The sun., 1890-07-31
The Secretary Stands Alone.

There Is no indication yet that any other
member Of Gen. HARRIsoN's Admlnistra-
tion, or any leading Republican In either
House OF Congress- has committed himself
squarely t. Mr.. BLA1NE's view OF the party's
right policy. The situation Is peculiar, but
not without q parallel. In at least one
respect Mr.. BLAINE's position resembles
that which Gen. BR1sTow occupied for q
time during GRANTS second term. He
| stands alone.
Here is the foremost man Of the Republi-
can party, its chieftaln and leader by vir-
tue OF any one OF half dozen incontesta-
Bile titles OF primacy, the man who, in the
opinion OF the great majority OF Repub-
| licans, ought to be now in the White House
instead OF in the State Department. ad-
vancing for the party's benefit a proposition
| Of craftsmanship so convincing and impor-
| tant that common sense accepts 1t at the
| first hearing; but how is 1t received by the
| smaller men In immediate charge OF the
| party's tacticsp BY some with sneern, as an
outbreak Of miserable jealousy. By some
with expressions OF open scorn as the un-
solicited advice Of meddlesome bore. BY
some with ill-concealed impatience, as an
unfortunate assertion Of independence, to be
smoothed over as quietly and kindly as
possible In the interests OF all concerned.
And by some, to all appearances. with bitter
indignation, as the attempt on the part OF q
superseded chicftain to usurp the authority
which belongs to Republican leadership Of
another and more modern sort.
These different ways OF looking at Mr..
BLAINE's suggestion have oil found express
sion In various but equally hostile forms.
A Republican journal which has particular
reasons for doing nothing offensive to the
HARRISON family styles Mr.. BLAINE "Jeal-
GUS JIM, and caricatures him as an unhappy
lover looking over the fence at the success
ful wooing Of moro acceptable rival for the
affections OF the Republican party. Accord
ing to the Nep York Herald, the epithet most
commonly applied to Mr. BLAINE in private
conversation by impatient Republicans in
Congress is Jim the Penman" Within
five days the NeU York Tribune, the leading
Republican newspaper Of the country, has
thought 1t necessary to inquire Of Mr..
BLAINE how far his criticism of the Tariff
bill reaches" and to warn him that Re-
publican success in the autumn must not be
imperilled by divided councils" And,
finally, the Evening Star OF WASH
ington reports that "the indiRna-
tion OF the Republican leaders OF
Congress over Mr.. BLAINE's interference"
has reached the point where they are hold
ing conferences to devise plans to force him
out of the Cabinet and back into private life. |
THE opinion is strangely unanimous" says
the usually cautious Star, that he has done
an irreparable injury to the party by his |
criticism. Though there are many Repub-
lcans in the House who believe that Mr.. |
BLAINE is right, Mr.. REED and Mr. MCKIN- |
LEY are confident that the policy OF the |
majority can be shaped by the same hands |
that have shaped it heretofore"
To crush the Secretary, according to the |
same authority, it is proposed to refer his
suggestion at the proper time to
the Committee on Ways and Means, and to
have that committee make report attack
ing Mr.. BLAINE with all the power that can
be put into language, and to get the sane
tion Of the House to this report" That is
what Mr.. REED and Mr.. MCKINLEY are con-
hdent they can bring about. IL will be "a
test OF strength between REED and McKIN-
LEY on the ono hand, with the understand
Ing that they have the sympathy Of Mr.
HARRISON, and Mr.. BLAINE on. the other"
And If the attempt to get the party in the
House to give Mr.. BLAINE a slap In the face
he will be at once crowded out of
The Cabinet, unless he is already out"
This is tho anti-BLAIEE programme, rs the
Washington Star understands it. Perhaps
there is exaggeraton in the report Per-
laps II the crushing process about which we
near so much is attempted. the result will
lot be exactly what is intended. But, in any
,vent, the fact remains that the statesman
Who named the Republican candidate In 1888,
Who gave the party the keynote OF its sue
'ess in that campaign, and who has just now
formulated for its benefit the most valuable
political idea OF recent years. Is confronted
With angry hostility by the smaller men
Who are closer thar himself to the machin-
'ry OF legislation. They treat him as an
,ncmy. and they will drive him out Of Office
nto retirement II they can.
The Secretary stands alone at present.
low long he will continue to stand alone,
lme will show. I
American Law in an English Court. (
Tha ~ A &