Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-10-05
A Parallel.

His friends claim that Mr.. BLAINE Will be
elected President OF the United states be-
cause he is immensely popular with the
runk and file OF the Republican party.
Suppose we concede that Mr.. BLAINE is
the most popular man in the Republican
party, do we thereby concede that he will
be electedf by no means. There Is all
the difference In the world between being
popular inside OF party organization and
being popular with the masses OF the
people.
HsxRr CLAY furnishes an appropriate
Illustration OF what this last statement
means. He was for years the most popular
man In the Wing party. BY many OF its
members be was almost idolized. Crowds
docked 10 hear his eloquence wherever he
spoke, and hung upon his lips. And yet
when in 1874 he became the Wing nominee
for President OF the United States he was
defeated by JAMES X. Polk, OF Tennessee
a man who had been elected Governor OF
Teunesse few years before, and OF whom
his opponents made thousands OF Just sucd
remarks So they now make concerning
CLEyEIASp. Polk was nobody" "bad
never been heard OF" "had no national
reputation" was ian accident" was not
III foemsn OF such man rs HENRY CLAY;
but al the same he was elected. The last
Office he filled before he went into the
White House was that OF Governor Of
Statc. lust as il will be said hereafter Of
GROVER CLEVELAND.
MIR. CLAY had more friends than any
other man in the United States but he
also had more enemies than any other man.
Mr.. CLAY had more friends within the
lines OF his own party than any other man;
but he also had more enemies than any
other man. These two remarks are true OF
Mr.. BLAINE also. He Is popular and I'M
popular. He has many friends, but he has
numerous enemies The statesmen who
know him best are not the men who are his
warmest supporters. EDMUNDS, HoAR.
DAWES. HAwLEY, C0NKLING, ARTHUR,
GRANT, CAMERON. are not the men who
procured his nomination at Chicago.
Mr.. Polk had made no record which
could I've used against him. He had been
In public life before his nomination for the
presidency. but he had not rendered him.
self Objectionable TO the people OF the
country nor to the members OF his own
party. SO with GROVER CLEVELAND. He
has figured as .' Reform Governor" but
on none OF the issues now before the voters
has be made record which can be success
fully used against him. He can point to
all his acts as Governor OF the great State OF
New York and challenge all corners to at
tack them.
Mr.. CLAY had TO meet many charges
growing ont Of unexplained incidents in
his long pubic life. Mr. BLAINE labors
under the same disadyantageous circum-
stances. The MULLIGAN letters disclose a
much more serious charge than the charge
OF "bargain, intrigue, and corruption"
which was brought against Mr.. CLAY.
Mr.. CLAY was charged with being Free
Mason. His answer was plea Of confession
and avoidance. lie acknowledged that he
had once been a member OF that order, but
daimed that 1t had been many years since
he had been seen in lodge. Mr.. BLAINE
was charged with being a Prohibtionlst.
His answer was almost a plea Of confession
and avoidance. He replied that the "pro-
h,bition" question was local issue, and
would never be obtruded upon the nation
by him.
Mr.. CLAY was "magnetic." So is Mr..
BLAINE. As you cannot destroy the polarity
OF an object by breaking it into two pieces,
so you cannot destroy Mr.. BLAISE's "mag-
netism" by making him a candidate. But
as repulsion and attraction characterize the
opposite parts OF magnet, so Mr.. BLAINE,
like Mr.. CLAY, drives of more votes than
be draws TO himself. He Is like other
"msgnets" mot magnates.)
Here endeth the first parallel. We beg
pardon OF all the old Wings for having
used Mr.. CLAY TO point such moral.