, 1888-02-14
BLAIkE'S DECLINATIOk.
It Is Possible 1t Has a String
Tied to It.
Chairman Jones Tells What He
Thinks He Knows.
Other Statesmen Give Express
sion to Their Opinions.
Why He Declines.

PITTsBURG, Feb. l4.-Hon. Il. f.
Jones, chairman of the Republican ma
tional committee, was interviewed by a
Chronicle telegraph reporter this after
moor on Blaine's letter of declination.
Mr.. Jones stated that Blaine was in the
best of health and it was not for this
reason that he declined a denomination.
His trip" said he. has been wonder
fully beneficial. l have had many letters
from him and in nearly all of them he
has spoken of his health and said he was
entirely recovered. No, sir, it is not i'll
health, nor fear of the result, or the
worry and strain Of another campaign
which impelled Mr. Blaine to write that
letter"
"Will you tell me what Mr.. Blaine's
reasons are?'
las given to me at the time to which
Blaine refers, his reasons were these:
Before the nomination by the Repub-
licans i'll 1876 Blaine was very anxious to
obtain the presidency, and worked for it
with the aid of his friends. He was dis
appointed when it went to another man in
the manner it did. In 1880 he was still
anxious. though In a lesser degree, and
his disappointment was less marked. In
1884 he had, to a great extent, lost all
desire for Office and now he withdraws
from the contest because he has no wish
to become president. He takes a keen
interest In literary work and wants rest
and quiet. L assure you these are the
only reasons for Blaine's letter that are
known to me. Everybody, sooner or
later, loses a desire for something which
they were once anxious to obtain, and
this is entirely true in the case of Mr..
Blaine"
is not Mr.. Blainc's letter somewhat
inconsistent with the action of his friends,
presumably with his consent in the work
ing and control of the state delegations
committee
mo, sir, it is not inconsistent. No
such work has been done by us. OF
course | have received countless letters on
this subject from the people of the North,
South, East and West. Mr.. Blaine's
friends have not sought to set up or secure
a single delegate anywhere. We have
made no concerted action. There has
been no meeting to map out a course fay
orable to Mr.. Blaine, and | assure you
that whatever has been done by the ad-
mirers of Blaine has been done on their
own account and not at the instance of
his close friends. We have done nothing
to secure a nomination for Mr.. Blaine.
When the people write to me on the sub
ject l send them in reply the call of the
convention as issued by the committee
and some extracts from the history OF the
convention Of 1884. | have written no
letters in Mr.. Blaine's interest"
WAS this letter laid before any sort Of
meeting OF his friends or of the national
committed"
1T was not. A letter was received by
me on Tuesday last, it having come di-
rectly from Florence to me. 1t was en-
tirelY in Mr.. Blaine's handwriting. As
you see by its opening sentence, it was in
tended for the Republican party. | did
not tell anybody of its existence until
Friday, then | told one man, who assisted
me in preparing copies for the press. 1t
was not given out on Saturday because
many papers do not print Sunday edi-
tons, and | was anxious to give it widest
publicity. | arranged to have it go out
by the associated press. Even a man as
close to MI. Blaine as Stephen B. Elkins
is knew nothing of the existence of this
letter until this morning.