The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-02-14
Is He Shrewdly Bidding for
the Nomination?
HIS LETTER OF DECLINATIoN
Says He VIII Not Re a Candidate at
ChicSg"-Vtews Concerning
His Action.
Blaine Declines.

Commercial Gazette will publish the
following To- morrow: INF, Ben Jones,
chairman of the National Republican
Committee, has received letter from
Mr.. Blaine, declining ID allow his nsHie
to be presented to the National Repub-
licsn Convention as candidate for the
Presidency. Mr.. Jones, when asked
whether Mr.. Blsine's declinstion would
prevent his friends from nomi ating
him any how, he said: LAS I am chair
not think it wOuld be proper for me 20
have anything to say on that subject"
"Do you think Mr.. Blaine would &C
cept the nomination if ten tered ?"
Il have no authority TO speak for
Mr.. Blame. and have no coujectures TO
offer on the subject. The letter speaks
for itself, and must decline TO be in
terViewed on the question"
Following is Mr.. Blaiue's letter in
full:
FLORENCE, Italy, January Is, 1888.
To B. +. Jones, 50, Chairman Repu6-
Iicdn National Committee:
Sri wish, through you, to state to
mem oers of the Republican party that
my name will not Dc presented 10 the
national convention called TO assemble
in Chicago III June next, TOR the nonli-
nation of candidates tor President ana
Vice President of the United States.
am constrained To this decision by
considerations entirely personal
TO myself. of which you were
advised more than year
ago. But cannot make this
announcement without giving express
sion to my deep sense OF gratitude to
the many thousands of nv countrymen
who have sustained me SO long and SO
cordially that the feeling has seemed to
go beyond ordinary political adherence
of felluw-partisans, and 10 partake
somewhat of the nature of per onal at
tachment. For this most generous 10y
atty of friendship, can make no ade-
Quate return; but | hall carry the
memory of it while life lasts. Nor can |
refrain from congratulating the Repub-i
lican party upon the cheering prospects
which distinguish the opening of the
national contest of 1888, as compared
with that of 1884. In 1882. the Republi-
can party throughout the United States
met with a disastrous defeat. Ten
States that had supported Garfield and
Arthur in the election Of 1886 were car
ried by the Democrats, either by ma
jorlties or pluralities. The REPUBLICAN
loss In the northern elections, compared
with the preceding national election,
exceeded half u million votes, and the
electoral votes of the Union, divided
On the basis OF the result of
1884, gave the Democrats over 800
electors out CT .otal of 40l. There
was a partial red, tion in favor OF he !,
Republicans in the elections of 1883, but |
the Democrats still hsd possession Of
several northern States, and on the
basis of the years contest could show
more than 100 majority IN the electoral |
college OF the whole country. But |
against the discoura gem ant natur-
ally following the adverse elections of
these two years the spirit of the Repub-
ican 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 upon the
vote of single State, and that State
was carried by the Democratic party by
q plurality so small that it represented
less than one eleventh of one per cent.
of the entire vote. The change of a
single vote in every two thousand of the
total poll would have given the State to
the Republicans, though only two years
before the Democratic plurality exceeded
one hundred and ninety-rWo thou
sand. The elections of 1886 and 1887
have demonstrated the growing strength
in the Republican ranks. Seldom in
our political history has a party de-
feated in a national election rallied i'm
mediately with such vigor as have the |
Republicans since 1884. No compariso
is possible between the spirit of the |
party in 1898 and It's spirit in 1867. |
The two periods present simply con- |
trast, the one OF general depression, the |
other of enthusiastic revival. Should |
the party gain in the results of 1888
over those of 1867, in anything like
the proportion of the gain of 1881, over
1928, it would secure one of the most re-
markable victories of irs entire existence. |
But victory does not depend on so large
a ratio of increase; the party has only |
to maintain relatively its prestige of |
1886 81, to give to its national caC didate
every northern State but one, with a |
far better prospect of carrying that one
than it has had for at least six years. |
Another feature of the political situa-
alton should inspire Republicans with |
irresistible strength; the present ma
tional administration was elected with |
if not upon, the repeated assertions of
its leading supporter of every protection
state. that no issue on the tariff
was involved. However urgently Re-
publicans urged that question as the one
of controlling importance in the cam
paign, they were met by the Democratic
leaders and journals with persistent
evasion, concealment and denial. That
resource the President has fortunately
removed. The issue which the Repub- !
licans maintained. and which the DEM
ocrats avoided in 1884. has been promi |
nently and specifically brought forward
by the Democratic President, and can
not be hidden out Of sight in !
1888. The country is, now
in the enjoyment of an in
dustrial system which, in al
quarter of century, has assured a |
larger national growth, more rapid |
accumulation, and broader distribu-
ton of wealth than were ever before |
known to history. The American |
people will now be openly and formally
asked to decide whether this system
shall be recklessly abandoned and a
- Z ,f OlA q