St. Paul daily globe., 1891-05-10

JAMES G. BLAINE.

l may be found in the annals OF modern
history, and shows how little need the
clever and vigorous have to be disheart-
| ened because of adverse circumstances.
! Fifteen years ago Mr.. BLAINE was the
most picturesque figure on the Amer
lean political landscape, plumed knight
who rode proudly at the head of his
party, bold and eloquent of speech, re-
sourceful in device and tireless in eX-
pedlent, brave in conflict, courteous to
his foes, heralded in his every move
ment the nation wide, the popular idol,
| the GAMBETTA of America. AS the
clouds then shaped themselves on the
political horizon they took no other
form than his, and his name was already
emblaZoned on the Republican banner
against the presidential election Of 1876.
In the midst of this career of brill
fancy and color never eXcelled in the
| life of any hero. and with the cup to-
ward which his every effort had been
| directed before his lips, his glory de-
parted i'll an hour, an obscure and I'M
| interesting attorney from Ohio named
HAYES took his stewardship, and from
| leadership of the dominant faction in
the nations politics he courted re-
tirement which his friends advised,
| and in which his enemies acQuiesced
because they pitied him for his fall from
so high an estate. This remarkable
| episode, with all its theatrical acces-
sories, was on everybody'S tongue in
those days, and from mouth to mouth
went the wonderful story of the Re-
| publican chieftain's shame; how he had
| been detected in the prostitution of his
public position for private gains; how
he had bartered his vote and his infiu-
ence for pelf; and how, in the moment
| OF his greatest triumph, his enemies
! had encompassed him about with a
chain of evidence he could not break
through, and worsted him when his
hope was highest.
All this famous tragedy was on every
body's tongue in the those days and dur
ing the eight years following, when he
devoted himself to quiet debates in the
senate, to the pleasures of literature
and to sage reflections on our ma
tlonal history. 1t was not forgotten in
| 1884, when he came forth again as a
candidate for the presidency. That
campaign, the hottest of recent times,
was fought on the issue of JAMES G.
BLAINE's personal honesty. There
were other matters involved, but the
| great question before the people was,
Is the character of the Republican nom
inee tainted by the shameful sins of
which the Democracy accuse him?
| GROVER CLEVELAND was elected as an
answer, and the verdict of the country
was that the charges were true.
Only a day and a few years have gone
by since then, and yet the memory of
all these things seems to have been
| completely effaced. No one talks or
thinks of the MULLIGAN letters this
morning, and n OF one in a hundred of
the men who read this Sundays GLOBE
i have any recollection of the timely sun
stroke which held the BLAINE con-
| gressional investigation at bay. There
are thousand newspapers in the coun-
| try now bearing i'll their every issue the
| name of JAMES G. BLAINE as the most
available Republican presidential NOM
| inee in 1892; and there is not a shadow
| of doubt that, if he will raise his hand
| and say the word, he can put to dis
| graceful rout all the little men who are
| struggling for the prize and 90 into the
campaign backed by an enthusiastic
and united party. Not only is this
true, but the Democracy itself, in it's
| press utterances, speaks of him with re-
spect and consideration. He is no longer
the plumed knight of tarnished armOr,
whose onslaughts reused fierce retalia-
tory blows. He is statesman in this
view, quietly but strongly working for
| great ends, who deserves attention. and
whose work is constructive and lasting.
! All thoughtful men will admit that these
| things have come to pass, and they
| surely justify comment on the marvel
of the TRANSPORTATION. Shame and hui
initiation turned to honor and renoWn
is curious and noteworthy achieve
ment. The sting seems gone from the
weapon with which lie was felled be-
| fore, and the Democracy needs to look
| the facts seriously in the face and see
| what they mean for it.
One thing that they mean is that, no
matter who the Republican candidate
in 1892, the battle will be one of political
| principles and not of personalities. 1t
| will be repetition of the contest of
1888, in which the claims of one creed
or the other will be indorsed at the
| polls. 1t will be campaign of educa-
ton, in which party platforms will be
taken apart and critically examined, and
i'll which the one capable of stand
ing the strain of many months
examination will finally uphold the
victors. If Mr.. HARRISON, or any hencll-
man of his, is put forward by the Re-
| publicans OH principles of their peculiar
school. the Democracy will have no oc-
casiOn to fear the result. No faction
can hope for dominion in this country
| which is welded to the idols of the
| HARRISON school of political philoso-
ply. The heritage of its supremacy is
the revival of sectional hatred, the in
crease of the tariff and unprecedented
extravaganza in public expenditures.
Not one of these things commends itself
to the sober better Judgment of the
American voter. A billion-dolar con-
gress is an abomination. a force bill
awakenS no responsiveness in the heart
of any patriot. The MCKINLEY theory
of protection has reused the popular in
dignatiOn as no public measure since
the repeal of the Missouri compromise.
The Republicans cannot carry this coun-
try on the creed which they have been
preaching for the past three years. The
Democracy has but to welcome a cam
paign of education over principles like
these. If the people are true to the ira
ditions of their fathers and to them
selves, there can be no doubt about the
result.
But the situation would be different
were Mr.. BLAINE the candidate, and the
platform one of his choosing. He not
only has the dash of GAAIBE TIA, but
he has the craft of DIsRAELI. He has
the courage to go into the battle on a
| nlatfnrm of ne anitanna if ha ..,iII 90 O.