The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1889-11-07
A HISTORICAL REVELATION.
Why the P1umbed Knight Declined the
Presidency.


Why the PIumbed Knight Declined the
Presidency.
New YORK, October 2S.-The IHorlc
prints FIVE and q half columns from its
European correspondent, dated Florence
showing that James G. Blaine, when he
wrote lis famous letter of January S
1888, declining to allow his nomination
by the Republican Presidential Conven'
tiou in Chicago, did go by the urgen,
advice Of his physician. He was then 8
very sick man, was paralyzed aud
speechless and was also suffering from
intense melaucholia. The article, aftel
giving the various dictionary definition:
of paresis, continues as follows:
"Poor MIR. Blaine! For nearly two
years be has endured misrepresentation
and abuse for suddenly rejecting Presi
Dental nomination which at last wa.
absolutely in his own hands. He ha!
kept silent. he has striven to enveloE
in mystery his reasons for writing tas
Florence letter. The truth should ot
known. 1t does. not reflect upon Mir
Blaine. 1t commands for him, on the
contrary, the apologies of his querulou:
friends and the sympathies of his politi
cal opponents. The facts herein set.forlh
belong to the history of American poll.
tics, though not by any means are all the
occurrences of that sad winter to Mr.
Blaine's life presented, because there is
no wish to add to the sorrows of bis
recollections of it."
Mr.. Blaine had stroke of paralysi8
brought on by chill caught in the ST.
Gothard tunnel. he was prostrated al
Milan for twenty four days, and with hi:
convalescence appeared most distress
ing type of melancholia, which fully
developed after he reached Florence,
During this last stage of his long AMI
painful illness, acting on the advice of q
conscientious physician, Mr.. Blaine
| wrote the letter Withdrawing his namc
| from the lis, of Presidential candidates.
The World correspondent first called
upon DR.. Baldwin, of Florence, upo1
whose advice the letter vas written. IL
argued that the writing of the letter va.
| matter of life or death to Mr.. Blaine
who did not consult any of his friend
in America upon the step he was taking
When asked why be had urged Mr.
Blaine to write the letter, DR.. Baldwin
replied:
II will never tell what was the matte
with Mr.. Blaine, further than to say tina
his trouble was functional, not apoplec
tic. But it vas of the utmost gravity
For him to have gone into the excite
ment of q summer and fall campaign
such as would have followed his nomina
ton would have cost him his life. I al
certain of that. 1t is matter as far re
moved from the realm of doubt as we ar,
from Madison Square. Everybody VIII
saw Mr.. Blaine that winter in Paris o
elsewhere before he came here know
that he showed unmistakable signs O
mental overwork.
"It was not so many months since b
had lost the Presidency by what shall W
say? "A fuke.' he suffered, no doubt
disappointment of the most poignan
character. he was morose and hypo
chondriacal to a degree seldom seen. /
you knew the awful depression Of MI
BIaine's mind you. could understand
everything and see it all"
The physician, turning to the CORES
pondent, then said:
20, now let me ask you question
Will Mr.. Blaine be a candidate again {?
II am sure don't know. Is there an
reason why be should not be-"
I absolutely none whatever. Th
functional trouble from which be su
fered is not again likely to interfere wit
his aspirations and I think he ought
try once more"
Then the correspondent went to Mila1
where Mr.. Blaine had stopped befol
going to Florence. At the Hotel Cavou
the proprietor said that the presence {
Mr.. Blaine and bis family at the hot
was kept very secret and but few peopl
knew of it, although they rename
there twenty four days. Mr.. Blaine, h
said, became i'll on the night of his arr
val and Dr.. Fornoni was called.
This physician was next called upo
by the Worlds correspondent. He sal
that when he reached the hotel. NJ
Blaine, whom be did not then knop
was suffering from paralysis of the rigt
side. He could not utter an intelligibl
word, though he made spasmodic effort
at intervals to dc so. His right arm an
leg were utterly helpless. His pulse We
very weak and his heart quite irregula
He vaguely understood, or appeared tt
when the doctor addressed him. Th
doctor finally succeeded in getting loo
at his tongue, but it was drawn over
one side of his mouth. The physicis
was not certain that complete paralys
might not ensue, so he remained an hou
. and then gave directions to the famil
and some remedies to the patient al
left.
Mr.. Blaine remained this way for
week and then recovered the use of b
tongue. He became very desponder
and hypochondriacal and daily becam
more depressed. To the physician
re assuring talk he would answer:
"No, l am Finished" or II am dor
for" or "My career is ended"
One afternoon suddenly he said
OPS all over with me. will cable
nv friends that am hopelessly sic]