St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-09-18
DODGER BLAINE'S RUSE.
How He Escaped The Wiles Of Pro-
hibitiOn Sirens.
They Know Him to be q Prohibitionist at
Heart and Forgive Him for Descending
They are Too True to Republicanism
to Expect Votes to be Sacrificed
to Principle.

called to-day upon some Of the ladies
who were at the polls in the First Ward last
Monday laboring in behalf OF Prohibition to
learn what they thought of the action Of Mr..
Blaine in failing to vote at all on the amend
ment. Miss Hinkley,a very Intelligent lady,
and an active member of the Ladies' Tenn
perance Union OF this city, talked quite free
ly, saying she WAS proud Of the part she had
taken in the days work.
'Was it expected that Mr.. Blaine wonld
vote!' l asked.
eyes; and Mrs. C. N. Williams, president
Of the Ladies' Temperance Union, was there
to offer him an affirmative ballot"
SIS it true that Mrs. Williams was to tele-
graph how Mr.. Blame voted az soon 50 he
had done so9''
eyes; she was to telegraph Mary V. Cross
man, of Bangor, who is one Of the prominent
temperance workers of the state"
"Why did you and ell the other ladies go
away from the polls before Mr.. Blaine
came?n
'WeIl, Mr.. Howard Owen and some other
gentleman came to us and said It was getting
late, that they did not think many more
would come to vote and that we might as
well go home; so we all went"
''Were you surprised when you heard that
Mr.. Blaine did not vote at all on the amend
ment!'
think he had not acted right But since
then l have heard that he did the wisest
thing under the circumstances"
Then you Justify Mr.. Blaine in the course
he adopteda''
Yes; it was a political necessity that he
should not commit himself. 1 am well
enough satisfied since the amendment was
adopted without Mr.. Blaine's vote"
Another member of the committee was
Mrs. Lewis Tibbets, who is a very earnest
Republican and great admirer of Mr.. Blaine
She could not believe that he staid away till
after the ladies had left the polls because
he was afraid to meet them there
''Woudn't you have asked him to vote for
the amendments" l querried.
Yes, indeed, would. would have of
fered him ballot just as quick as if he had
been the humblest man in Augusta
''What do you thiuk of his refusal to vote
either way!''
AT uISI WAS uISOppOlHIeu auU sOHlcNudI
troubled about it and so was Mr.. Williams,
but when we learned that it would have done
him political injury to vote for the amend
ment we felt perfectly willing to excuse him.
You see the Democrats would have made use of
it against him if he voted yes. There are a
great many Germans and others who are OPP
posed to Prohibition and it is better for Mr..
Blaine that he should not appear to be OPP
posed to them. He is a temperance man aud
always has been, but we are willing to les, a
small good in order to gain great good.''
The sentiments expressed by these two la
dies are fully Endorsed by the other ladies on
the committee and by the Prohibitionists
generally. They are for the Republican par
ty first, Blaine and all, and then for Prohibit
ton. There is no doubt that the Mr.. How
ard Owen spoken of above got the women
away from the polls in the First Ward to re-
lieve Mr.. Blaine Of the embarrassment of
having to refuse the ballot they were prepar-
es to offer him. They left twenty minute:
after O'Clock, Blaine came twenty minute:
later and the polls closed twenty minutes af
ter that. Owen is register of the Probate
Court here and once lived at Blaine's house
He is therefore a trusted agent He was al
the polls all day and was more active
than any other man there in his efforts in be
| half of the amendment.