The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1888-02-17
Blaine Declines.

Hon. Jas. G. Blaine has written q
letter to B. F. Jones, chairman Of the
Republican National Committee, in
which he states that his name will
not be presented to the national
convention which will assemble at
Chicago in June to nominate candi-
dates for president and vice presi-
dent,
The letter makes a hasty review of
the Republican party since 1882,
and closes with the following para
graph and the assurance of the writ
er's constant devotion to the repub.
lican party in the capacity of pri-
-vate citizen as q pnblic servant.
lone thing only is necessary to
assure complete success--complete
harmony and cordial cooperation ON
the part of all republication the
part of both those who aspire to lead
and those who are eager to follow.
The duty is not one merely of honor
able devotion to the party whose rec.
ord and whose aims are alike great
but it is one demanded by the instiRct
of self interest and by the still high
er promptings of patriotism. A clos
er observation of the conditions of
life among the older nations give one
a more intense desire that the Amer
lean people shall make no mistake in
choosing the policy which inspires
labor with hope and crowns 1t with
dignity. which gives safety to cap
ital and protects its increase, which
secures political power to every citi-
Zen, comfort and culture to every
home"
In word Mr.. Blaine will avoid
all possibility of becoming disturb.
ing element in his party by allowing
his name to stand as candidate for
the presidency; but his name being
withdrawn from the preliminary con
test, if perfect harmony shall be Sc
cured, and a unanimous vote of the
convention call him again to be its
standard bearer he would accept the
nomination. Even slight diversion
he readily perceives would be fatal
to success. In referring to the con-
dition of foreign nations in the above
quoted paragraph the words shat
the American people shall make no
mistake in choosing the policy
which inspires la6or scsth hope and
crowns it with dignity, which gives
safety to capital and protects its in
crease" will cause many to pause
and reflect if present conditions are
calculated to ..inspire labor with hope
and crown it with dignity" The
agricultural voice throughout the
country gives decided negative
There is one more paragraph in
the letter a portion of which we
quote.
"The country is now in the enjoy
ment of an industrial System which
in quarter of century has assur-
ed a larger national growth, more
rapid accumulation aad broader dis
tribution Of wealth than we're ever
before known to history"
"A broader distribution of W. alth."
The most ordinary studena of his
tory of the last quarter of a century
will admit that facts are dead sgainst
this much of the statement. The
large "national growth and more
rapid accumulation of wealth" will
not be questioned, but the giant cor.
porations have nearly all that wealth
over and above an economical living
for the millions who created it. New.
er in any age of the world has a few
men accumulated such countless
sums of m ney as few hundreds
only, have been, to grasp and hold
as their own, in the United States in
the last quarter of q century; and
the favorltism shown Dy the iaxity
of cur government which permitted
this legal robbery (and sill permits
it) of industry does not satisfy the
masses The distribution of that
wealth has not, by any means, been
sbroad" in pror ortion to its fabulous
amount.
If Mr.. Blaine is the great common.
err, the champion of the people, as is
claim d, let him make the fact plain
that they will all know it without a
doubt, and his nomination
not only. but his election would be
an ovation.
(which gives safety to capital and
protects its increase. are significant
words. What capital is here meant?
Is it the protection of such increase
of capital as the trusts represent
which are now organizing to take
the bread cut Of the mouths of Ia
Dor? the transportation companies
the standard oil, the Goa
the sugar and score more'of similar
plundering monepolies? Is this the
capital whose increase is to be pro-
tected by continuation of the
methods that have been employed to
rob honest industry. to bankrupt
and destroy the property of millions