San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-05-07
NOT ACCORDING TO HoYLE.

sition assumed by the LIGHT 10 the mat
ter Of Mr.. Blsine's candidacy, says:
The SAN ANTONIO LIGHT, which is al
ways loyal to the Maine statesman, in
sists that Mr.. Blaine never plays fast and
loose with his party and that he will not
be candidate for president secretly
while he declines the honor openly.
Perhaps the LIGHT is correct, but 1t Will
be misfortune for Mr.. Blaine II he
persists In being on the ocean, beyond
reach of letter or telegram, when the ma
tional convention meets In Chicago. es-
pecially II he is the unanimous choice
Of his party and their preference Is so
expressed. II he is honest in declining
the nomination he ought TO be where he
can persistently refuse II an attempt 10
made to thrust Ii on him."
There are several things In this COM
ment of the Day which the LIGHT does
not accept, and certainly they do not
seem to be set forth with that fairmind-
edness and sense Of exact justice which
90 generally chsraoterizes the Day. The
LIGHT accepts the compliment paid 1t
upon its loyalty to James g. Blaine as
genuine and also as deserved. This
loyalty 1t is which has declared that
James G.. Blaine does not play fast
and loose with his party, nor does he.
This very fact, with many Others, all
making up the grand wholes OF this
great mans republicanism, have con-
spired to produce a very profound con-
viction in the mind OF the LIGHT that
James G. Blaine says just what be means
and means just what he says. Because
OF the ingram nObleness and great
heartedness Of the man, because OF his
intense Ameriosnism. and all the rest,
the LIGHT regards him as the foremost
citizen Of his day. The LIGHT would
forego years profits to see him elected
president of the United States, but the
LIGHT does not believe that when Mr..
Blaine declined to become the candi-
date OF his party he did so evasively or
with any mental reservation. The de-
clination was manly and honest and
open and sincere.
While saying all this and believing
all this the LIGHT does not con
slider this position at all inconsistent
with Mr.. Blaine's reconsideration
of his determination. Nor with his
acceptance of the nomination If rendered
him under circumstances Of such q ma
ture that he would do his country de-
spite by refusing.
Mr.. Blaine declined to be a candidate.
to be considered candidate, to come
into discussion as a candidate. because
he had been so prominently before the
party for years that he deemed his can
didacy was not wisess for the party and
was in the way of other republican as
pirants. This was Mr.. Blaine's private
opinion honestly conceived, honestly
expressed. He knew the antagonisms
that had prevented his election In 1884,
and he did not wish to be an incubus
upon party progress. He regarded his
party as greater than himself and sub
ordinated himself to what he believed
to be his party's interests. In this belief
his Florence letter was written. Since
that writing nearly every republican
state has held Its convention, and all
have expressed unstinted admiration for
the man and regret that he is no longer
in the field as a candidate. In spite Of
his letter, the masses of the party will
hear of no one else, and will not
consent to consider the chances Of any
other candidate. The republican con-
vention in this state is proof of this
Earnest efforts had been made to create
a Sherman boom but it could not be
done. Blaine was the only man whom
the convention wanted. or this there is
no question, though no Instructions
were given for him. This feeling Is al
most universal throughout the party.
In other words, the republican party
does not appear to agree with Mr..
Blaine in his deolination of presiden-
tial nomination. The question becomes
one of duty to his party. Shall he, who
has always been ready to accept party
before person, and to count the will Of
the party in all things superior to his
own, shall he now refuse to do 30 be-
cause that party will meditates an ex-
allied honor to himself? This is the case
fairly presented, and the LIGHT cannot
see one valid reason why the man who
refused to become a presidential csndi-
date, because he deemed 1t to his party's
Interest that he should so decline, should