Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-02-15
BLAINE'S LETTER.
still Fruitful Topic Of Discussion.
Hills Thinks Blaine WishdraWs Be-
cause He Sees Certain Defeat.
The Republicans CANNOT Put Up a Man
Strong Enough TO Defeat Cleveland
with the rarih as tbs Issue,
WHAT CONGRESSMAN MILLS SAYS.
Special to the Gazette

special 70 the Gazette.
WASHINGTON, Feb. IA -Blaine's lettel
is still discussed freely here, and the sen
sation created by Its appearance has no
subsidized in the least. It will be fruit
tul topic of discussion for months. o.
the letter Mr.. Mills said to-day: Mr.
Blaine has evidently come to the con
ciusion that 1t is impossible for hin
1 to unite the factions In hit
party, the stalwarts on the one side ant
the mugwumps on the other under nc
circumstances will support him, and he
knows it. Therefore he takes this time
to step down and out. think he Is sin
Gre in his decliration. he will probe
ply not make any attempt to name the
candidate, as fgure-head with Mr..
Blaine behind as q motive power would
encounter the same opposition that Mr..
Blaine would himself. Mr.. Sherman is
candidate, but 1 think dark horse
will get the nomination. One thing
am certain of, however, is that
| they cannot put up q man strong enough
to defeat Mr.. Cleveland, VINO will un-
doubtedly be the Democratic nominee.
Mr.. Cleveland Is already tens Of thou
sands Of votes stronger than his party,
and growing stronger every day. He has
made the issue Of the campaign on the
tarih ard there it will stay. R5v. Henry
Ward Beecher used to say thousands OF
men are waiting for the Democratic party
20 make plSln issue sgainss protection,
and then they Will bo found in its ranks.
Mr. Grain thinks 1t will be 8 very easy
matter now for Mr.. Cleveland to be re-
nominated. He regarded Blaine as his
most formidable candidate left to the Re.
pub.icans. All the other Presidential
timber would be soon cut away.
wish to decline or refuse nomination he
would have signed his name at the end Of
the first paragraph. @
many INTERVIEWS.
ST. L. us, Mo, Feb. 1.-THE Globe
Democrat this morning publishes nearly
three pages Of interview with prominent
men in all sections OF the country and
particularly In the southwest and west,
relS7ive to the Blaine letter. The belief
is generally expressed that Mr.. Blaine is
sincere in his Withdrawal and that his
"No" is hu6l. Many persons express re-
greet at this step and still believe him the
strongest man in the Republican party,
maintaining that he WAS SO far ahead in
the race for nomiI alton that there was
really no second choice. There is large
following who say that heretofore there
was a tendency for unanimous nomina-
ton. This letter has made such step q
probability, and IN such an event Mr..
Blaine could not refuse the first place.
Others view the matter as final and con-
slider 1t msgnanimous on the part of the
great sta esmsn, the letter having the eff
feet to bring the party together and put 1t
in the best fighting trim. While dissp-
pointing to some it WAS as gratifying to
many. Messrs. Sheridan, Hawley, ALI
SOD, Gresham and Lincoln are receiving
the benefit o. the first boom.
CONSIDERS IT A FINALITY.
PHILABgLPHIA, Pa, Feb. 14-Tha
Record publishes the following: Charles
II Smith, editor in chief of the Press,
VINO is universally recognized as Mr..
Biaine's closet and most con6dentiai po-
liticsl friend in this state, talked without
reserve last night upon the question OF
Mr. Biaine's letter. During the absence
OF Mr.. Blaine from this country he has
been in constant correspondence with Mr..
Smith, and there are few men in the
United States better able to measure the
full Significance of Mr.. Blaine's remsrka-
bic letter than the editor OF the Press.
"At the outset" said Mr.. Smith, "I may
So well ssy that 1 regard the letter as
dnality. Mr.. Blaine, lin my opinion, has
purposely and absolutely taken himself
out of the contest for the Republican
presidential nomination, and his purpose
will not be shaken BY any circumstances
that could possibly be foreseen. The let
ter, in my opinion, mesns just what it
says, and there is no reason for the in
situation CT hope that there may be q
hidden meaning between the lines. Mr..
Blaine is no longer 8 factor In the race
for the presidential nomination"
At this point Mr. Smith was interrupted
by the itquiry, "Do you mean to say
there are no conservative circumstances
under which Blaine would consent to be
a candidate for the Presidency"
"No," replied the editor. "My opinion
is that 70 man ever will refuse to accept
. nomination for the Presidency which ia
spontaneously, unanimously offered to
him. Viewed merely as 3 hYpotheticSl
case, think If such an unlikely thing
could happen, under the circumstances,
IS the convention, flnoing all ether can
didates out Of the question, shou uusni-
mously tender the nomlnatlOn, Blaine
could not refuse. But l am fully con-
WINGED that no such remote possibility
suggests itself to Blaine, and the best
evidence that he is entirely sincere Is that
his best friends In this country who have
a right to feel that they know something
Of him, are convinced that it is useless to
consider him as at all 10 the field, and
they are at liberty and will exercise that
liberty of shaping their course without
regard to such thought as that Blaine
Is IN Sny measure whatsoever candidate,
or thst he hopes expects or desires to be
q candicste for the Presidency"
THE KBNNEBEc JOURNAL.
AUGUSTA, ME-, Feb. 1S-In an editori-
81 upon MI Bisine's letter the Kenueoec
Journal to morrow will say: We know
not all the reasons which have caused
Blaine to send his declination to the rs
tional committee and are althoriz d In no
sense to speak for him or to interpret his
course of seton. We know well that he
has strong personal reasons for not wish
ing to accept the Republican candidacy
and for avoiding the greatresronsibilitie
which the presidency would impose on
him, but the needs Of the country and ihe
demands Of the great national party with
which his name and fame are so
clearly identified should and