Arizona republican., 1891-12-22
A STORY OF MIR. BLAINE.
How He Gave an Interview to an Enter
 prising Reporter.

Special Correspondence.
 CHICAGO, Dec. l2.-Brilliant and fluent as James G. Blaine is on the stump, he cannot dictate his literary matter to a stenographer with any degree of ease. This fact was prominently brought out while he was writing his Twenty Years in Congress" the manuscript of which was almost entirely in his own hand. But long before Mir. Blaine entered upon that great work had personal oppor- tunity of proving his hesitancy in the presence of stenographer and the ab- sence of a stimulating audience.
 was sent by the Chicago Times to interview the man from Maine at a time when his name was on everybody's lips as the next Republican candidate for the presidency. MT. Blaine was not so accessible to reporters in those days as he has been during his official career in Washington. A number of bogus in- terviews had been printed, in which it was sought to cast ridicule upon his abilities and personal ambitions. The Times had been particularly savage in that respect, and when I mentioned my mission, Mir. Blaine naturally felt in- clined to extend scant courtesy to its representative. l assured Mir Blaine that anything that he might wish to say on questions uppermost in the public mind would be printed exactly as he said it.; that the editor was anxious to make amends in that way for past offenses, and l was to give him Mir. Storey's per sonal assurance to that effect.
 "Well," said the Maine statesman, after a few moments reflection, ''come to the house of Mir. Julius Caesar Burroughs, in Kalamazoo, tomorrow morning, and will See what can do for you"
 We were on an east bound Michigan Central train when asked for the inter- view I stopped at Kalamazoo, where there were several bands of music and a fine torchlight procession in honor of the arrival of Mir. Blaine, who was to ad- dress meeting on the square the fol lowing day.
 Next morning l called at the residence of Mir. Burroughs and found his dis tinguished guest surrounded by group of admiring farmers. MT. Blaine did not wait to be reminded of his appoint ment, but came forward as soon as en- tered the room, and said:
 Excuse me a few moments, sir, and l will be at your service"
 In a short time he excused himself to the visitors and We went into MT. Bur roughs' library.
 Do you write shorthandg" he asked as soon as we were seated.
 "Yes," l replied.
 "But do you write it wellY'
 "I have taken your own speeches, Mir. Blaine"
 "Well, that is promising" he said, with one of his magnetic smiles, "but I'll test you in person now. We have very good stenographers in Washington. Get out your note book and we'll begin. D
 I made sure from this introduction that Mir. Blaine was going to rattle off a three column interview at his platform speed, and sharpened several pencils to be in readiness for the task.
 "Now," he explained, 'I am not going to give you direct interview with my self, but will relate conversation on the cars between several statesmen, in which participated, which you will find as interesting as anything that might say at this time on public questions" This was not a rash prediction. The matter Mir. Blaine dictated was oppor- tune and touched leading topics in his own masterly style.
 The article made exactly column in length, and at Mir. Blaine's average rate of speaking should have taken about fif- teen minutes to dictate. There was no test of my shorthand speed, however, as 1t took him exactly two hours to dictate | it. which was considerably longer than it would have taken to write it out in long hand Mir Blaine hesitated at almost every sentence, and would pause ire quently to ask questions about matters foreign to the subject in hand. was kept changing words and remodeling sen tences, and when the task was ended Mir. Blaine remarked, with merry twinkle in his eyes, "Now you can understand why wanted an expert stenographer. " l attended the mass meeting in the afternoon and heard Mir. Blaine deliver a brilliant speech at the rate of ITO words q minute, which could have been printed from verbatim notes without the change | of n yvor1 InuN M Dncrn