The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-11-14
FAWN|NG BEFORE BLAINE.
The President in Mortal Fear That
the Premier Will or Will
Not.
Should Blaine Publicly Withdraw
Favorite Sons Would Combine
Against Harrison.
If the Maine Man Enters the Race the
Indiana Man Is Out-Much
Anxiety.

InOlnnA M0u y , ..
Anxiety.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 1o.-"Blaine is no
about to write any letter Of d~eclination il
response to the great demand for him t.
rum said an intimate friend of the aecre
tary to-day. ''In the first place there is nj
reason why he should do 80: in the second
there are several reasons why he should not
First of these ia that he doesn't know
whether he is going to run or not. Th'
elections were not emphatic enough to en-
able him to make up his mind. Then ht
can't tell whether his health will hold out
Nor is that all. Harrison doesn't want hin
to write q letter. Of that / am positive.
"Blaipe at one time agreed to do so il
Harrison go desired. But he advised Har-
rison not to ask him, and Harrison, appre'
ciating the reason, told Blaine that he
would prefer that he should say nothing
about it. As has already been pointed out,
the moment that Blaine should write such
letter there would be more presidential
candidates spring up within twenty-four
hours after than you could shake a stick
at. Aud the first thing they would do after
getting the Inducements OF their states
would be to unite against Harrison as
their greatest opponent. You can readily
see that such q letter would be = very I'M
comfortable thing for Harrison to have
around. And if he can prevent it Blaine
won't write it."
isn't he apprehensive that Blaine will
run ?"
mo, ! don't think that he ia. He is per-
feotly we'll aware that Blaine can have the
nomination if he wants it and he is pretty
likely to let Blaine have q great deal more
latitude in the management of the state de-
partmsnt than formerly because he very
naturally wants to keep on the right side of
Blaine. II he succeeds in that he hasn't
very great fears hat Blaine will run. He
knows that Blaine won't run if there is not
almost a certainty of his election. He also
knows that Blaine ia satisfied to be at the
head of the state department and that he
would not have thought of running for the
presidency had not a lot of politicians in
order to hurt him (Harrison), started the
Blaine boom. Moreover, he knows that
Mrs. Blaine is almost violently opposed to
her husbands running again.
II am we'll aware that this 10 contrary to
the popular idea. The contrary m
AlOk - AAkh HouASot SNs JSo AA~y ASt~ sAS
accountable if / am not right when l say
that Mrs. Blaine will do all in her power to
prevent her husband accepting the nomina-
ton. Isn't she ambitions? Yes. But her
ambition il not great enough to risk the
repetition of another mud-slinging cam
paign. 1t is said that the next campaign
will not be Of the mud-slinging order. ]
hope that is true. But l am not sure of it,
and Mrs. Blaine ia almost positive that
should her husband be nominated all the
- ---.n1H kLA ~~~ IN kh> l~E~.A
the false along with the true, would com
ny again. And any one who appreciates
what she suffered in 1884 can easily
appreciate her disinolinntion to pass
through another such ordeal The effect
upon her the last time came very nearly
killing her. And she refers to it with a
shuddsr. II she were certain that her has
band woul be elected were he nominated I
doubt very much whether the fact would
materially lessen her opposition to his rum
ming. We're she able she would induce him
to write = letter now telling his friends that
under no consideration could he become a
candidate again. She desires him to do 30
in order to raise an s6sctual bar to his rum
ming. And he is just, enough willing to
comply if Harrison should ask him, but
Harrison won't.
"Yes, ] know very we'll that Harrison
might reason on the same line with Mrs.
Blaine and say that if be could get Blaine
to write the letter it would put him (Blains)
out of the race for good. But you see Har-
rison fears more the combined opposition
does the possibility Of Blains's o~onsenting
to become a candidate. You probably do
not know it, but it was Mrs. Blaine who in
duced Blaine to write that famous Florence
letter. And Harrison has confidence that
If he docs not offend Blaine Mrs. Blaine's
the man from Maine getting in his way.
And speaking of the man from Maine re-
minds me that there is another man from
the same state who would be one of the ii st
to jump into the field were Blaine to write
a letter. And it is unnecessary to remark
that Blaine isn't lying awake nights for the
purpose Of furthcring the fortunes of Tom
Reed.
mo, sir. the whole plan ia just this: The
Blaine boom will be allowed to continue
until the convention gets into working
order. Then some one will rise and nomi-
nate Blaine, but before the nomination can
ever be seconded the letter which Elliott
Shepard thinks will be forthcoming on Jan.
l will be read. That, you see, will simply
have a stunning effect, and before ths small
fry candidates 4 use the term small fry to
signify those who have no organization)
can act. Harrison's well-drilled and pre-
pared lieutenants will spring his name and
he will be nominated. At least such is the
PLAN"
But suppose the convention should re-
AuoS " oeSoph suo Ao1IcI a 3 maj duu uOml-
nate Blaine? Do you think he would prove
that Chaunoey Depew's declaration that no
man lives who would decline the nomina-
ton for president OF the United States is
false. by declining?
The secretary's friend punched q hole
through the sod of the White house grounds
with his cane, dropped his nearly consumed
cigar into it. and, after the manner of a
man who weighs hiG words, said: "That is
nqaestion which NO living man, not oven
Blaine himself, can answer"
Coal Docks on Fire.
DULUTH, Mimi, Nov. 13.-Firss on the
coal docks, which have already lone dam
age amounting to 100000, took a fresh
start this morning. The docks of the
Northwestern Fuel company caught fire
aud arc blazing underneath the coal. Two
IRE tugs q city engine and the fire appa-