The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-20
THE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN.
Blaine Was the Strongest Possible Candidate
Why He Was Beaten.

Blaine Was the Strongest Possible Candidate
Why He Was Beaten.
Interview with Emery A. storrs.
Would any other candidate than Mr. Blaine,
in your judgment, have been more likely to
achieve success than her
in my judgment" replied Mr.. Storrs lit is
clear that if we could not win with Mr. Blaine.
we could win with no My original prefer
ances were General Arthur but any one who
observed the of the campaign and any
Republican who at all realizes the situation
must know that it was indispensable that we
should carry Ohio at the October election Had
we failed in that, the campaign would have
closed there and then. l never so thoroughly
recognized the wisdom of the majority as during
the campaign in Ohio, when ! saw the tremen-
dous enthusiasm which Mr.. Baine's presence
excited, Every conceivable agency and acci-
dent were against US. The riots in the Hook
ing Valley; the supposed detection of the
German vote; the liquor question: the
unholy alliance between the Prohibitionists
and the saloon-keepere the cutting down of
wages in the Cleveland rolling mills, two weeks
before the election, 20 per cent. the fact that IN
that State the Democratic party had at least five
dollars to one; the additional fact that we
were compelled to confront an adverse majority
ment in the hands of our adversaries and all its
agencies used with the utmost effect; the gov
ernment of all the great cities in the hands of
our adversaries; the supreme confidence of the
Democratic party of success IN that State-all
these circumstances conspiring together made
the Republican success in Ohio one of the
grandest achievements in our political history;
and that achievement was due in q large
measure to the personal appearance of Mr.
Blaine. | speak from actual knowledge Be
fore Blaine had been In Ohio three
days, so thoroughly aroused was the old
Republican sentiment that committees were ut
tery useless, and the people took the campaign
in their own hands. In common fairness. ask
if any other man in America could have achieved
this RESULT AS to his visits to the States of In
diana, Illinois. and Michigan, | know nothing
He came to this city of New York. Upon his
arrival here, this State was, every intelligent
Democrat comedies, sure for the Republican
nominees by at least 20, 000 The most marvel
feature of Mr. Blaines personal canvass is
found in the fact that having made scores and
scores of speeches, admirable in point of diction
and practical craftsmanship, in tact and good
feeling not one word of criticism has been
passed on a single word uttered in that great
number of speeches. all of them necessarily hur-
riedly made. l venture the assertion that no
man on this continent could have gone through
such a campaign under such instances and
with such result"
How then, do You account for the loss of the
State of New York;
In 1882 the State of New York gave Grover
Cleveland majority of over 1872, 900. That por-
tion of the Stawarts who supposed to be
purely the personal following of Roscoe Couk
ling, had violent antipathy to Mr. Blaine, but
the circle of these antipathies against President
Arthur was much larger and wider. Down to
the day Of Mr.. Blaines arrival in this city, the
State was as sure for Blaine and Logan as any
unsettled and undetermined question could be.
There is no fair minded Democrat who does not
at this day concede it. The detection of the in
dependents was more than counterbalanced by
the movement of the patriotic lrishnen and
workingmen to our ranks, as the result has
shown. The dinner given to Mr. Blaine
in this city, for which neither the national
committee the State committee were in the
slightest degree responsible to say the least,
unfortunate, and lost us, without doubt, many
thousand votes. This however, we could have
endured. By movement proceeding from
tirely among themselves great delegation ct
clergymeu desired to pay their respects to Mr..
Blaine, and they did so at the Fifth-avenue Io-
tel All denominations and all creeds We're rep
resented. In this movement neither the State
nor the national committee had the slightest part.
But aside from that the movement was a wise
one. a Jewish rabbi made on that occasion n
splendid address. 1t was supposed that at that
point speech making in behalf of clergymen had
closed, when unfortunately DR.. Burchard, very
followed with an address delivered in such
manner that even those very near him did not
wholly understand him. In this address he in
dulged in the unfortunate ALTERATION of 'Rum,
Romanism and Rebellion This was a potent
and conspicuous insult not only to the Catholic
priests ana clergy then present, but to Catholic
sentiment throughout the entire country.
1t was an insult for which IN 10 sense