The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1884-07-03
BIAIllA kf H01ll I

Will 49,
NJ. e " smal1ey writes from ST Paul "a
the Chicago Tribune his recollections OF Ar.
Blaine In the early years Of his public life
Mr. Smal1ey says: q first knew Me- Blaine
In the Thrift ninth congress the one which
met In 1865, just after. the war closed He
had served in the preceding congress, but
had only fairly got hold of the ways of legis-
lation In fact, he had made SO little
impression that Speaker Colfax put
him well down toward the tail ii
| the military committee absurd place FOR
him, because he had always been civilian
ALI the rest of the members, except two DEM
ocrats, were generals fresh from the field
Blaine's mouth was closed, for how could he
pretend to any right to be heard on military
matters in the presence Of six hrigadiers9
| OF course, he was uncomfortable / was d
clerk of the committee Blaine appeared to
take liking to me because was a newspa4
per man. I remember to have thought thab
| If ever there was born journalist it was that
was a complete cyclopedia of political facts.
| and had terse, interesting, paragraphy
way of talking. He told ME III the course Of
| confidential chat one day that session,
| when the proceedings in the house were dull
| and we sat alone in the committee room by
upon the appropriations committee in the
| next congress, and in the following congress
he hoped to get Craftsmanship. Then, he
said, he should look forward to the speaker
ship It all came about ds he had planned.
! only he became speaker two years sooner
than he had hoped would be possible. He
was always q man who laid out his line Of
| life in advance and worked up to it. There
was nothing accidental in his career.
At first he lived in Washington in no
madic sort of way-in hotels or boarding
houses. as do most congressmen-but when
be was elected speaker he bought house on
| Fifteenth street, in the best quarter of the
| town. Opposite lived Hamilton Fish, then
secretary OF state; rext door lived Fernando
| Wood; Gen. Sherman's house was only few
doors distant; and Gen Butler could be
| found just around the corner. Blaine's house
was thought handsome one at that time,
but it was only plain brick structure in
row. and it cuts no sort of a figure IN
Queen Anne, ElIzabethan, Norman, and I
| know not how many other styles abound at
the capital There were two big parlors on
| the first floor, and back of them sitting
| room and dining room, and all four rooms
| connected by folding DOORS so that the
crowds that used to surge in at the speakers
| official receptions were measurably well ac
commodated In the belongings of this, his
first Washington home, Blaine showed fond.'
ness for engravings, for substantial furnl-
ture and for books. He was much given to
hospitality, and never appeared SO
| happy as when entertaining congenial
dinner party at his big round table. For his
| dinner table talks he had an inexhaustible
| heard him tell the same story twice. He did
| not resemble in the least the hand organ
| type of man who has only one little set Of
| tunes Indeed, I think he might dispute,
with Henry Ward Beecher for the honor of
being the most original man in America.
No matter what the topic may be, he is
| sure to contribute to the conversation some
| thing particularly bright and entertaining.
When not entertaining friends at his OWE
| house he usually dined out l remember to
| have warned him once of the perls of the
| diner outflow many an eminent man had
| come to an untimely end by eating big din
| ners He said he observed strict rule at
dinner parties-he took soup and roast beef,
but no prepared dishes. No dessert, little
| ice cream, and no wine save dry cham
paigne. By sticking closely to this dietary
programme he could dine out every
day in the week without injuring his
digestion. In those days Blaine was not
great letter writer, either with his own hand
| OF vicariously through that of his secretary.
He did not like Garfield, reply to all the let
| tiers he received He was great newspaper
reader, and always knew the attitude of every
| really important journal in the country on
| the dominant issues of the day. He knew the
! history of these journals, too, and something
Of the men who made them, and if there
| was any power behind the chairs of their
editors he was pretty sure to be informed
about it. He was not accessible at all times
| and to all the world, as many men who cher
| ish great political ambition think it necessary
| to be. The impossible black guardian of the
| hall door was never quite sure that Mr..
Blaine was in, but he would see II the visi-
tor was not welcome he would manage to
make him believe that the speaker had just
gone out few minutes before.
In the Fifteenth street house Blaine lived
while in Washington until after the death of
! Garfield. He had previously begun to build
| huge, expensive red brick pile out on the P
| rich at the time, and thinking the position
| of secretary of state carried with it duties of
enlarged hospitality. The house was mis-
| take, as he soon found He lived in it only
| about year: AS a private citizen it was
much too large for his needs; be-
| fortune melted away in the g1eat shrinkage
| in stocks, and he did not feel able to support
| the expensive establishment which the house
demanded He considered himself very
| fortunate to be able to lease it for sum
| which amounted to 6 per cent on it's cost.
| Then he condensed his household into
| dwelling of moderate capacity, facing
Lafayette square. From his front windows he
could see the White House through the
| trees in the pretty park. Not many of his
own belongings came with this house save
| his books and a few pictures. In it he did
most of the work on his Twenty Years Of
| Congress" living as retired as his friends
| would let him. and getting his exercise mainly
| from daily morning walk to the capitol,
| whittier he went to cor suit the books In the
| congressional library.
All this time his real home, if the attach
! ments of himself and the members of his
! family were considered, was the large, old
| fashioned, broad fronted white house, with
yard, which stands on a quiet, shady street
| near the state capitol, in Augusta, Ne.
| This house typifes the well-to-do phase
| Of village life in New England as it ex-
| pressed itself in architecture before
| the recent mania for colors, angles, bal
| comics, and fanciful forms came in 1t
| represents the plainness, solidity and con-
! servatism OF the last generation. Mr.. Blaine
has modified it very little, and not at all at
the expense of it's sober, old-time appear
the rear-one large library, which is his
work room, and a which during the many
,,~-'d t~hts he waged with the
,~--~~ta.s when he was chairman OF
the state Republican committee used
to be a rendezvous for his ieuten-
ants from all parts of the state. In
| the course of two Maine campaigns l saw q
| good deal of Mr.. Blaine. He was the busiest
man in the state, hurrying from county to
county to address mass meetings, writing
| kilograms on the trains, getting pocketful
of dispatches at every town, debating letters
at night to his secretary, yet always cheerful
and companionable, and with a good Joke or
anecdote ready to enliven every occasion.
! He knew the whole state as well as his own
| dooryard, and was acquainted with
| the leading men in every town He brought
the canvass down to the school districts The
hurrah work of professions, banners and big
| meetings he estimated at it's proper value,
| but he never depended on it to produce re-
suits. The real business of campaign was
to perfect local organizations, ascertain who
| were the doubtful voters and bring argu-
| ment and personal influence to bear upon
! them through the efforts of their Republican
| neighbors
Saturdays we special correspondents used
| to manage to get back to Augusta if we
| could to spend quiet Sunday afternoon
| with Blaine at his house. In the evening
| some musical friends of the family would
| usually come in, and we had good time
| singing old-fashioned church tunes, for
| which Blaine had fondness, and in which
| he would join with his children and with all
! the members of the company who could
! make any show of voice.
Blaine has always had dislike of being in
| terViewed, perhaps because he has himself
| been behind the scenes of a newspaper Office.
| Yet he has put more of his own ideas In the
| press of the country than any other man in
public life. His way is to treat journalists
| with perfect frankness and good-fellowship,
| giving them his opinions freely and the bene-
| fit of his knowledge on all public questions.
but to have an understanding with them that
| they are to use what he tells them in any
way they like, provided they do not print it
as coming from him Very rarely has his
confidence been betrayed Many Washing