The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-02-14
is 1T A DECLINATION?

Blaine sends from France to Chair
man Jones, OF the Republican COM
mittee, a letter declaring that
he is not to be candidate
for the Presidential nomination
in the Chicago Convention. The letter,
which appears in this issue of THE
HERALD, is tine political sensation of
the hour, and politicians in either party
are talking about it, and wondering
who will be 1.-The man." Senator Sher-
man steps to the front with an II
knew it all the time" and says
that he will endeavor to Sc
cure the prize for himself
Others will at once assert themselves
and in little time we may expect to see
formidable array of Presidential can
didates, and they will be saying they
entered the lists only because Mr.
Blaine retired and left free field. AL
ready MIR. Sherman has said this
But it might be well for all these am
bilious gentlemen to wait awhile-at
least until they are certain that Mr..
Blaine is really out of the way. There
is no more cunning politician in the Re
publican party than James G. Blaine.
He is shrewder and a more capable
manipulation than any of the men who
are aspiring to the nomination. Un-
aided and in spite of the opposition of a
horde OF smaller but purer men he
forced himself to the front in three
conventions and finally made it abso-
lutely reeesssry for the party to nomi-
nate him. No Republican of promi-
renee has more enemies than he, and
yet he prevails against them and COM
pels them to his support; very
few of the great Republicans have
fewer personal friends and ad-
mirers than Blaine, but he gets
his party into a corner where it
cannot do otherwise than hout for him.
He is feared rore than he is admired.
And all on account of his cunning as a
and shrewdness as a
manager of affairs in the interest of
Blaine.
1t will, therefore, be well enough for
the ambitious to wait until they learn
exactly what is meant by this letter Ct
seeming Observation-Disclosures it means
that the man from Maine is out of the
race, or that he is working mother Of
his clever tricks, in which he
is so fruitful. No shrewder plan
for his nomination has yet
been PIT forth han this same
letter, 1t will make Republicans en-
SO cleverly does the writer
point out the probabilities of success,
and we shall not be astonished if
there shall come a demand for Mr..
Blaine's nomination. Indeed, the letter
gives one the impression that it was
written with the view to the calling
forth of a popular request that the
author will serve the party IN the COM
ing race. Mr.. Blaine does not make his
declination emphatic or positive, and
should the convention demand
the sacrifice" he could readily
a. cede. especially as he would
have the advantage of posing 90 q
patriot serving his country for his
country's good at Inconvenience to him
self. 1t is a we'll known fact that
Blaine's hand has appeared most liber-
ally in the politics of his party during
the past year. His friends have been
active in securing the State committees,
and are to-day at work to control the
State delegations to the Chicago Con-
vention. 1t seems strange for him to
decline the candidacy while working in
to secure the power to
nominate.
Of course the other aspirants are
going to put the Interpretation
upon the letter which will get Blaine
out of the way, for they want him out
Of the. road; but others will read the
document differently-will read it as
the author intended it should be read.
as an announcement that lie is the
greatest of Republican statesmen and
politicians, and that the party must
continue him as its standard. hearer