Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-12-15
BLAINE's CUTE TRICKS.
He is Playing the Role of Absaiom to uar-
rison's David.

WASHINGTON, ID. c., December IA
Mr.. Blaine is once more lamenting the
misplaced enthusiasm of his newspaper
friends. He diSlikes very much being
paraded as n candidate for the Presi-
dency, and wants it distinctly under
stood that he is nothing of the sort. The
very fact that he is candidate for
the nomination in '92, just as
he was for the nomination in 1883,
makes him indignant to see himself pro-
claimed every day as being in the race.
Mr.. Blaine is, of course, Quibbling upon
the word candidate. Ii is quite true
that he is not candidate, Us other men
are candidates. Mr.. Benjamin Harri-
son, for example, is an out-and-out as
pirant for the honor, and would take it
if it were offered to him by one majority.
Mr.. Blaine will only take il in '92 as he
would have taken it in SIS. He had
large majority in the Conven-
tion of IS, but he did not
have il all or nearly all. So
after keeping it in session for week
hoping to wear out all the other candi-
dates only TO find themselves confronted
at last by 40 delegates who had pledged
themselves in writing never to vote for
Blaine'S nomination, his managers who
announced on Saturday morning that
Blaine would be nominated on the next
ballot, adjourned the Convention until
Monday, and after long conversation
by cable with Blaine at Cluny Castle,
nominated Harrison on Monday.
Blaine'S tactics will be substantially
Il.
have two-thirds of the delegates in the
next Convention. He expects to gain
in every quarter. He expects for the
first time to have solid delegation
from New England and he expects to be
able 20 convert almost all of whatever
opponents he may have among the dele
gates when the convention meets. He
expects Mr.. Harrison to gracefully
withdraw in his favor after the first
ballot and to beJnomnated himself
practically by acclamation on the sec
ond ballot. As usual, he is very Sanguine
in advance. But until the conven
tion meets he does not want TO be
talked about in the newspapers as
candidate. lie likes to be regarded as
above such petty ambition-aS having
reached the high and proud position of
a political sage, who seated far above
the wrangling politicians, philoSophic-
ally solves the problems Of world poll
ties.
Just now, of course, he talks chiefly
of his Pan-AmericaE schemes. lie IS
one of the few public men in Washing
| ton who still believe that the Pan-Amer-
lean Congress was a great success,
and his mouth is still filed with
the rhetorical periods Of that
episode of oratory. Mr.. Blaine,
YOU know. is very fond of the
analogy between his career and Henry
Claws. lie likes to be called the mod
ern Henry Clay. Barring the gambling
and the drinking and the duelling he
thinks he really is another Henry Clay,
and is even troubled at times when he
remembers that Henry Clay had TO say,
Il would rather be right than Presi-
dent, and then had to content himself
with barren virtue. But temporarily
| he is Henry Clay to the life. Everybody
who meets Mr. Blaine nowadays re-
marks first how well he looks and see
ond how agreeable he is. He is still as
ghoStly in face with his pallid complex
| ian, his white hair and beard, for only
one man has been able to see the ruddy
glow Of health" which disappeared from
his cheek thirty years ago. But his
eve is bright and his manner is once
more alert. OF course, Mr.. Blaine has
never been disagrecablc except when
he wanted 10 be; but ever since his de-
I 10. l.- hu.p a- a.tftal n
agreeable aS before that crushing diSap-
pointment which affected his whole be-
ing. But now he is beginning to be
like his old self in the days when he
was unQuestiOnably the most charming
man in Washington. As always. he
has innumerable visitors from all parts
of the United States. Now that he is
! looking forward TO % he sees as many
Of them as he can, and they all 90 away
delighted with him; every one filed
with the thought that il Blaine had the
power he would make his visitor happy
for.lfe.
All through this administration Blaine
has been playing the role Of Absalom TO
larriSon'S David.
Every disappointed politician, every
ollice-Seekcr, every disappointed con-
tractor, every disappointed SightSeer
could find consolation waiting for him
in the Office OF the Secretary of State,
and has gone away believing that if
Blaine were in the White House every
thing would be as he wished Blaine
has not had to say much; it was more
the manner than the matter, but he has
been just as effective as though he had
poured out his sympathy in a series Of