The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-06-16
THE REPUBLICAN LEADERS.
James G. Blaine at His Augusta Home,
and How His Time Is Occupied.
Speech of General Logan to the Illineis Re-
publican seciatiOn-IngersOll Thinks
the Ticket Will Carry New York,
Mr.. Blaine in His Home at Augusta.

Interview with Henry j. Ramsdoll.
SIS Mr. Blaine as conveniently situated in his
old home as at Washington was asked
II think he is replied Mr. Ramsdell. Ger
tanly, so far as facilities for getting through the
work that has been suddenly thrust upon him
are concerned. His house is delightfully."- stu
ated, built for comfort and convenience, and
roomy enough to allow comfortable study and
writing rooms, without encroaching on the other
apartments The building itself appears originally
to have been square, solidly built structure of
two stories. Through it ran the wide hallway
still used, and, both above and below, were large
and airy rooms, which can not yet be improved
upon. Additions have been built to the rear of
the house as the needs of the family made them
necessary, and to-day looks rambling, comfort
able and homelike, instead of handsome archi-
tecturally. Around it is a handsome lawn,
closely cropped and just at present. beautiful
with the green of early summer. Shade trees
are scattered over it. and bushes and flowers
tastefully decorate it here and there. Opposite
is the old State-house, where Mr.. Blaine, before
the war, served in the Legislature, and where he
won his first distinction.
Where does Mr. Blame receive his visitorsP
Sometimes in his library, sometimes in his
reception rooms. He is not so systematic asst
have hours and places that cannot be disturbed
or changed. The reception,room where most
of his visitors shown, is at the right OF
the large hail. Behind it, with windows open
ing on the lawn, is the dining-room On the
other side of the hall the parlors, handsomely
furnished and pleasant, occupy the front of the
house, In the extension back Of them is Mr..
Blaine's library. Nearly straight across from
the library doorway is another library occupied
just as often and having much the same look Of a
general literary workshop. Mr.. Blaine
occupies no one place in his work
At one hour he may be found at
one of his desks; at another he is some
place else; working as vigorously as before. His
reception room is even made to do service in his
habit of working every place, and in the early
morning often it is almost impossible from the
piles of letters and papers spr I'd upon the
door"
'Has his mail shown any wonderful increase
SIT has, indeed. 1t has shown wonderful
increase. Bushels of it are brought up to the
house and fairly dumped upon the floors beside
him, He tries to look at it all, and may succeed
but it is a task for half dozen men,
What is the nature of the correspondence
sit is universal You can't mention any sub
ject in the political decalogue that his CORE
spondents don't touch upon. Congratulations
advice, opinions, predictions, suggestions and
everything else the brain of man can conceive
are contained in those letters. By far the large
majority are congratulations. They come from
every corner of the United States, and are writ
ten by men in all positions OF life All of them
indicate the warm regard in which the people
hold him, and the satisfaction with which the
party looks the work of the convention.
Many OF these letters come from massachusetts.
They assure him of the whole party's loyal sup
port Many business men of Boston pledge him
their efforts to secure his election, and others of
them write, concerning the alleged detection,
that it really amounts to nothing at all.
SIS New York largely represented in the cor
respondencep
Eyes; and to as great an extent, probably, as
any other State The letters from New York are
many of them written by Arthurs friends, and
all of them indorse him as heartily as if their
own first favorite had not been his unsuccessful
competitor"
How does Mr., Blaine spend his day."
lizard at work all the time. He did make it a
rule to take all hours drive or ride some time
during the day. but lately he has not been able
to spare the time. He commences opening his
mail Immediately after breakfast, and reads and
directs answers until o'clock lunch Then he
commences again very much the same way, and
works until evening. In the meantime he re-
eeives visitors, talks with his friends reads and
answers the constant stream of kilograms pour
ing in upon him, and gives as much attention as
possible to the details of business that regularly
come up. He has wonderful executive ability,
and can do great amount of work in very
short time; otherwise, | don't know how he
would make progress at all"
us he doing any active campaign manage
mentl"
"Not now; and as to his intentions in that re-
gard l know nothing. l don't know, either,
whether he will leave Maine or not during the
summer. Before his nomination he had rented
a cottage at Bar Harbor, where he intended to
take his family when warm weather set in. The
family will go there very now and he will
certainly spend considerable time with them"
''Will he meet Senator Logan before the Sen
ator goes home after the adjournment of Con
gressN
81 should think they would have some meet
ing before the campaign commences, but he has
no plans for such conference now. Probably
Senator Logan will go to Augusta as the
session ends"
'And. in the meantime, what is he doing with
his book2"
Nothing at all He has no time to work on
1t, and probably has not seen it since congratu
lations began to pour in on him after the nomi-
nation. He will finish it, however, in time to
meet his contract with the publishers"
"Reminiscences of Blaine's Student Life.
Bloomington (Ill.) Leader,
Hon. Robert E. Williams, prominent lawyer
Sof the State, who years ago was the bosom
friend and college chum of Blaine, remarked
that he was Democrat but his political belief
would not prevent him expressing his intense
admiration for the famous man whose name was
now upon everybodys lips Mr.. Williams said
that Blaine was big-hearted, whoe-souled,
. gOod-natured fellow in his college days. "We
both attended Washington College, in Pennsyl
vania, and were intimate friends. Blaine was
good companion in his school-boy days Strong
in physical strength, fond of outdoor sports,
yet in a certain sense loving secusion and his
books He was a faithful student, and was re-
garded by his college mates as brilliant and
progressive scholar. He was an aggressive fell
bow whenever there was anything to be accom-
plished which he thought would be productive
of good results. From his earliest college days
he seemed to have but one ambition, and that
was to make his mark as journalist He was an
!. industrious writer, and wrote perhaps during his
college course greater number and greater va
riety of essays and other articles than any mem
Der of his class. He used to remark that a
school-te teacher or an editor could accomplish
more good in the world than any one else, and
he thought, after leaving college, he would surely
enter the journalistic walks of life / left Wash
ington College in 1915, and one day, think it
was in 184S, while walking in the streets of Lex
inpton XIV ran across lin blaine Hn ,rns