The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-09-07

paper Nau-His Great Freedom in
Retailing Secrets-The business o.
Interviewing Senators.
(CoDWiohkj
WASHINGTON, Sept. flames G. Blaine
q gilliel He has been besmeared with
titles signifying pretty nearly everything
from plumed knight to a tatooed man
but who ever thought of calling him a
confding simpletoni And yet the fact
is, there are few men in public life
whose private conversations smack more
Of unsophisticatsd candor or VINO talk
more unreservedly on matters of a
secrect character; and probably there is
none who give more confidence TO nawspa-
per men. There are many correspondents
in this city-all eager, of course, TO pub
lish every scrap of interesting information
that they can rake up-who could, by be-
traying Mr.. Blaine's confidence, stir up some
| genuine sensations ard make a deal of
| trouble for the Secretary of State.
One day when Mr.. Blaine was Presi-
dent Garfeld's chief adviser he was
| seated in company with several gentlemen
| WHO had come together by chance. The
| conversation was of a social nature and
| "reminiscences prevailed. Something re-
minded Mr.. Blaine of an experience which
he proceeded to relate with all the interest
ing details He had not gone far when one
of his friends left the room and sent an
attendant to call the secretary out In the
| hallway the friend said;
Are you not aware that there are two
newspaper men in that roomP
"Of conrse, l am" answered Mr..
Blaine.
well, do you want to see this conversa-
ton in printg''
Nonsense p said the Secretary; "thev
won't print a word of it" and be returned
and took up his story where it had bee in
terrupted. At the close Of it, when be had
laid himself wide open, he simply said, with
a smile: 81 needn't say that no part OF this
is for publication"
Not a word of it was ever printed though
one OF the correspondents was then and still
Is reputed to be utterly conscienceless in
such matters.
1t is also one of Mr.. Blaine's practices
never to make man promise that he will
not publish story. He merely tells him it
| Is not for publication, or, as in the case of
correspondents who have enjoyed his conf
dence, he tlkes for granted that they will
not publish any part of private conversa-
ton without first receiving his expressed
permission to do so. Nor are these conf
papers friendly to him. In more than
one case those who are cloest to him are in
the nploy of papers which lose no oppor-
tunity to hit him lick, and in some cases
he contides in men who persistently write
against him and his plans. As one of his
political friends puts it:
He shows his hand first and bets after
ward
Whether this is the innocence of the dove
ar the wisdom Of the serpent, it certainly
operates to the advantage Of him who prac-
tees 1t, for, even when it does not make a
fIlend, it diSarms an enemy. CORE
spondent Of democratic journal recently
told an experience which illustrates the
truth Of this. When Mr. Blaine was making
his campaign speeches in Ohio in 1884 there
took place one day little incident which
had 1T been published, would have been used
by the democrats with perhaps as much
effect as the Burchard ALTERATION rum.
RomanlSm and rebellion) was afterward
used.
That evening" SAYS the correspondent,
several of us were seated with Mr. Blaine
enjoying a social chat, when he asked mo
tthe only democrat present. if had noticed
the circumstance. l told him had not, and
he revealed 1T to me in apparently the most
unguarded manner. II he had not done this
l should have made sensation of it, for my
assistant had seen 1t all. But, you see, Mr.
Blaine had muZzed me; could never have
made anybody believe that got the story
anywhere but In private conversation with
him. So cut it out of my assistants report
and nobody else ever published it."
Logic as we'll as history teaches us that
the secretively cunning man cannot for
any great length of time be a popular man.
Every body Is more or less susceptible II the
compliment which candor pays. Trust
man with your secrets aud you say to him
IN effect that he is worthy of your conf
dence. He likes this and commends your
Judgment OF men. An Iowa editor recently
visited Washington. He expressed to
| Senator Allison his eager desire to
see President Harrison, a man for whom
be entertained the profoundest respect.
| The senator took him to the white
house and introduced him. President Har-
rson spoke a few kindly words to him in a
sort OF patronizing way and turned to his
desk. Then Senator Allison took his con-
| situent to the state department. where
MIR. Blaine shook hands with him and
chatted with him, and finally lot him Into
a little harmless secret The Iowa editor
went home and wrote: at is plain to see
that the secretary Of state is the brains of
| this administration"
| 1t is said by those who claim to know
| that there is hardly a man OF Importance
| among Mr.. Blane's republican acouaint-
that is to say, something that the public
generally would not be permitted to know
and students of men who have had their at
tention called to this phase of his character
declare his candor to be one of his most
potent qualities in politics. Whether las
some say he knows the power of frank
ness and plays it as a part of his profess
| sion, or las others maintain) he
only lives his natural life | leave it for
those of better Judgment or greater preiu-
dice to say, but those who have been ac-
cepted as the truest biographers of the
popular men Of history all seem to agree on
the one point that the subjects of Their
writings were men of exceeding frankness.
| Another fact that may some bearing on
| Mr.. Blaines case is that his son Walker.
who recently died, was very much like
him III this respect. When he died the cor
respondents generally agreed that they had
| lost most accommodating friend; for it
was commonly talked among them that he
gave them all the news he lad, and then
told them what portions OF it were for their
| private information, and what might be
published to the world This is so rarely the
practice of men in such positions that it
seems significant of a family character istic.
Perhaps personal recollection may not
be objectionable here. When / first came
to Washington, utterly unversed in the
practices of newspaper men here or in their
relations with officials, had some business
with n very iTOnOrtant r,apnbaY- 81 &bo c.,