Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-08-21
Blaine in His Own State.

Blaine in His Own State.
Ills stated that General Joshua L.
Chamberlain, President of Bowdoin Col
lege, will not vote for MIR. Blaine. This
Lis mura more significant than the fact
Ethat Mr. Andrew ID. White Preeident..
of Cornell University. wiz vote for the
candidate No man knows air. Blaine
and his WAYS better than General Cham
berlain. Chamberlain was one of the
|llbsavest of soldiers in me &EAr. while
Blainewas enriehing hi&asalf ntilnnueh
|Goyernment contracts onnned q ma
namess of othersb BY tha far0r e <sams
eron and Tom Scott. Chamberlafn was
at the front. where he received wounds
which imperil his life to this day. He
was 8 man of first-class ability, the
best education, and of q patriotism and
integritvssthat no one ever questioned.
After the war; he had q natural saznbi-
ton to 90 into public life. and he is
kperhaps the only man IN Maine upon
whom Blaine looked rs a dangerous
rival He had the confidence and ad-i
miration of the people. and would have
had their support but for the power of
Blaine over the political machine. He
was permitted to become Governor IL
the State, as Blaine > personal activity
and aspirations were in the National
field, but every avenue to preferment
in National politics was sclosed to him.
MIR. Blaine for years controlled the
Federal patronagee Of heState, and d.
rected the action of the Republican or
ganization at the same time. He used
his power relentlessly to reward his
friends andspromofe his own plans, and
to crush into submission any one who
opposed him. He was always free with
promises, hundreds of which were new
er fulfilled, and in scores of instances
he promised the same Office to- more
than one man. His duplicity. IN politics
and in financial affairs made him many
enemies. but he contrived to maintain
his hold When he got his friends
j and neighbors" to invest $3.50, 600 in
the securities of the Fort Smith &
Little Rock Railroad he told them that
he had pnt in his own money, and that
they were getting them on the same
. terms as himself. AS was afterWard
proved he had not put adohar into
them, but received 81 COO of land
grant bonds and $50, 500 Of first mort
gage bonds for placing them" forWar-
rem Fisher. The worst of it was that
in case of other purchasers. the land
grant bonds went with the other securi
ties as part consideration for the money
invested When the failure of the en-
terprise came Blaine was smart enough
to avert the indignation of Maine people
by taking back the securities and re-
storing their money, getting Tom Scott
to take the bonds off his hands, It is
charged. at the expense Of the Union Pa
cific Railroad Company.
Blaine's true character became pretty
well known to the people of Maine, but
he was strong, politically. at Washing
ton, and had such q hold upon the party
in the State that there was little chance
of success for revolt against him. An
attempt was made at an independent
movement, and General Chamberlain
was the leading adviser in regard to it,
He sympathized with the object, but did
not see the way clear to success. The
disaffection was, nevertheless. so strong
that thousands upon thousands of Re-
publicans went off into the Greenback
diversion. without having any interest
in its ostensible object. They tried to
have Chamberlain lead that movement,
but he declined. Their object was in
direct revolt gai1st Blaine. The result
was that the Greenback vote went up to
1900 in 1878 and 800 in 1879; the
Republicans We're in the minority, and
the Governor was elected by the Legis-
lature. Out of this came the fusion of
Democrats and Greenbackers by which
the Republican party was.defeated at
the State election of 1880, when it was
led by Blaine in person.
AL this Greenback and fusion COM
motion in Maine was in reality revolt
sagainst Blaine His character was
known in bis own State then. and itis
equally well known now, but State pride
is enlisted in his tehalf.t For the first
time the people of the Pine Tree State
think they have a chance for the dis
tinction of furnishing an occupant of
the Presidential chair. 1t may never
come again.. Most of those who are
Republicans are ready to forget their
animosity of the past and shut their
eyes to the known character and the
uncomfortable record of the candidate
and support him because he is Maine
man. But General Chamberlain has a
conscience too pure and exacting to
make it possible for him to share in
this enthusiasm. He knows Blaine too
well, and abhors the qualities that make
up his public character too earnestly, to
shut his eyes. to the past and smother
his convictions on account of State
pride. He would yield to importantly
sufficiently to invite the candidate to
the Bowdoin Collegs Commencement
and make no demonstration OF. hostility
against him. but hisAvote is his own.
Perhaps. there are other honest, think
inc, Republicans in Maine who, with
out incurring the discomfort of trying
to resist the tide of local feeling, sym
pathize with the sol6ier-scholaro OF Bow
doin College and viii not vote for
man they know to be!unworthy of con-
fience.-N Y. Times Rep.)