The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-02-28
BLAINE MEANT IT.
He Told a Correspondent He
Was Not a Candidate.
From the Y. Z unrald.

| FROM tuc y. !. Herald.
| James G.. Blaine, with his wife and two
/ daughters, arrived in Southampton, England
| from New York. by the North German steamer
! Ems. juno rs, 1887.
june is Mr. Blaine returned from a drive
| about 2 O'Clock in the afternoon He had
called to sec Minister Phelps about getting
some seats in Westminster on the day Of the
jubilee, Gnd had found him ont.
Il am more anxious to get into Wcstnins-
ter" said Mr. Blaine to the Herald correspon-
| dent, than would be if / were an English
man. This great hustle to lay ones bones
away among a lot OF old kings and princes is
very well for men who seek distinction after
death, but prefer to ret what fame have
while living. a man enjoys it better"
But il the United States had place
similar To Westminster abbey you would have
place there, Mr.. Blaine" said the Herald
man.
"Iiy virtue Of what?"
HE DECLINED YEAR AHEAD.
"Why, as a candidate for president in 1884,
| and no doubt a candidate again in 1873"
''No, think not at least not in 1898" said
Mr. Blaine, smiling and shaking his head
people will smile when | say am not
| candidate for the nomination; but am not
and / came away on purpose to get out Of poll
tics. | think ] ought TO know my mind, and !
assure You ] am not in the field, and do not
want to enter il again. Ny wife il sadly op-
posed to it. The last campaign nearly broke
| her heart. Then am not so crazy about the
place as many think, and / also know how
tnick inc obstacles are IN my way.
81 see no obstacles except MIR. Cleveland"
said the Herald man ''What are they"
cone chief obstacle is that ! have been
prominent figure in politics too long. II you
VIII recall the mon who have been elected
presidents OF the United States You will see
they have all gone IN with bound"
'( think / do not understand you, Mr..
Blaine"
MIR. BLAINE CITED LTNcoLN's LUCK.
| "Wel! take the campaign of 1880 rs an ex-
lot q nj
! States Thought Of Lincoln q possible candi-
date for the republicans. Seward went into
| that convention with the nomination III his
| pocket. He was scholar, an orator and q
! statesman. If he had been asked 20 have his
| nomination assured he would not have given a
do for the pledge, he felt so certain. Yet,
if be had been nominated the republicans
would not have carried nearly so many states
as they did with LINCOLN. who was uncultured
and unknown to politics and almost unknown
to the country"
"Iiow do you account Tor this, Mr. Blaine?"
"Iet me illustrate little further and III
| tell you. In 1876 tho republicans passed over
| Bristow, Edmunds and several other leading
| men, TO say nothing of myself, and took Cen
! eraI Hayes. Again in 1880, when nearly all
! the politicians felt sure it would be either
! Grant or Blaine, il was General Garfield who
! took the convention b. storm and swept the
| country"
"Yo1 think the man to win must be dark
| horse, thenY'
Not necessarily: but he must not be too
! much Of white horse. What he has done
must he recent and his popularity must spring
! from luck rather than merit. | tell you the
| American voter believes in luck. 1t was Mr..
| Clcveland's sndden promotion from good
! mayor of Buffalo to governor of New York
that made him president. II was Iilden's
| record as a willy politician. with many speeches
| and documents over his signature, that de-
feated him in 1876. | am not believer in
| luck but the people are. and candidate must
..f.7 fi,f,tv
| man who was never whipped,' elected him
over the combined opposition of such tried re
publican leaders as Greeley, Sumner and
| Schurz."
''Iias IL been this element of luck which has
elected all the presidcnts?"
mo perhaps not, surely not in the carly
days. But ii is fact that for tie past seventy
five years no man has been elected president
| who has been a party leader for any time.
| Webster, Clay and Benton. three of the great
| est and most ambitious men this country ever
had, were ignored by the people, and such men
| as Polk and Pierce and Taylor and Harrison,
who were far inferior to them i'll everything,
| slipped in easily"
'bo you want to be president Mr. Blaine ?'
asked the Herald correspondent, mastering up
courage.
yes, do. 1t is a national ambition OF
| which no man should be ashamed. | want to
be president, but not SO badly Us did twelve
| years ago, and not moro 50 than ten thousand
other citizens of the United States do
(which means you will not make a great
| fight for the place."
EXACTLY so. II had an uncomfortable
| longing for the place | should never have gone
abroad. General Grants trip around the world
spoiled his nomination IN 1850. The man who
hohnobs with princes and receives presents
from kings is not looked upon with favor by
| our people. They have an instructive dislike
TO old word ideas, and condemn the man who
becomes social lion abroad, though lie may
be IN no way to blame. Every time / sec the
IL y.
Us candidate. Ii / were candidate deter
mined TO win should not have crossed the
ocean and exposed myself to this kind of critl-
cism."
But. Mr.. Blaine, you do not think the reo-
pie will think less OF you because the prince of
Wales treat You courteolSly. do YOU
"Most decidedly do. Our people are kings
and king makers by their own right. When
they find man who receives royal Gavors
abroad they do not like il and resolve to teach
him better manners than accept them"
Am I to understand that You are not a can
dldate, then""
Eyes, in the sense the word usually conveys.
l shall not take any stops to secure n nomiua-
ton By my party. l say This IN good faith aud
mean it,"
"But ii You are nominoted9"
Il cannot talk about that now. ] must know
the platform and the caus nj issue before
cam say, If the party comes ont in favor Of
protection 10 American industry as against
free trade; II il declares in favor Of intelligent
labor against cheap, imported slave work,
may accept"
"Why do son say may accopto"
For the reason that there may be complica
tioas come up which viii forbid my participa
ton"
"Of what kind?"
"Somo OF my many friends-Mr. Depcw, oil
Senator sherman or Senator Allison may
want the place, in which case | cannot oppos,
them. For luo TO undertake Che pcri.s and In
bors OF aaotGCr campaign my nominal o.
must be practically unanimous. In otAo'
words, the party must be u unit. ~
Can amy otherma command SO many vote
rs yeu?'
IVES. yes, yes: a dozen. . score. 1t IS IN,
burning idea. the principle, and not the ma,
that WINS. II tho republican party adopts
good, square issue. ana uni,eS ON it. the man
is of secondary importance"
U.s."
Most cogtniuly shall, and give him my
Nmc and all tho influence / can command"
Mr.. Blaine then rcaI ever tac list ui aN8ila
he candidates from EdWuJ0s t0 stamford
and spoke az thom all very hiud'y, commend
ffr.atr. ID f.fs- q f.,