The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-09-15

it, the President having deliberately antagonized
his party and sought to destroy it and most of
the prominent leaders in it, after that party had
magnanlmously crossed Mason and Dixons line
and taken him up and put him in the ee-presi-
dency in place of Mr.. Hamlin.
Blaine well knew the great power of Hamlin 4
on the simple people of Maine. Mr.. Morrill, was
genial man, but of no great masculine quality.
/ was in Washington at the time Hamlin beat
Morrill,, and it was so unexpected that / asked
Ellhu Washburne, native of Maine, what it
meant Said he Il suppose that nothing did
more to beat Morrill, than Fessenden's course in
the impeachment trial. it being understood that
Morrill, supported Fessenden.'
Now you can see how greatly personal feeling
enters into politics. Andrew johnson had
crowded Mr. Hamln out of the vice-presideney.
No doubt Hamlin considered it mean trick.
So when johnson became renegade to the Re
publican party the feeling among Hamlins
friends was no doubt very strong. They con-
sldered that their old friend in Maine had been
dsgraeed to put up an ignorant and drunken
man who had no true party fidelity. Consequent
ly when Mr. Fessenden supported johnson, the
reaction in Maine toward Hannibal Hamlin was
immense. The people were seeking for some
way to show their contempt of johnson and
Fesserden. They lifted Hamlin right up into
the senatorship
Yeu can now understand why Mrs Morrill, has
been writing letter of late against Mr.. Blaine.
She greatly enjoyed her Washington life, and
felt outraged that her husband was not elected.
But she would have done her husbands memory
more honor if she had never opened her mouth
at this late day. Her husband was magnani-
m mara at treated ed. By the party after
ury and collector Of the port of Port
land He had not the political initiative
Of men like Blaine and Hamlin. 1t is also
absurd to make the point against Mr.. Blaine
that he received the senatorship by appoint
menJ from the Governor when Mr.. Morrill, ex-
pected it. There is no such courtesy in high
politics as for one to sit out on the ash-heap
and let some distant acquaintance go up and be
senator
This only shows what absurd government we
should have if women were in politics 1t would
be almost as scandaous as the men have made
politics. Hayess administration greatly weak
ened the moral tone of the Republican party by
its sophomore attempt to punish large num-
Der of leading Republicans who had become un-
popular with the newspaper photographers. A
lassitude fell over the party when they saw sec
ondrate men honored and encouraged in order
to retire or belittle some strong man who had
made political mistakes, and therefore, had his
enemies That accounted for the rise of the
Greenback party in Maine. Whenever, at the
head of your government you have not firm
and reliable politician, political organi-
able will be disguised with affairs
and will retire to take care of their private
estates Mr.. Hayes meant well, but he had been
reading the ladies' magazines too much. Any
President of the United States who considers
George William Curtis to be very great man
will make his administration silly
Consequently, when Garfield was running for
President Maine seemed to turn upside down.
The small moral reformers had been encouraged
to believe that success in politics was crime,
that whoever had been prominent must be hui
inflated that long services in the party were a
disqualification, etc. Garfield, Notwithstanding
the defeat in Maine, chose Blaine to be the first
man in his cabinet, with that instructive defer
ence man of too gentle fiber pays to a man of
the masculine cord.
IN THE cABINET-THE RECENT ELECTION.
When Blaine reached the Cabinet the hostility
in Maine began to grow weary. Persons who
had doubted whether his political success was
not matter Of luck or trick now found that he
was capable for the foreign business Of the coun-
try, and was, indeed, above the reach Of petty
detection. The usual charge of selfshness had
been made against him by some of his
contemporaries at home; some of
the younger politicians whom he had
assisted to prominence had begun to think
that perhaps he was too much Of a load to carry
and that they could make their peace with Ar
thur or some other muffin. But when the con
yention met in Chicago and this one man Blaine
was marked by the sneaks and English spies as
aperson who should not be supported if he re-
ceiyed the nomination, there was quiet tight
ening up of the lines in the State of Maine and
closer grip of the lips, and the meanest man in
the State who had been in the habit of voting
the Republican ticket could not but feel that he
was renegade if he allowed his personal feel
ings to recruit the camp of the Hessians.
1t is no easy thing to carry State from year
to year. to keep it in organization, to fill the
places of the deserters to supply the places OF
the dead, to prevent that lassitude and weari-
ness which attends all party existences after re-
peated exertions. But, take it all in all, the man
who can carry great State twenty seven years
has accomplished great deal more than he who
can write for newspaper or turn up his nose at
his neighbor. The State of Maine has hardly
changed its population in the last four years, It
cast about as many votes last Monday as it did
in 1876 the only year to make an honest COM
parison with, because in 1876 there was no
Greenback party, while in 1880 the Republican
party was virtually disrupted by Hayes's admin
istration and the Greenbaok issue
It seems, therefore, that the Republicans cast
more than 5000 votes more this year than in
1876. The Democrats cast about $500 votes less
than in 1876 The Republican plurality this
year is 2l,000. In 1876 it was something above
5000 Now we may inquire why was this
change in favor of Blaine3 1t was not mere
State pride, but portion of that appreciation
OF public man which becomes general as his
opportunities expand There is time in your
life when you commence to do something and
you find al! above you cold and inhospitabe
You progress with your work, and then you find
your fellow workers who are dropping a little
behind you envious and spitefril. Proceed
little further, and become a little more eonspic-
uous, and there seems to be throughout the
whole country a suppressed fury with you Go
on, and still on, and suddenly the hounds are
heard to bay far in the rear, and you reach
some upland, like stag, and the prospect
everywhere seems to smile toward you
Blaine entered Congress about twenty years
ago. Not many people knew him until be be-
came Speaker, in 1869. He has been about
fourteen years strongly in the public sight
Undoubtedly Maine has learned with his success
to disparage personal reflections upon him from
his own party competitors.
Again the Catholic vote, the Catholic priest
hood, that ancient church which has lost king
doms rather than divorce a woman from her
spouse, has had a covert sympathy with Blaine
all the time. They understand that he is a
Protestant. and that his children are also Prot
estants. But they remember that his mother
was Of their fold was a humble ministrant at
their altar that her son ras d,,t;f,,l u 10 80