Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-02-13
Oh, WHAT 4 BOMB-SHELL 1T is.
In the Republican Club Ranks Gentle
men, There Is No Use Going Any Fur
ther in the Blaine Organization Direc
GOu---YOur God Has Deserted You
Shut Up Shop and Re-
hra Gentlemen

PITTSBURG, February u. The PlttS-
burg Commercial Gazette will publish the
following:
Mr.. 3. r. Jones, chairman OF the Ma
tional Republican Committee, has received
a letter from Mr.. Blaine declining to al
low his name to be presented to the Ma
tional Republican Convention as candi-
date for the Presidential nomination.
Mr.. Jones, when asked whether Mr..
Blaines nomination would prevent his
friends from nominating him anyway,
said: LAS am chairman of the Nat opal
Committee, do not think it would he
proper for me to have anything to say Cn
that subject"
"Do you think Me-. Blaine would ac-
cept the nomination if rendered to him?"
81 haze no authority to speak for Dir
Blaine, and have no conjectures 10 offer on
the subject The letter speaks for itself
and must decline to be interviewed on
this subject"
THE DECISIVE LETTER,
The following is Mr.. Blaines letter in
full:
FLORENCE, ITALY, January %, 's8.
"B. F. Jones, Esq, Chairman of the Repabli-
can National Committee:
SIR 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 nomination
of candidates for President and Vice Presi-
dent of the United States.
'T sm constrained to this decision by
considerations entirely personal to myself,
of which you were advised more than
year ago. But / cannot make the an
nouncement without giving expression to
my deep sense of gratitude to the many
thousands of my countrymeu, who have
sustained me so long and so cordially, that
their feeling has seemed to 60 beyond the
ordinary political adherence Of fellow par
tisans and to psrtske somewhat of the
nature of personal attachment. For this
most generous loyalty of friendship, can
make no adequate return, but / shall
carry the memory oft while life lasts.
EXCUSES FOR DEFEAT.
sCNr.-,. .oe.o;,, f-o,,, oopuratnlafinu
the Republican party upon the cheering
prospects which distinguish the opening
of the national contest of 1888, as COM
pared with that of 1884.
'In 1882 the Republican party through
out the Union met with disastrous de-
feat. Ten States that had supported Gar
field and Arthur in the election of 1850,
were carried by the Democrats, either by
majorities or pluralities. The Republican
loss in the northern elections compared
with the preceding national election ex-
ceeded half million votes, and the Elec-
toral votes OF the Union, divided on the
basis of the result of 1882 gave the Demo
Gratis over three hundred Electors out of
total of four hundred and one.
THE FIGHT FOUR YEARS AGO.
There was a 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 contest could show more than
100 majority in the electoral colleges OF the
whole country. But against the discour-
sgement naturally following the adverse
elections of these two years, the spirit OF
the Republican party in the National con-
test of 1884 rose high, and the Republican
masses entered into the campaign with
such energy, that the final result
depended on the vote of single State, and
that State was carried by the Democratic
party by plurality so small that 1t rep
resented less than one-eleyenth Of one per
cent. Of the entire vote. The change OF a
single vote in every (2,OOO) two thousand
Of the total poll would have given the
State to the Republicans, though only two
years before, the Democratic plurallty
exceeded (l92, ,OO0) one hundred and
ninety-two thousand.
HOPES FOR THE FUTURE.
''The elections of 1886 and 1887 have
demonstrated the growing strength IN the
Republican ranks. Seldom In our political
history has a party defeated IN national
election rallied Immediately With such
vigor as have the Republicans since 1884.
No comparison Is possible between the
spirit Of the party in 1928 and its spirit
in 1887. The two periods present simply
3 contrast, the one Of general depression,
the other of enthusiastic revival. Should
the party gain in the results Of 1889
over those of 1867 in anything
like the proportion of the gain
of 1884 over 1898, it would secure one of
the most remarkable victories Of its entire
sxisteuce. But victory does not depend
on so large ratio of increase; the party
has onlp to maintain relatively its prestige
OF 1857 to give to its national candidate