Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1884-06-02

holders in the state and his son spent sew
eral years in his youth at the school in
Lancaster, Ohio, living in the family of
the Hon. Thomas Erving, who was at
that time secretary of the treasury, and
whose descendants have since been prom
inent in Ohio politics. He entered Wash
ington college and graduated at the age
of II, and for time taught school in his
native state. He was an occasional con-
tributoT to the magazines and writer of
fugitive pieces for the newspapers during
his leisure hours. Finally having con-
Guided to choose the editorial route to
fame, he accepted, in 1858, a call from
Name and assumed charge of the Ken
nebec Journal Adrertiser; he edited it for
some time. He was elected to the Maine
legislature in 1858 and served four wears.
At the beginning OF his last term of two
years, he was chosen speaker and per-
formed the duties of that Office to the sat
isfaction of the law makers of the Pine
| Tree State. 1t was during the war of
the rebellion in 1862 that he was sent to
| the thirty-eighth congress serving on the
He at once devoted himself to a careful
study of the house, and it was not long
before he began to be regarded as one of
| the best parliamentarians in that body.
He was reelected to the thirty-ninth
congress, and repeatedly thereafter from
| the same district and in 1869 was made
| speaker of the house. His rulings were
always prompt and accurate and it was
not often that his bitterest enemies could
| pick flaw in his decisions. His position
and skill as parliamentarian brought
him conspicuously before the public and
even when temporarily displaced by the
advent Of democratic house and the
election Of democratic speaker he led
the forlorn hope of his party upon the
| floor. His great speech on the force bill
| being instrumental in advancing him to
the senate, while, strange to say, his
principal antagonist in the debate, the
late Benz. H. Hill of Georgia, was also
transferred to the same body for his bril-
l liant defense of his state in the debate.
There can be no question that at the time
when the republican national convention
was held in 1876 Mr.. Blaine was the most
popular leader of his party. But the
Grant administration was against him
and it's forces defeated him. He received
35I votes in the final ballot as against
$40 for the Hayes combination engineered
by Roscoe Conkling who has never for
given the 'sPlumed knight" for his sever
ity when referring to him in the house
At one time Blaine compared Conklins
with Henry Winter, as "a dunghill to {
diamond" Blaine after his defeat en-
tered the campaign with the best feelings
towards the republican candidate ant
worked night and day for his election. L
is said, however, that after the election
and after the southern policy of the ad
miniStration had been announced he new
er went into the White House, feeling
that President Hayes had not done hi.
duty to the party that elected him. A.
a senator he voted against the electora
commission bill on the ground that i
was unconstitutional. In 1880 he wa
once more candidate for the presiden
tial nomination and succeeded in so usins
the influence which he had, so as to de
feat the third term scheme and overthrow
the Conkling Cameron-Logan triumvirate
He did as much as any other single ma
to elect Gen. Garfield, and his appoint
ment as secretary of state was q wei
earned position. The history of his con
nection with Garfield during his brief ad
: ministration and after the bullet of GU
i teau had done its work is too recent t
Il need repetition here. Although in pr
/ vate life he exerts a greater influence o
L his party than any other man.