Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-12-10
BLAINE AND SHERMAN.
How the Former rendered the Presidential
Nomination to the Latter.

|
cember contains remarkable article by
General W. T. Sherman entitled, "The
Hon. James G Blaine. - in which among
other things these two remarkable letters
are for the first time given the public:
In the year of our Lord 1884 there was
to be sharp contest for the nomination
in Chicago for a presidential candidate of
the Republican party. The press and
people generally believed that Blaine
wanted it, and everybody turned to him
as the man best qualified to execute the
| policy to accomplish the result aimed at
| Still, abnegating himself, he wrote TO me
| from Washington this letter:
Confidential, strictly and absolutely
| so.
WASHINGTON, D. c., May Is, 1854.
"MY DEAR GENERAL-This letter re-
quires no answer. After reading it file
it away in your most secret drawer or
give it TO the flames.
cat the approaching convention at
Chicago it is more than possible, it is in
deed not improbable, that you may be
nominated for the presidency. If so you
must stand your hand, accept the respon-
sibility and assume the duties of the place
to which you will surely be chosen if Il
candidate
"You must not look upon it as the
work of the politicians. If it comes to
you it will come as the ground swell of
popular demand, and you can no more
refuse than you could have refused to
obey an order when you were lieuten-
ant in the army. If it comes to you ut
all it will come as call of patriotism 1t
would, in such an event, injure your
tp decline If a If
would for you to seek it. Your historic
record, full as it is, would be rendered
still more glorious by such an administra-
ton as you would be able to give the
country. Do not say word in advance
of the convention, nc matter who may
ask you. You are with your friends who
will jealousy guard your honor and re-
nown. Your friend,
. JAMES G. BLAINE.
To which replied:
"9l2 GARRISON AVENUE.
''ST. LOUIS, Mo, May IS, 1884.
Hon. James G. Blaine, Washington
60 Ny DEAR FRIEND have received
your letter of the 18th, shall cOnstrue it
as absolutely confidential, not intimating
even to any member of my family that
have heard from you, and though you
may not expect an answer l hope you will
not cGnSUru6 one as
90 have had a great many letters from
all points of the compass to similar ef- h,
feet, one or two of which have answered.
frankly, but the great mass are lllaa-
swered.
81 ought not to submit myself TO the
cheap ridicuIe of declining what is not Of
fered, but it is only fair to the many real
ly able men who rightfully aspire TO the
high honor of being president of the
United States, to let them know that l
am not and must not be construed as q
rival. In every mans life occurs an
epoch when he must choose his own
career and when he may not throw off the
responsibility or tamely place his destiny
in the hands of friends. Mine occurred
in Louisiana, when, in 1861, alone i'll the;
midst of people blinded by suppesed
wrongs, 1 resolved to stand by thesT Mon
us long as a fragment of it survived on
which to cling. SinceIfen, throash fac
ton, tempest, war 9sA PEACE, l4g.career
mas been all my family and frieSds could
ask. We are now III "a goodSAesse of our
own choice, Yitb. +S1easonab lsefsgQv visions
for old age, sEg6uHd edGBx1Kig and al ss;;
miring friends j9nsE ctssinunfSs, .s% ssS
Catholicism SHIELD in respect an&EsheIx
ton, and where my children wbF ma
ally grow up i'll contact with an inQS2fri
Gus and frugal people. You haXsSSnowlts
and appreciated Mrs. SherIsEn FROM
childhood; have also known each and all
the members of my family and can I'M
derstand without any explanation from
me how their thoughts and feelings
should and ought to influence my action.
But 1 will not even throw off on them
the responsibility
will mot in, INV
accept Il nomination as candidate for
president by the Chicago Republican con-
vention, or any other convention, for
reasons personal to myself. ] claim that
the civil war, in which L simply did 4
mans fair share of work so perfectly
accomplished peace that military mehr
have an absolute right to rest, and to de-
mand that the men who have been
schooled i'll the arts and practice of peace
shall now do their work equally well.
Any senator can step from his chair at:
the capitol into the White House and full
fill the office of president with more skill
and success than Grant, Sherman or
Sheridan, who were soldiers by educa-
ton and nature, who filed well their
office when the country was i'll, danger,
but were not schooled in the practice by
which civil communities are and should
be governed. l claim that our expert
ence since 1865 demonstrates the truth of
this my proposition. Therefore, l say
that patriotism does not demand of me
what construe as sacrifice of judge
ment, of inclination and of self interest.
81 have my personal affairs in state
of absolute safety and comfort. l owe
no man a cent, have no expensive habits,
envy no man his wealth or power, no
complications or indirect liabilities,
and would account myself 4 fool, n mad,
man, an ass, to embark anew, at sixty
five years of age, in career that may
become at any moment tempest tossed by
perfdy the defalcation, the dishonesty or
neglect of any single one of hundreds
thousand subordinates utterly unknown
to the president of the United States, not
to say the eternal worriment by vast
host of impecunious friends and old mill
tary subordinates. Even as it is, am
tortured by the charitable appeals of poor,
distressed pensioners, but as president
these would be multiplied beyond human
endurance.
81 remember well the experience of
Generals jackson, Harrison, Taylor,
Grant, Hayes and Garfield, all elected
because of their military services, and
am warned, not encouraged, by their sad
experiences.