The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1884-06-18

knew their shortcomings and theil
strong points, and to this day he
asks about this boy and that who
went to school at the Blue-Licb
Springs, then very popular water.
ing place. A friend says that Blaine
was a man of great personal courage
and that during bloody fight be.
tween the faculty of the school ano
the owners of the Springs, involving
some questions about the removal o
the school, he behaved in the braves
manner, fighting hard, but keeping
cool. Revolvers and knives were
freely used, but Blaine only uset
his well-disciplined muscle. Col
Thornton +. johnson was the prin
cipal of the school, and his wife
(both most excellent, well-bred, ant
highly-cultured persons) had g
ladies scheol at Millersburg, twenty
miles distant. 1t was at this plac,
that Blaine met Miss Stanwood. who
belonged to an excellent family il
Massachusetts, and she afterwarC
became his wife. Blaine, after ar
experience of a year or two, discov
cred that be was not born to be {
school teacher, and he returned tc
Pennsylvania to study law, but new
er practiced it. In 1853 he removed
to Maine, and there began a career
that has to-day made him the mos
talked-of and the most popular
man in the country.
BLAINE AS AN EDITOR.
1t was at Portland, Me-, that Mr.
Blaine first became an editor, and
had he not few years later aban
doned journalism to enter upon his
long and conspicuous public career
he would undoubtedly have made q
great cditor-as great perhaps as
Greeley. He possessed ali the quail
tiles necessary to win eminence in
the profession, and has often been
heard to remark during his past life
that he believed he would never be
so happy as he would have been al
the head of a great political journal
He has a phenomenal memory, and
there is no quality more valuable in
journalism than this. He remem-
bers circumstances, dates, names,
and places with astonishing exact
ness. and it is this wonderfully avail.
able memory that makes him such
ready speaker and such charm
ing companion. He has also great
quickness and accuracy ofjudgment
another excellent and indispensable
quality. He writes as readily and
strongly as he speaks, and very rap
idly. In many respects he resem-
bles Mr.. Greeley as writer-ht
goes straight TO the point, and wastes
no time in painting with pretty
words a background for his
thoughts. His other striking quail.
ties are: he is courageous, he il
fair-minded be grasps and weighs
the events of the day, and finally
like all good journalists, he is a gooe
husband and father, and good
fellow.
HIS PUBLIC CAREER.
Mr.. Blaine held his first public Of
flee in 1858, when he was elected tt
the Name Legislature. He had al
ready achieved distinction as pub
| lie speaker in the Fremont campaign
of 1856. He was five times elected
to the Legislature, and in 1861 ant
again in 1862 he was chosen Speak
er of the House, in which position
he exhibited peculiar fitness for
presiding officer. qualities that he
more fully exhibited subsequently
as Speaker ofthe National House O
Representatives.
In 1863 Mr.. Blaine was elected tt
Congress, and was reelected aDt
served continuously for IA years
During his first term he gave him
self up mostly to study and obser
vation, but in the XXXIXth Con
gress he began to be felt, and from
that time on he was foremost in al
legislation. He has an aptitude 10
legislative business that few possess
He could see The weak and tn
strong points in the bill, and hi
Judgment was SO quick and accurate
that he was as ready to take his pO
sition in minute as most Con
gressmen are after q days rehec
ton.
He was three times elected Speak
er of the House of Representatives
succeeding Colfax in the chair. Al
Speaker ne never had a superio
in the history Of the country, and j
is question whether, in all respects
he ever had an equal in that posi-
ton. His control over the House il
described as being simply wonder
full. An eloquent talker and a thor
ough parlimentarian, familiar witt
almost every precedent from th'
birth of Congress to the very hou
in which he spoke, he was never a
loss to answer the most difIicul
questions, to solve the hardest prob
lem, or to disentangle the knotties
network of procedure into which tn
House might have drifted.
1t is hardly worth while to follow
Mr.. Blaine through his IA years ser
vice in the House. He always com
ma aded the attention of the House
and before he had been three year
a member he ranked with the high
est as a debater. With him in th'
House were Thad. Stevens, Ben
Butler, Schenck, Allison, Colfax
Banks, John A. Bingham, Boutwell,
James Brooks, Conkling, Dawes, De
lano, r. B. Hayes, George W. Julian
Scofeld, and other well-knowI
names. Before the close of his sec
| ond term he had that angry contro
versy with Conkling, since becom
so famous. All our readers will re
member that of the XLIst, XLIId
and XLIIId Congresses Mr.. Blain
was Speaker. His quickness, hi
thorough knowledge OF parliamenta
nv law and of the rules, his firmness
his clear voice, his impressive man
ner, his ready comprehension Q Q
subjects and situations, and his dasl
and brilliancy made him a grea
presiding officer. He managed tn
most turbulent Of all bodies with al
Iron hand. His management of hi