The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1888-05-24
BLAINE TALKS.
HIS florence Letter Represents His
Present Attitude.
Plenty Of Candidates Capable Of Win
ming the Victory.
Andrew Carnagie thinks He will Run
if Nominated.
Elkins Says He Can be Persuaded by
Unanimous Nomination.

NEW YORK, May 2l.-A cOrrespon-
dent of the Press in Paris cables as fol-
lows: The stories that have been for
some time in circulation on the other
side of Atlantic that the intimate
friends of James G.. Blaine. while dis
crediting any announcement that he
would accept the republican nomina
ton If IL were offered him. have never
the-less been quietly workingi in almost
all the states to secure deleS ates for
him after the first ballot, were all ca
bled over here. The publication here
of the actual figures of the supposed
Blaine managers in New York City,
however, gives a new impetus to Blaine
talk. 1t seems from the figures that
Mr.. Blaine would have its largest num-
Der of votes, something like $50 or $40,
on the first ballot, even before the
favorits sons had been deserted. That
on the second, although comparatively
few delegations had been instructed
for him, it would go to $50, and that
his nomination would be made
with the greatest enthusiasm
and yet the greatest calmness,
could be postponed beyond third bal
lot. The moment this news arrived /
took the most strenuous means to find
out what Mr.. Blaine's attitude on the
movement is, and am happy to say that
my efforts have been successful. Mr..
Blaine had not heard the full details
of the report published in New York,
and / was very glad TO give them to
him. Naturally he was not displeased,
but ne said without equivocation that
his Florence letter and his later inter-
view, which Mr.. Crawford secured for
the World, represented his present at
titude with complete truth. He had
felt sure, he said, that after his let
ter stating that his name would not go
before the Chicago convention had
been published many acknowledged
leaders of the republican party east
and west would be actively pushed for
the nomination, and he wanted to see
that they had been put
forward honestly, and he couldn't
see why so many should
assume, even to matters of the great
est Importance to his own domestic and
personal interests, as well as those of
the party, that 1t was impossible for
him to be honest. lie didn't want to
be a candidate, and he had reasons for
not wanting to be "a candidate which
were personal to himself and which, as
they could so readily be imagined, he
was under no obligation to make
known. The fact was he had been
through one terribly hard fight. 1t
had been a cruel strain upon his family
cused of Willingly Sinking any of the
duties of leadership which the repub-
.lican party had honored him with, he
felt that he had right to draw out
and leave the fight to other hands,
especially since they were plentiful and
quite capable of winning the victory for
protection and other good republican
ideas. All vague and miSchievous
stories about his movements, motives
and health had been very annoying at
first and it would not have been I'M
reasonable to ask to be spared, but now
they had become amusing rather than
anything else. He thought 1t good
way for all of his friends to pass them
over as so much twaddle. His health
was not so good in all respects as he
should like to have it. Very few men
from that, but he hoped to live many
years yet. He felt confident that he
should greatly enjoy his trip through
Scotland with the Carnegies and he
was already anticipating its pleasures.
When called Mr.. Blaine's attention
to the reported fact that his friends in
New York city, ex-senator Platt,
Stephen Is. Elkins, Editor Reid, and
others, were quietly working for him,
or at least were taking no pains to dis
courage those in New York state and
elsewhere who were disposed to favor
him from first to last at the conven-
tion, the Maine statesman said that he
knew nothing about it. His letters
from his friends in America were pure.
ly personal and familiar and did moi
relate to politics, for he, at this dis
lance, could not talk about politics
He did not believe, though, that his
friends who knew him best would dc
anything to show that they mis-
understood his position, or were willing
to allow others to misunderstood
it. The prospects of republican sue
cess were too good for any loyal republi
can leaders to fritter away the conf
dence of the party by any course tina
would be uncalled for as well as dis
honest. Mr.. Blaine has grown gra,
since l last saw him five months ago
AS he himself says man cannot hell
growing old after he is fifty-five. Blu
If he is sick man i am unable to dis
cover 1t. Aside from a touch of tn
govt now and then which very natuI
ally has tendency to make him un
happy and irritable for momen
and then he is the same whole hearte
charming man. He is certainly enjoy
ing himself intensly.
ANDREW cARNAGIE
was seen by a reporter of the Press las
evening and he said that it was hi
opinion that Mr.. Blaine would abide b
his first statement to the public. ''Whe
he and declined to run he meant it.
He said: "Let the party choose anothe
leader for the next campaign. If
will not and calls upon him he cannC
and will not define to head the republ
can ticket to victory. Mr.. Blaine is to
honest a man to decline to serve hi
country when duty calls him. If til
republican national delegates at Chic;
60 choose James G.. Blaine by a unan
nous vote he will undoubtedly conseI
to rum"
MRS. Blaine,' said Mr.. Carnagi
''cabled from Paris yesterday Stain
that she had reconsidered her deteru
ination to come home. Herself an
Mr.. Blaine are both in excellel
health
HON. STEPHEN Il. ELKINS
said last night that there is no doul
whatever that Mr.. Blaine will n
change his determination not to II
for the presidency unless persuaded
do so by the unanimous voice of Il
convention. lie did not disbelieve tn
Mr.. Blaine would decide against the e
tire body of republican national del
gates if they voted to place him in mol
ination.