The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-23
SHORN Of HIS STRENGTH
The Plumed Knight Laid Low When
Most He Needed All His
Wgor.
A Shadow Has Hung Over the
Eventful Life of MI.
Blaine.
Frustrated Before the Cincinnati Convcn-
tion That Would Have Made Him
President--Othor Attacks,

A shadow hovers over James Gillespie
Blaine.
II has followed him throughout his event
full career.
At times, and even for prolonged inter
walls. the sunbeams have burst through the
clouds and shed a ray of sunshine and hap
piness over the life of the great man of
Maine. Then again the dark clouds
gather, n the storm breaks forth in all its
fury. blasting the hopes of tho statesman
just as his plans are on the point OF frui-
ton, and he is about to reach the goal of
his ambition--the rulership Of the might
est nation on earth. When be has the
presidency within his grasp, his implacable
foe. his Nemesis-sickness-lays him low
just waen he has need OF all his resources,
says the New York journal.
SO marked and persistent haye been these
onions of disaster that the republican chief
tain has become a confirmed ~fatalist. He
believes in the ''Kismet" with the implicit
faith of Napoleon Bonaparte md his great
American prototype, Henry Clay. He
thinks some untoward calamity will prevent
his attaining the presidency. even when the
political skies are the brightest.
1t would seem that he has reasonable
grounds for thus believing.
In 1876 the namo of Blaine was a house.
hold word in every city, town, village and
hamlet in the land. His fame had pierced
the innermost recesses of this broad do
main. As speaker of the house of repre-
sentatives he had gained ronown such as
had fallen to the lot Of no American since
Henry Clay handled the gavel, almost fifty
years before. He was the popular and
aggressive candidate for president. No
EcAMan endeavor seemed powerful enough
to. check his onward course to victory. He
led every candidate in that memorable con-
vention at Cincinnati when orator Bob In
gersoll aptly termea him the "Plumed
Knight" Then came those terrible Multi
gan letters while the convention was at it's
height. The "blackmailing" or Exposure"
as it was respectively called by tho partis-
ans of each side, would have thrown ninety
nine candidates out of a hundred into the
Maine. With n magnificent courage never
before equalled in the history of American
politics, he left the speakers chair, and de-
%scending to the floor of the house
with the letters in his hand, which
The h. had had for fGroiDlE tr;.a taken ta n fron
N WAN oAAoN +" DAuSN
mail him, he read passages from the mis-
slves with q running fire of comment, bold
ly maintaining hat there was not a single
clause therein which was inconsistent with
his dignity or honor as speaker of the house
of representatives. This sublime exhibit
tion of political nerve commanded oven the
admiration of his enemies. 1t even held
together his forces at the national conven-
tion, which gave evidence of breaking. That
great gathering adjourned over from Satur-
sYnxy %,l1 AH.rIn- arJ (lot,,o l~oi.~1 ILL.,
sure winner.
On Sunday he was Frustrated by an at
tack of sunstroke. He was unconscious for
forty-eight hours. He knew nothing of
conventions or of earthly things.
"As the leader is, 80 shall the followers
be" says the provsrb. 1t was fulfilled in
that Blaine convention.
The bitter and implacable foe of the
Maine statesman, his rival in intellect and
political power. Roscoe Conkling, of New
York, himself the candidate of his imperial
state and a formidable opponent of Blaine
to crush his enemy. When he perceived
that it would be impossible for himself to
win he threw his forces for the weak and
colorless Hayes, of Ohio, whom he secretly
despised. Then came confusion and a
stampede. The Blaine phalanx, left with
out a leader and receiving no instructions
from Washington, wavered and" finally
broke. They wished to march with the
victorious forces of the king to be and bask
in the sunshine Of the throne. They, too,
jumped into the Hayes column and the
milk-and-water Ohioan was nominated.
That was the first great disappointment of
Biaine's life, and it was very bitter.
1t did not, however, crush his unconquer-
able spirit or check his ambition. He was
the candidate of his party again in 1880 at
the Chicago convention, where single
handed he gave battle to Conkling, Came
ron and Logan, the great Republican tti-
umvirate, who carried aloft the gonfalon of
Ulysses S. Grant, who had just returned to
America with the prestige of a %triumphal
tour around the world, in every part of
which "the high and mighty of the utter
most ends of the earth rose and uncovered
before him." as Roscoe Conkling put it in
his magnificent speech nominating the
imam from Appomattox."
Grant had 1876 votes and needed but
fifteen of Il nomination.. Blaine just lacked
six votes of an even 300. Both columns
seemed impervious to attack and neither
Blaine nor Grant could be nominated.
Then came the break from New York. SEN
ator William III. Roberts, of Westchester,
at Blaine's instigation, it is we'll known.
held he was not bound by the unit rule"
which the state convention had decreed,
and iocked to the Blaine standard. He
took seventeen others with him. Six mora
came from other states, and Grants col
umn fell to the memorable 1906"
Ii looked ike a Blame stampede. Then
the great leader who had been mnnipuln
ing wires from Augusta was taken sud
denly sick, and could give no further in
structions.
The Blaine cohorts became d~isorganized.
They became frightened ut Grants steady
and persistent strength and locked over to
Garfield at the earnest solicitation of
shrewd Charley Foster, now secretary of
the treasury. Poor John She man, the
Ohio candidate, was thrown down" in the
house of his friends to consummate the
deed.
The history of tho famous campaign of
1884 is familiar to all, Blaine finally wen
in the national convention of his On ~ and
was beaten by a scant majority 1T tho polls,
just when his victory seemed assured.
Sickness, aided by Burchardism, was again
the cause of it. Blaine had made n trium-
phal campaign tour of the countrv He
WAS suffering from Blig.t's disease and
utterly broken down in health, but his
prospects seemed exceedingly bright.
In an unlucky moment he reluctantly
yielded to an earnest request of Steve
Elkins, the manager of his campaign.
to como back to New York on his way
from the west and meet q lot of ministers
who were to make an address at the Fifth
Avenue hotel expressing their confidence i'll
his integrity and honor. This WAS u sly
scheme of Mr., Elkins to Offset the Beecher
and Plymouth church detection. Blaine
came to New York utterly jnded and
worn out, He was suffering from insom-
mia, and had taken "a morphine powder on