The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-07-13
SHOT FROM THE CAMP OF HIS
FRIENDS.

the defeat of Mr.. Blaine in the Empire
state in 1884 are not familiar to all
Republicans on this Coast. Here is an
extract from the Burlington (vt) Clipper,
for October, 1884, which shows clearly that
Mr.. Edmunds' hostility to Mr. Blaine was
then the text for Democratic appeals to
win over recruits from the Republican
camp.
The voters of Vermont deem the attitude of
their own great senator, George r. Edmunds. an
additional impeachment OF Mr. Blaine's per-
sonal and political worth. Mr. Edmunds pre-
sided at Republican rally in this city one week
before the state September election; he treated
MT. Blaine with contemptuous but conscientious
silence. Mr.. Edmunds had too often impaached
MI. Blaine as the most conspicuous champion of
the Union Pacific lobby against the passage of
the Thurman act in April, 1873; he had too often
recited his duplicity in the matter of the cleo
toral commission bill to consistently commend
the personal worth of such g candidate to the
people OF Vermont; so Senator Edmunds was
studiously silent about the personality of the
ticket III man like Blaine, whose character is
such that Senator Edmunds, his fellow senator
Tor nearly five years, cannot commend Ii to the
party, is to be preferred to Democrat of public
integrity because the Democratic party "has
Deen wrong for more than q quarter of a CEN
fury, why then We place q premium on party
scoundrels, and invite the Elkins, Clayton, KEEL
iogg and Dorsey banditti to intrigue for its lead
ership and capture its nominations.
This single speech the last week of
August, 1884, was the only speech he made
the whole campaign; he resisted all ap-
peals before this date and all appeals after
this date, and only spoke briefly at this
time at the ratification meeting from manu-
script-an unusual thing with Senator
Edmunds-and showing how deliberate
was his determination to ignore the name
of Blaine. His subsequent repeated re-
fusals to speak in New York are matters of
record. The New York Tribune. in the last
week of March. 1886, published in lead
ing editorial all the correspondence be-
tween Senator Edmunds and the national
committee, and also stated that Senator
Edmunds refused even to write letter for
publication urging Republicans to vote for
Blaine, saying sit was too late and would
only embarrass him." which referred to
the fact that in 1880 Mr.. Edmunds had
denouncing Mr.. Blaine as a venal poll
tician and tool of Jay Gould, and morally,
therefore, unfit to be president
An editorial abstract of the New York
fri6une's review of the correspondents be-
tween Edmunds and the national commit
tee during the campaign of 1884 was pub
lished in the Portland Daily Oregonian the
first or second week of April, 1862 So
deeply did Mr.. Blaine resent the conse-
quences of Mr.. Edmunds' action that at the
funeral of ex-President Arthur he refused
to salute Mr.. Edmunds or accept his salu-
tation. That Mr.. Blaine had other ene-
mics there is no doubt; that he suffered
something by the laundering action of
well-meaning but stupid friends there is
no doubt but no man, familiar with the
situation in New York state in 1884. will
question that the attitude of Senator
Edmunds in refusing for the first time in
his political life to commend the party
nominee to the people as personally
worthy OF support, or even to write let
ter to that effect, cost Mr.. Blaine at least
one vote in each of the 1900 election dis
tricts of the Empire state.
III. LoihuuuS udu always Deen radical
Republican; he had been Mr. Blaine's as
sociate in the Senate; and to say that his
refusal at the height of his reputation as a
party leader and statesman to speak for
the ticket did not cost Mr. Blaine 1000
votes is to pay very poor compliment to
the weight of Senator Edmunds' influence
in 1884. A change of less than 700 votes in
New York would have elected Mr.. Blaine.
1t is reasonable to suppose that Mr.. Ed
munds' action turned the scale with at
least 1000 Republicans and persuaded
them to abandon Mr. Blaine. Mr.. Ed
munds was congratulated upon his action
after the election by a number of admiring
Mugwumps, and some of his private let
tiers IN reply, accepting with thanks these
congratulations on the defeat of Blaine.
have at one time and another found their
way into print; an extract from one of
them was published in the Springfield Re-
publican less than two years ago.