would have
been elected in 1910 or 1S4S. He would have
failed to command the popular vote, as Hayes
failed in 1876, but he wonld have been
leader In the reversal of the national verdict
instead of the more than willing but passive
6 +I,o RIIth
Hayes. In 1880 he would have done and
dared more than Garfield did to win Indiana
and New York, and he would have had no
ridiculous mockeries of justice in deceitful
pretence of punishment for what he had APP
proved, aided and turned to profit, and there
would have been no sham civil service re-
form to pretend to cloak his policy that un
muzzles the party OK that treads the corn.
He is no canting hypocrite as to party and
political methods. He is partisan in the
boidest and broadcast sense of the term.
He believes in justifying the means demand
ed to attain party ends, and party interests
will ever be paramount in his administration
of public trust, however honorable or respon-
sble.
He will be the master spirit, the leader of
leaders in his own campaign. The party will
follow him with the devotion and enthusiasm
of the army that bore the eagle of France
when Napoleon marched for Moscow, and
even in defeat he would be wOrshiped by the
rank and file as was the man of destiny after
Russia and Elba. He will start the contest
Of 1884 with spontaneous energy in every
section of the country. He will carry Ohio
in October even with German prejudices
strongly against him. He will disturb Demo-
cratic confidence in West Virginia, the other
important October State, and he will be like
" to recall California and Nevada from their
Democratic diversion of 1880 to join Oregon
in a solid Republican electoral vote on the
golden slope of the Pacific.
Such is the aspect of the Blaine campaign
as it presents itself on the surface; but there
is another anda soberer side to it that must be
faced when the echoes of Blaine enthusiasm
shall have been stilled by the grave obstacles
which are certain to confront him. The i'm
portant States of Connecticut New York,
New Jersey and Indiana are to be battled for
and all of them may be lost, even with the
tidal wave of Blaine enthusiasm and the
most exhaustive effort of master managers.
It is truth obvious to all intelligent and dis
passionate observers that the nomination of
Blaine Is not restful to the sensitive business
interests of the country, and the platform of
unmixed and reckless demagogism on which
he is placed as the party candidate, must
deepen and widen business distrust and
arouse the searching inquiry of the thought
full and conservative of all parties The
platform is not the expression of great par
ty that can justly assume stand as a bull
wark against the disturbing Gibbs and flows of
trade which are feared from the reckless or
dishonest.
1t is a reproach to the country that ruling
party has felt safe in such an exhibition of
the political wantoH as is given in what is
called the national platform of the Republi-
can party, and it will be iule for the Repub
lican leaders to close their eyes to the fact
that the conservative voters, who must pro-
test, if not revolt, against the Chicago plat
form, viii generally acceptit as fair reflex
of the political aims of the candidate.
These are considerations which will out
weigh all the party or personal enthusiasm of
the contest and which will be controlling
factors in deciding the battle, sven in the
face of the love and the p!audits of the I'M
thin king multitude. They gave oat their
unerring admonitions at Chicago, as the
conservative and sincere reform centres of
the convention presented great silent gaps
in the surface of the cheering thousands.
When Massachusetts, and Vermont do not
merely prefer another, but protest in reso-
lutte effort against offense to their convic-
lions, and when the apostles of reform who
hold the sceptre between parties in the En-
pire state pass the Rubicon against candi-
date before the nomination, it is well to take
pause and inquire how far devotion and en-
thusiasm viii prevail against the sober, earn
est, aggressive teachings and actions of such
men.
The time was when the sentiments these
elements typify were impotent in great po-
litical struggles, but to-day they control the
con trolling states of the national conflict and
they are peril that filings upon the grand
triumph of Blaine at Chicago the clouds
which forecast disaster. Organs will close
their eyesand ears to the smothered MUIR
murs which may be heard on every side and.
the country will resound with hearty cheers
for Blaine; but he who would be truthful for
the truths sake must predict one of the most
desperate and doubtful contests of our
history as assured by the nomination of
James G.. Brine.
A difficultyy occurred near Louisville, Ky,
Friday night, between two brothers named Pen