Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-06-07

Tic HERALD nh' hh hiouB ftho"b"'
that James g. Blaine would be the next
Republican candidate for President OF
the United States. Our provision has
been realized, and the Kennebec states
man is the man. II would be useless to
deny that Blaine Ia strong candidate.
He 10 at once the strongest and weakest
person his party could have advanced
for the honor. To begin with, Jim
Blaine Is one Of the most magnetic and
fascinating people who have ever figured
In the politics Of tho United States. His
nomination yesterday was compelled by
the samo resisiless preference OF the
masses Of the Republican party which,
Ia the oon ventions Of 1876 and 1880,
failed Of success Through organized
bodies which were strong enough to de-
feat him while not powerful enough to
achieve the nomination Of tho men in
whose interest they were organized
Had Blaine been nominated In 1916,
as u result Of the elections of that year,
he would~have had. like Hayes, to con.
ssntto phenomenal fraud ms an Incl
>dent Of his acceptance Of the Presidency.
Had he been nominated in 1880 it is
very doubtful whether he would have
been able to command, even If he had
been willing to avail himself of, the cor
rupt agencies which gave the electoral
votes of the Site OF New York to Gar
field.
Asa Presidential candidate to-day he
asks the sufrages Of the people without
any Of the base compliances which have
stained the records OF his predecessors.
He has unquesiionably triumphed
against the whole power OF hostile
national administration. To that ex-
tent he stands forth tribune Of the
people. The whole force Of the colored
contingent was poweress TO defeat
him. That mercenary army of the
South was olamorous for Arthur,
as II had been for John Sherman.
who manipulated the Treasury of the
! United States, four years ago, in his own
iRterest.
Confronted by the candidacy of
Blaine the Democratic party has no
cause for disquietude, always supposing
that our platform shall be pitched in the
line Of sagaeity, as to the tariff, which
characterized the Ohio plank in the
election which signalized Hoadly's tri-
umph in Ohio, ono year ago. Mr.. Blaine
IL singularly vulnerable, and we prefer to
assail these aspects of his career at a
later date. There is something ungra-
cious in saying the worst things one can
think of political opponent at the very
opening stages of political controversy
Besides, the campaign threatens to be
too long to make political vituperation
interesting il it is begun too early and
continued too long. There is note
in the Garfield campaign which we
feel like needing. With the Multi.
gan letters, and the fainting scene in a
Washington church, fresh in our recol.
lection, we prefer to let Blaine get fairly
afloat as Presidential candidate before
opening our batteries against him.
From all points of view it would be q
mistake to exhaust our ammunition be-
fore his Democratic opponent is fairly in
the field. When the time for trenchant
exchange OF compliments shall come the
HERALD will acquit itself of its best
depoirs. But there is no occasion to
precipitate matters. We will merely
say that the corporations Of the United
States, in their collective and aggressive
power, havo never had man who is
more vulnerable to the assaults of the
people than Blaine. of Maine. He is
doubtless largely influenced, in being q
candidate, by knowledge of the fact
that James A. Garfield was helped rather
than hindered by allegations OF personal
and political corruption which only
failed in1retiring him to private life, as
Schuyler Colfax was retired, by the fact
that Garfield, unlike Schuyler Colfay,
lived in district which was two to one
Republican.