Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-04-09
A HALT CALLED ON BLAINE
Too Much Glory Out of His
Reciprocity Scheme.
SECRETARY PUBLICLY SNUBBED
A Surprise for the Commits
SionerS from Canada.


WAsHISGroS d. c., April G.--Harrison
sat down. on Blaine to-day in the most
summary manner when lie compelled the
Secretary of State TO postpone his pre-
arranged conference with the Canadian
Reciprocity Commissioners, To a friend
who once asked him why he had brought
the brilliant and dangerous Blaine into
his cabinet, President Harrison is reported
to have replied because could manage
him better iii than out" Whether he
used precisely these terms or not the
President has constantly expressed the
sentiment by his actions. He has certainly
tried his hest to manage Blaine, and has
lost no opportunity to tell the country that
he was succeeding.
Ii has proved a difficult task, however,
for the President to get the same personal
credit out Of the good things done by the
State Department that lie has gotten out of
the good things done by the other depart
ments, on account of Blaine's personality
and his peculiar methods, and this diff
Guilty has been enhanced by the fact that in
the greatest undertaking of the State De
partment--the attempt to secure freer trade
by reciprocity agreemcnts-the President
made the great mistake of squarely oppos-
ing the Secretary Of state.
i3laines victory over Harrison on his
direct appeal to the people last summer,
DuNhtil Up IltITtSbl WIS ny
and Mckinley, has made it necessary for
the President to redouhle his efforts to i'm
press the public with the belief that he di-
reefs the operations of the state depart
ment. His organs have cl1riously illus
trated this by claiming for him even the
credit for Blaine's reciprocity movement,
carried to success by Bliine's political per-
sistence and against Harrison's stubborn
resistance. 1t has been easier, of course, to
claim credit for Harrison in other negutia-
tions like that on the Boring Sea question,
where. as is customary, Blaine acted os-
tensibly in his name And he has been
aided by the fact that the Secretary of State
makes no individual report to Congress,
being obliged to content himself with fur
nishing the facts for the Presidents treat
ment il his annual message under the
head Of foreign relations.
Candidate Harrison's Jealous care of
Candidate Blaine, shown BY frequently in
terfering in former negotiations, appeared
boldly to-day when Secretary Blaine was
compelled to tell the Canadian delegation
(when he had told Sir Charles Topper on
Thursday that he would confer with him
to-day that he could not keep his promise,
because the President had directed him to
postpone the conference until the President
returned from his rowing around the circle
so that the President could guide the nego-
tiations from day to day. In short, Blaine
had 10 admit that he had reckoned with
ont his host.
Blaine's proud spirit was never more
reused than when the President gave him
this order on Friday last; but he is not
ready to resign yet, and so he bit his lip
and said as little as possible in reply,
although 1t is said that reply was thinly
yelled piece of bitter and scornful sarcasm.
Blaine notified the British minister to stop
the Canadian delegation by telegraph to
avert the humiliation of having to am
nounce to the public that the President
had broken his engagement for him, but
the telegram missed the Canadians and
they came on and accepted Blaines cxpla-
nation with ill-eoncealed surprise.
They were even more surprised when
they called at the White House not to be
received by the President who apparently
included them in his condemnation of the
unauthorized arrangements made by his
Secretary of State. They would not, of
course, talk for publication about it, but
privately expressed the opinion that it was
most extraordinary that the President,
iii his anXietyto make his Secretary of
State keep his place should have treated
the representatives of another country SO
cayalierly.
As for Blaine, nothing, it is believed,
prevents him from resigning but the fact
that he has not made sufficient progress in
his reciprocity work to justify his preclic-
tions of its value and enable him to APP
peal to the people again in more direct
way than ever.
The President has invited other mem
bers of his cabinet to go with him to the
Pacific coast, but has not invited his Secre-
tary of State. Harrison does not want TO
see the contrast in the popular greeting
which he would have 10 endure ii Blaine
and he stood on the rear platform together
through the south and west. But there is
good reason for saying that Blaine would
not accept if invited. He would not relish
being led around the country by Benja-
min Harrison, even if the crowd did cheer
him.
1t becomes more apparent every day that
Charles Foster has been appointed not
only Secretary of the Treasury, but man
ager of the Harrison denomination BOOM
Harrison regards Foster as one of the
eeleyerest politicians in the country, and
looks to him to do everything which he
dacy for denomination. Fosters genial
way is already making friends for Harri-
son that Harrison could not make for him
self.
The President and his friends sends the
doubtful men who come to town to Foster,
and Foster attends othem. He is already
the Presidents chief adviser in all matters
of patronage, and spends more time at the
White House than any other member of |
the cabinet He has already made deal |
with Tom Plat under which the latter is |
to be given absolute control Of the New |
York offices, and in return has promised |
to get Harrison the New York delegation |
in 1892. The Harrison movement has
started, and its engineers are going to make |
things lively from this time on.