The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1886-03-04
BLAINE on TILDEN.


Mr.. Blaine is perhaps one of the keen
est and shrewdest observers of men and
affairs, who has ever undertaken to write
upon the prominent men and events of the
country. The southern people have a very
false estimate of Blaine. He is so thor
ough partizan, that his vigorous Ian
guage and denunciatiOn of everything
and everybody in the south has made a
common impression that, if he had the
power, he would tear the south limb from
limb. His expressions in congress and
elsewhere would warrant this estimate of
his character. If any man may be con
sdered the Nemesis of the south. ready at
any time to visit it with cOnhagra-
ton and desolatiOn, that man
is James G, Blaine, and yet it
is a singular fact that while Blaine plays
this political role, all his preferences of
association and all his admiration of
personal character go out in the strongest
attinities and the greatest Partially to
the peculiar characteristics of the south
ern gentleman.
Blaine would rise in his seat in congress
and denOunce with the most whitening sar-
casm and severest philippics every
thing that had the slightest mark of
southern civilization, and every politician
representing any and all districts
in the southern states, and
one listening to his political
harangues would suppose that he never
would deign to speak to man living
south of Mason and Dixon's line, but
strange as it may appear, as soon as the
house adjourned, these southern men were
the very men whom he delighted to have
as guests at his table.
Blaine is professional politician, and
all his public expressions may be regarded
as emanating from that stand point. He
has no other motive in public but to make
party capital and he may be said to be
INSCRIPTIONS in accomplishing his
ends in that respect, but,
withai, he has the best interests
about him. He has sense and taste
enough to prefer the association of south
ern gentlemen, and he must, from this
fact, admire southern civilization. He
would perhaps permit his tongue to be
pulled out by the roots, rather than to
express this preference publicly; there
FORE every expression of this subtle poll
tician must be taken with the allowance
made to his political object. The follow
ing is his opinion of Mr.. Tilden.
MIR. Tilden has been the subject of
vehement and contradictory judgments.
His friends have well nigh cannonized
him as representing the highest type of
public virtue; his foes have painted him
as an adept in craft and intrigue. His
partisans have held him up as the evangel !
of new and purer dispensation; his OPP
pOnents declare that his ability is marred |
by selfshness and characterized by
cunning. His followers have ex-
allied him as the ablest and
most high-minded statesmen of the |
times; his critics have described him as a
most artful, astute and INSCRIPTIONS poll |
tician. The truth doubtless lies between
the two extremes. Adroit, ingenious and
wary; skillful to plan and strong to ex-
ecute; cautious IN judgment and vigorous
i'll action; taciturn and mysterious as a
rule, and yet singularly open and frank
on occasions; resting on the old tradi- |
tions, yet leading in new pathways; sur
prising in the force of his blows, and yet |
leaving a sense of reserved power, Mr..
lilden unquestionably ranks among the
greatest masters of political management
that our day has seen. Certain it is that
his extraordinary success and his excep-
tional position had inspired the demo
cratic party with the conviction that he
was the one man to command victory,
and he moved forward to the presidential
with confidence which dis
cOuraged his opponents and inspired his
with a sense of irresistible
strength"