The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-14
What Blaine Is After.

Mr.. Blaines letter TO the chairman Of the
National Republican Committee will not
convince any one that he has abandoned all
hope of reaching the Presidency. VI he says
nothing more the impression that he ex-
poets to be, and viii be, the Republican
candidate for President will be as strong, if
not stronger, than before his letter was
written.
fe does not say that he will not accept
the nomination if offered to him. All he
says is that his name win not be presented
to the nominating convention II he had
made IN his mind not to pe a candidate he
would have said that he would not accept
the nomination under any circumstances.
That would have settled the matter of his
candidacy. But he says nothing of that
nature. although no other man is bett L
able to put his exact moasing into words.
The letter will certainly bear the con
struction that if his party wants him,
and will give him virtually a unani-
nous nomination, he will consent to
be its candidate. There are several things
which will support this construction. One
is that he is careful not to say that he will
not accept a nomination. Another is that he
gave reasons to the chairman Of the National
Committee a year why he would not per
NIT his name to go before the convention,
and has continued his efforts to keep him.
self before the public Still another is that
throughout his letter he is careful to leave
the impression that he is perhaps the
strongest man his party can nominate. He
leaves this impression by pointing out that
though his party suffered disastrous defeats
in $50, two years before the last Presiden-
tial election, it came very near success in
1884 under his leadership. Again he is care
full to push the tariff issue into the fore
ground in connection with the delicately
conveyed claim that he is the most CON
spicuous champion of the protective tariff
system, which his party advocates.
If he intends TO be only private citizen
in future, why did he so promptly answer
the Presidents tariff mesSageg In his letter
he says that the Democrats avoided
the tariff issue in the last Presidential cleo
ton, and that the Republicans could not
! get them to discuss it, He says, also, that
owing to the bold attitude of the President
with regard to the tariff the tariff issue
cannot be avoided in the approaching Presi-
| Dental contest He follows his usual tactics
by asserting that in this contest the "Ameri-
can people will be openly and formally
asked to decide whether or not the protec-
| tive system shall be recklessly abandoned y
Does not this look as if he intended to be
his party's candidate If he meant to be
only spectator why does he take so much
trouble to shape his party's policy for that
contest He knows of course that he mis-
states the tariff issue that will be presented
to the people, but the fact that he does, to
gether with his effort to put the Demo
cratic party in false position, shows how
deep his interest in the matter is.
Doubtless Mr.. Blaine's purpose in writing
| letters and criticizing the Presidents mes
sage is to attract the attention of his entire
party to himself. He believes the Repub
licans can win the next Presidential contest
if they are united and act tremendously. He
wants TO be President, but doesn't want tC
lead his party to another defeat. He
therefore, says in his letter, as he probably
said to the chairman of the National Repub
lican Committee a year ago, that he vii
not let his name go before the nominating
convention and take his chances of getting
to think that if the convention will give
him unanimous nomination he will TAX,
it. That is the kind of a nomination he il
figuring for anc the chances are he will
| get it,