Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-02-16
The Plumed Knight Announces That
He Can Not Accept the Nom
ination.
Mr.. b. +. Jones, Chairman of the Ma
tiOnal Republican Committee,
Makes the Letter Public.
Mr. Blaine's Letter.


tional republican committee, has received
letter from Mr.. Blaine declining to allow
his name 10 Represented to the national
republican convention as a candidate for
the presidency.
Mr.. Jones, when asked whether Mr.
Blaines declination would prevent his
friends from nominating HIM anyhow,
said: Gas l am chairman of the national
committee, do not think it would be
proper for me to have anything to say on
the subject"
"Do you think Mr.. Blaine would accept
the nomination, If tenderedY'
II have no authority to speak for Mr..
Blaine, and have no conf lectures to offer
on the subject. The letter speaks for
itself, and | must decline to be interview
ed on the question:
Following is Mr.. Blaine's letter in full:
FLORENCE, Italy, Jan. 25.-B. f. Jones,
Esq, chairman of the Republican Ma
tional Commistee.-Si | wish through
y.u to state to the members OF the repub-
lican party that my name will not be pre-
ST nted to the national convention called
to assemble in Chicago in June next for
the nomination of candidates for presl-
dent and vice president of the United
States.
| am constrained to this decision by
considerations entirely personal to my
self, of which you were advised more than
a year ago. But | cannot make the an
nounceme nt without giving expression to
my deep sense of gratitude to the many
thousands of my countrymen who have
sustained me so long and cordially that
their feeling has seemed to 60 beyond
the ordinary political adherence of fellow
partisans and to partake somewhat OF
the nature of personal attachment. For
this most generous loyalty of friendship,
| can make no adequate return, but l
shall carry the memory of 1t while life
lasts.
Nor can l refrain from congratulating
the republican party upon the cheering
prospects which distinguish the opening
of the national contest of 1883 as com
pared with that of 1884. Ia 1882 the re-
publican party throughout the Union
met with q disastrous defeat. Ten states
that supported Garfield and Arthur in the
election of 1880 were carried by the dem
ocrats either by majorities or pluralltles.
The republican loss in the northern cleo
tions compared with the preceding ma
tional election exceeded half g million
votes, and the electoral votes of the I'm
ion, divided Oh the basis of the result OF
1882, gave TO the democrats over three
hundred electors out of total of four
hundred and one. There was partial
reaction in favor of the republicans in
the elections of 1883, but the democrats
still held possession of seven northern
states, and on the basis of the years con
test could show more than 100 ma GRITTY
in the electoral colleges of the whole
country.
But against the discourage natur-
ally following the adverse elections of
these two years the spirit of the Republi-
can party in the National contest of 1884
rose high, and the Republican masses
entered into the campaign with such
energy that the final result depended on
the vote of a single State, and that State
was carried by the Democratic party by
plurality so small that it represented
less than one-eleventh of per cent. of the
entire vote. The change of q single vote
in every(2, 000) two thousand of the total
poll would have given the State to the
Republicans, though only two years be-
fore the Democratic plurality exceeded
| 192000) one hundred and ninety two
thousand.
The elections of 1886 and 1887 have de-
monstrated growing strength in the re-
publican ranks. Seldom in our political
history has a party, defeated in a nation
al election, rallied Immediately with such
vigor, as have the Republicans since 1854.
No comparison is possible between the
spirit OF the party in 1923 and its spirit
IN 1867. The two periods present
simply contrast-the one OF general de-
preston, the other of enthusiastic re-
vival. Should the party gain, in the re-
suits of 1888 over those of 1867, In any
thing like the proportion of the gain of
1884 over 1928, it would secure one of
the most remarkable victories of its en-
tire existence. But victory does not de-
pend on so large a ratio OF increase; the
party has only to maintain relatively its
prestige of 1867 to give to its national
candidate every northern state but one,
with a far setter prospect of carrying
that one than.it has had for six years.
Another feature of the political situa-
tion should inspire republicans with ir-
resistible strength. The present nation
al administration was elected with, if not
upon, the repeated assertions of it's lead
ing supporters in every protection state
that no issue on the tariff was involved.
However earnestly republicans urged that
question as the one of prevailing import
ance in the campaign, thsy were met by
the democratic leaders and journals with
persistent evasion, concealmsnt ano de-
NAL. That resource the president has
fortunately removed. The issue which
the republicans maintained and the dem
ocrats avoided in 1854 has prominently
and specifically brought forward by the
democratic president and cannot be hid
den out of sight in 1sSs, The country Is
now in the enjoyment of an industrial
/ system which in a quarter Of a century
has assured a larger national growth, a
more rapid accumulation and a broader
distribution of wealth than were ever be-
/ fore known TO history, The American
/ people will now be openly esd formally
asked to decide whether this system shall
4 be recklessly abandoned, and \ new trial
/ be made Of an old experiment which has
uniformly led 20 national embarrassment
and wide spread individual distress. On