St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-08-12
THE REPUBLICAN JUMBO.

Now that Mr.. BLAINE has returned
home and the hurrah is all over, the
managers of his party are seriously per-
picked to know what to do with him.
The original plan was to bring MIR.
BLAINE back for the purpose of inject
Ing enthusiasm into the campaign. 1t
was expected that his arrival would be
the occasion of spontaneous demon
stration which would fire the Republi-
can heart from one end of the land to
the other, and that the inspiration thus
klndied would burn with increasing
heat until the end of the campaign. But
things do not look that way now. The
spontaneous demonstration did not ma
terialiZe. What there was in the way
or reception ceremonies had the ap-
pearance of a mechanical opera
ton. The demonstration had to
be manufactured, and the whole
outlay was cut-and-dried affair, gotten
up expressly for the occasion under the
auspices of the Republican national
committee. At this day, when every
thing bearing the appearance of ma
chine politics is held in utter abhor-
renee by the mass of the people. the
BLAINE reception could not be other
wise than dismal failure.
The delay of the ship on which Mr..
BLAINE was passenger gave the party
managers an opportunity to think over
the situation. During the two days
while they sat on the dock looking out
over the blue waters for the coming of
"a 9 oh Ill A.
hope of Republican success, the party
managers communed together and can
vasSed the outlook. 1t occurred to
them, as it probably had not oc-
CURED before, that a mistake had
been made in bringing Mr.. BLAINE
back at this juncture. 1t was evident
from the scenes around them that his
presence was not going to arouse the
enthusiasm that had been anticipated.
1t had dawned upon their minds, as it
had never dawned before, that the
American people are taking practical
view of politics this year, and are look
ing more to the principles involved in
the campaign than to the men who are
proclaiming them. The party leaders
seemed to have overlooked the fact that
individuals cut small figure where
great principles are at issue.
Then, again, while waiting for Mr.
BLAINE'S arrival the leaders had time
to let their minds dwell on the fact that
the very moment Mr.. BLAINE entered
the canvass he would be compelled to
place himself in antagonism to large
element i'll his party. Being the lead
ing exponent of the simon-pure pro-
tective idea, Mr.. BLAINE'S active par
ticipatiOn in the canvass will naturally
be construed into giving emphasis to
the Republican advocacy of that doc
trine. This will be embarrassing to the
Republicans in the Western states, who
are clamoring for tariff reduction. 1t will
be still more embarrassing to the Repub-
lican senators who are now engaged in
preparing a measure to be offered as a
substitute for the MILLS bill, and which
is to embody the principles of the st.
Louis platform. Mr.. BLAINE himself is
doubtless embarrassed by the condition
in which he finds party affairs on his re-
turn. Taking it for granted that the
unanimous action of the Chicago conven-
ton in adopting the platform eliminated
all differences in the party on the tariff
question, he came home loaded with ultra
protection arguments. What must be
his dismay, then, to find large and influ-
entail wing ofthe party engaged seriously
in the work of mapping out legislation to
negative the declarations of the party
platform on the one issue of the cam
paign.
It's truly queer state of affairs that
the Republican leaders find confronting
| them at this moment. And of all per
picking questions which weigh heavily
on the minds of the Republican mana
gers, there is none more perplexing than
to know what to do with the white ele-
plant from Maine.