Fair play., 1888-03-03
BLhlNE'S OPEN LETTER.

Why the rlumed Knight May still lie
Considered - ros .ihiliiy.
Your candidate can not he. said
Horatio Seymour in 1868. yet he was
the candidate.
Two days before the assembling Of
the Cincinnati convention in 1880, Mr..
Tildcn. universally credited with iin
common :tstutcnc>S rs politician.
wrote 4 letter t" the New York dele
ration, wherein. having reviewed the
rn,i-rl"rtion proceedings of 1876, he
sid:
have st,adfu-;!y cndcavorcd to preserve to
the Democrat ;a:ly Of the United states the
suprcm" issue h:'toic the people for their de
c.s;un newt November, whether there shall he
a government hy the sovereign people through
elections. Or a government by discarded ser
wants. holitn" over by force and fraud, and
have wthhcld no sacrifice and neglected no op-
portunity To uphold. Or.,aniZ" and consolidate
against the enemies "f republican institutions,
the great ariy which alone, under God, can
cncctuallv res st their overthrow.
But he protested that hc desired
nothing sn much rs an honorable dis
charge from leadership which had left
its scars upon hIm. and the convention
took him at hi, word. 1t preserved in
lis platform rchuk" for the fraud
which had defeated Tiidcn in 1876 ard
met defeat under another candidate.
1t Will he moot question always
whether or rot Mr. Tlldrn'S declina-
ton was unaItcrahle. 1t is certain.
however. that by the assumption that
under To circumstances would he he Il
candidate the convention of the party
threw away an opportunity of triumph
as full It's that cnj"yed by Jacksnn'S :
friends in lS2S.
Mr.. Blaine, letter from Florence
declining Ia hay" his name presented
I" the Chicago convention may or
may not he sincere. The bitter cN-
perienccs of 1851 would justify the
declaration of withdrawal Let the
best possible showing he made for the
candidate in that campai-n-and no
one could have presented it more
deity than the candidate himself
remains the fact that Blaine was dis
tinc:iy rcpudiated ny the American
people because of Il lack of confidence
in the integrity Of hi, character rs an
official. The vast Irish vote sum-
moned to his aid upon the >uppo>ition
of his dcep->cated prejudice against
the Government of Great Britain could
not save him. He would be a bold
man who, having nH new evidence to
Il /,
fore twelve million American electors
aud hope for yindic.tion. But All
dac;ty i one of Mr.. Blaine'S marked
characteristics. This was shown in
the >wifturs> with which the Indian
apoliS suit for libel was instituted. and
the readiness with which, the cam
paiCn being over. il was withdrawn.
upon the allegation that au impartial
jury could not he impancled in lndi-
ana tn try such an i>>lIr.
To he in the attitude of having Il
nomination forced upon him would suit
M. Blaine purposes if he still feel
that he must have u chance ut the Pres
idencv. bat such a letter rs that from
Florence Is a dangerous cxpeLient. 1t
releases every politician from all sense
of personal obligation 10 Blaine ana
sets him searching for and making in
,crc>t with new header. So far as
expression has been heard from the
Republican press upon the Florence
/ declaration the Willingness to lei Blaine
20 in peace must prove humi-iatin- to
man looking for protests against the
course he indicates IS personally nee
e>Sary aui desirable.
Whether Mr. Blaine write an open
letter for general reading or a private
letter. which he insists shall be burned.
hi> reputation makes his effort unfort-
urate. No one vino knows him will
incline Il the opinion that he diSmi>Ses
the ambition "f fifteen years thus read
iiy. The genera inclination viii be 20
await the progress oi events. Bas The