The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-02-14
MIR. BLAINE DECLINES.

MIR. BLAINE DECLINES.
Hon. James @. Blaine OF Maine, who
acquired a kind OF national reputation
from having been defeated for the presi-
dency by Hon. Grover Cleveland in 1884,
has written letter to Mr. b. +. Jones,
chairman OF the Republican National
Committee, declining to permit the use
OF his name as a presidential candidate
this year. The letter is dated Florence,
Italy, January 2jth, 1888, and says;
IL wish through you to state to the
members of the Republican party that
my name will not be presented to the
National Convention called to assemble
in Chicago in June next, for the nomina-
ton of candidates for President and
Vice President Of the United States. ]
am constrained to the decision by con-
sderations entirely personal to myself, of
which you were advised more than year
ago"
The announcement of this decision of
Mr.. Blaine will, no doubt, occasion con-
siderable surprise. II was generally be-
lieved that the present tour of Europe Of
the statesman from Maine was under
taken for the express purpose 81 training
himself for the Presidential contest to
come of in November. This superstition,
too, was given decided color by the
unanimity which the ex-senator has dis
played in keeping himself, at all times,
before the public. His every movement
has been carefully reported by his politi-
cal friends and party journals his evi'
dent desire 10 acquire popularity with the
Irish. American vote, by visiting Ireland
with the avowed intention of familiarizing
himself with the evictions and oppres-
sions of that country, so that he could,
on his return, express his horror OF them
from personal experience, and the haste
he made to reiterate his old, worn, and
oft repeated fallacies about protection III
his attempted reply to President Cleve-
lands mastery message to Congress adj
yocating tariff reform, all united to
create the impression that while he might
have been on pleasure bent, he still
had keen perception of the importance
of casting an anchor TO windward.
When these facts are carefully con
sidered, the suggestion very forcibly pre-
sents itself that, after all, Mr. Blaine IS
not in earnest in his apparent reluctance
to be presidential candidate this year.
1t is an old trick of crafty politicians to
pretend that they are indifferent about
political preferment in the hope that such
very Indifference may lead 10 their being
taken up. as it were, spontaneously, so
that they may appear To be indispensable
to party success In other words ii Is no
very uncommon thing TO see political
aspirants osiensbly withdraw in the
hope that they may be able to claim that
their final acceptance was due entirely TO
the exigences of the case, which made
ultimate reconsideration of their purpose
imperative.
II there is any man in the country
thoroughly familiar with ways that are
dark and tricks that are vain in political
craft, that man is James g. Blaine. His
alleged withdrawal from the presidential
race must therefore be swallowed with a
liberal allowance of salt AT any rate it
would be very safe wager to lay that If
the nomination is rendered him by the
Radical National Convention, he will not
be too modest or permit any reason per-
sonal to himself to prevent his accept
ance.