The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-08-08
ATTACKS ON MIR. BLAINE.
The Plain, Blunt Truth About the At
temps on Great Mans Life.
New York Sun


Mr.. Blaine's present condition is no mystery
to those who know his mental idiosy ncrasy. lie
is a selftortu-er IN all that concerns his physi-
cal health. This does hot mean that he is a
coward, or even hypOchondriac in the ordl-
nary sense of the term. But he belongs to
class OF beings, distinct and well recognized, in
which the pathologic imagination is developed
to an uncomfortable and often dangerous de-
gree. He Is sensitive In the extreme 90 what he
believes to be the disinterested opinion of Others
respecting his physical condition. This eircum-
stance is neither TO his credit his diSoredit;
1t is simply a factor in Mr.. Blaine's individ-
uality.
Every physician knows that in the reaction of
mental impressions and apprehensions upon
actual physical health, general intelligence, or
even exceptional robustness Of intellect, is no
barrier 10 the mischief that may be wrought
Often the danger is greatest where the intelli-
gence is most acute, and the imagination the
most active. There are cases and there are
times when an incAutiously expressed opinion,
a mistaken diagnosis thoughtlessly commune
Gated, may amount to a sentence OF death.
For fifteen years Mr.. Blaine's remarkable mind
has been subjected not merely to the strain OF
continuous work of TN exacting though not
necessarily exhausting character, but also 10 the
wear and tear of such an alienation of high
emotions, of passionate hopes, OF terrible diaap-
pontments, feverish resentments, and tantaliz-
ing half-realZations perhaps DO paral-
leled by the experience of no other man now on
earth. For the past two or three years, as every
generous reader will remember with sincere
sympathy and regret, he has encountered sue
eession of domestic Affections almost stunning
TO a nature of the sensibility of his. There has
been no lack OF manhood in Mr. Baine's atti-
tude under those repeated strokes of misfortune
heavy enough and frequent enough TO have
broken ordinary constitution TO pieces But
is there any wonder that time comes when the
danger signals begin to appear in certain physi-
cal symptoms? Or is il strange that Mr. Blaine
and those solicitous for the usefulness of the
next fifteen years of his life should reach the
conclusion that the secretary needs rest, free
dom from worry, careful attention, and a fair
chance TO recuperAte?
This is precisely tho time chosen for the in
eredibly malignant and brutal conspiracy to
drive James u. Blaine into premature grave by
exhibiting him To himself a a man Doomed 10
death. We say conspiracy, because there is
every indication OF concerted action on tue part
of the inventors OF the bogus interviews. the
fabricstors OF the lying medical reports from
Bar Harbor, Boston and Washington, the artists
whose pencils set 70 the task ~ Re presen ting
the secretary of state IN tie last Ytages OF auSc-
alton and impending dissolution, the editors
who have already ordered his coffin and are
shedding crocodile tears over ~ One day IL IS
acute nervous prOstration, another day il is pa
resis. another day il is Bright's disease, another
day II is parsiysis-any malady known TO the
pathologists - good enough malady for the
use OF the assassins, providing IL is swift and
hopeless