The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-08-08
Blaine the Leader of Bis Party.

Reed, Mckinley and other republicans
who have been pretending recently that
Mr.. Blaine was no longer the leader of the
Republican party. and who have been
sneering at the idea of Incorporating his
reciprocity policy into the Mckinley tariff
bill, have found out that they were greatly
mistaken. 1t is understood now that that
policy will be made feature of the bill.
Reed, Mckinley and others prominent in
the counsels Of the party opposed Mr.
Blaines reciprocity policy with all the in
tluence they possessed, and the President
agreed with them. They found out, how
ever, that the country heartily supported
the policy, and the President, after long
conference with Mr.. Blaine at Cape May
Point, admitted that he was right and
agreed to recommend the adoption of the
Aldrich amendent to the Mckinley tariff
bill, or some modification of it. That
amendment gives the President authority
to admit sugar free from any of the sugar
producing countries which admit our ex-
ports free of duty.
When this amendment was first proposed
Reed, Mckinley and others of the republi-
can leaders who have no love for Mr..
Blaine insisted that 1t should not be
adopted. They talk differently now, and
they are not so sure as they were some
weeks ago that they can bring about con-
dition of affairs that would force Mr.. Blaine
to leave the cabinet. On the contrary, it
| looks as if Mr.. Blaine was in the cabinet not
only to stay, but also to dictate the party IS
| policy on all important public questions
| His success in forcing his party to accept a
| policy which nearly all the other promi-
nent leaders had rejected makes him again
the great figure in his party, and it
may make him its presidential candidate
in 1892.
The great majority of the republican
voters have unbounded confidence in Mr..
Blaine as a statesman, and his reciprocity
policy, as soon as it was made known, was
promptly accepted by them. Almost before
he was aware of it his policy had received
the sanction of the country. When he
found how strongly he was supported he
pursued the course which he had outlined
with greater boldness. He asked no odds of
either the President or any of the other re-
publican leaders The threat that they
|
suing would defeat the Mckinley bill and
disrupt the republican party made no i'm
preston upon him. He knew there was no
danger of disrupting the party, aud he felt
| reasonably certain that his party would
have to follow him. His Judgment of the
situation has proved to be remarkably clear,
and he is so far ahead of any other man in
his party that he can afford to smile at the
efforts of his enemies within his party to
| lessen his influence
OF course the President would not have
permitted himself to be won over to Mr.
Blaine's reciprocity policy if he could have
avoided doing So because he knew ver1-
well that the adoption of that policy would
be a triumph for Mr.. Blaine over his oppo-
nents, and would strengthen the hold he
has upon his party But what would have
been the result of q rejection Of that policy 2
Would it not have been to defeat the tariff
bill, bring about discussions among the
party leaders and make Mr.. Blaine, even to
a greater degree than he is, the leader of
his party' 1t is probable, therefore, that
the President acted wisely in SO far as he
himself is concerned in following the lead
of his willy Secretary of State.