New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-06-07

was ours for the asking. IL would have been sig:
nal victory of philanthropy over the seihshness y.
human ambition; a complete triumph OF CHRISTIAN
principles as applied to the affairs of Nations IL
would have reflected enduring honor on our new
country, and would have impaired new splrlI anu
q new brotherhood to all America. NOT w0mld lts
influence beyond the sea have been small. The ex-
ample of seventeen independent Nations solelnnly
agreeing to abolish the arbItrament OF tne swoIui
and 20 settle dispute by peaceful methous vi
adjudication, would have exerted an influence TO
the utmost confines of CIVILIZATION, ana upon tne
generations OF men yet TO come
AT GARFIELD's BEDSIDE.
On the morning Of Saturday. July 2, President
Garfield was to start from Washington by the
morning limited express for New-York en- route ior
New England and a reunion with his old college
mates at the Williams College Commencement His
Secretary of State accompanied him to the train and
has recorded the great almost boyish, delight with
which the President anticipated his holday-a state
of mind in which il NAV well be believed. MI
Blaine joyously sympathized They entered the
waiting-room at the station, and moment later
Guiteau's revolver had done its work. The country
still wildly remembers the devotion with whlch
the head of the Cabinet watched at the Presidents
bedside; the calm dignity with which, during those
long weeks of suspense, he discharged the paihIul
duties of his position; the admirable precision Vi
| the bulletins which he issued to the press anu
through Minister Lowell to the foreign legations
/
| TO official expressions of sympathy at nome anu
! abroad.
on September the President was removed from
| Washington to Elberon, WHITTIER he was tol0Wed
| the same day by Mr. Blaine and the resi- OF Ine
Cabinet. The apparent Improvement III tle IIes 1I
dents condition warranted the belief that he Wqo ort
! continue to gain, and Mr.. Blaine went LOT shoIU
! rest TO his home in Augusta lie was OH HIS way
| back TO ElberOn when the fatal moment came ana
reached there the next morning; lt Is the unlVeIsal
testimony of press and people that, during the
! weary weeks which interviewed between the fIesl-
dents injury and death, Mr. Blalnes every acIion
| and constant demeanOr absolutely aultless
Selected by Congress 10 pronounce u loIHIal
eulogy upon President Garfield, Mr.. Blame on teo-
/ ruarV 10 1852 before President Arthur ana MS
! Cabinet both Houses of Congress. the supreme
Court. the foreign legations and an au'uG Gi ~
/ ladies and gentlemen which crowded the ual Vi
| Representatives, delivered most inst. comPreneh-
sive and admirable address upon the martyr greHC
| career and character The orator. Win ehlTe sell
abnegaton and reserve, but with hrn toucn anu ae
in style which rose at times to easy eloquehce as
signed to President Garfield his true place III history
| BLAINE AS A HISTORIAN.
! In April last Mr.. Blaine presented to the puDAc
| the first volume of his Twenty Years OF Con
! gress," a work that is to cover, when completed
! the period from Lincoln to Garfield with review
of the events which led TO the political revolution
| of 1860. This work is in fact biography Oh the
| American people, everything-abstract ques-
| lions and Notwithstanding subordinated IN
/ the effort TO produce clear and strong
|
! thoughts of the people, as they varied from
year to year, their times Of indecision and dark
ness. of swift insight and heroic resolution; their
DAYS of timdty and weak compromising with
wrong and their grand endurance and unhlnching
fidelity when the crisis at last brought duty clearly
before them: their singular sagacty IN declsloAs
! of vital noment-all these are portrayed In Mr.
Blaines narrative with clearness and power
The story he tells in his first vol
ume il given with the simplicity and compact
ness of trained journalist, and yet with sufficient
fullness 70 make the picture distinct aud clear IN
almost every detail The book is as easy to read as
n well-written novel: it is clea- and interesting
and commands the attention throughout, the more
for the absence Of anything like oratorcai display
or forensic combatIveness
In its main features Mr. Blaine's history is
one of universal value In literary pol
ish il is not beyond criticism though occasional IN
folcties of expression and instances Of carelessnes
do not outweigh the general cearness and force Of
STYLE II is not at all points unerrng in portrature,
nor mfallbe in Judgment. though the writers I'M
partiality of spirit and desire TO be just
are conspicuous and he gives cogent rea-
sons for opinions expressed But IN broad
and comprehensive appreciation of the forces by
which the development of public opinion has been
affected the work is one of great merit The ar
/
and intelligent treatment of Il many-sided subject.
Chapters I-VIII. review the main .ques-
ton from which grew the Civil
War and the political revolution Of
1860 Many of the questions with which
| Congress afterward had to deal could not have
been treated wisely by lawglvers nor mtelllgently
/ by the historian, except IN bic light OF the double
conflict between tine slave power aud ant-slavery,
| hostile political forces. By careful tracing OF
the causes which had made slavery
MI,
in regard slavery what Ii was the history OF the
| war is rendered far more compact ana clear
Closely allied with the main cause 81 var, the
tariff question is reviewed IN Chapter *. Chapter
X opens with the election Of 1850, ana the events
Of the marvellous history From Lincoln to
in Chronological order. But Chapters XVIII to
XIX. are devoted to the -ancial history OF the war
the levyIng of taxes and the CREATION OF legal
/ States banks and the State banks OF the ante
/ war period are contrasted with the Ma
iopal banking system "a ana Vest S vir cfg15oa "a
considered in Chapter XAl and IN the last CHAPTER
XIV, the relations between the United states ana
I Foreign Powers during the war An appendix 81
foTtyfOur pages embraces statistics or interest," ana
/ value
OLD CHARGES REVIVED AND ANSWERED.
Early in April. when Mr. Blaines Acknowledged
strength throughout the country had grown TO
large proportions, there appeared in The E's|1g
Post, Of this city, formal charges against him IN
connection with the land grant to the Little Roc k
and Fort Smith Railroad Of Arkansas. These charges
had been made and met eight years before but their
revival at time VIXEN everything except the orig
inal misstatements had been forgotten by many
people attracted some attention. The substance of
the charges-which are too recent to need extended
reference here-was that Mr.. Blaine had used his
power as Speaker of the House to secure n renewal
of the land grant TO the railroad. and had been
rewarded for his services by being made an agent
for the selling of the bonds of the road receiving
as his commission a number of bonds. To these
charges Mr.. William Walter Phelps replied at
length in a letter to The Post, which was printed in