St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-12-19
GABBLE ABOUT BLAINE.

accept the presidential nomination: but
over the same wires, at almost the same
time, come rumOrs of his confirmed
physical disability and of his with
drawal from the race in favor of the
present incumbent. One newspaper,
claiming TO have inside information,
| announces that his candidacy is an as
| sured fact; another, on equally cred IDLE
authority, says that his name will not
be presented for the conventions con-
| sideratiOn, and still another keeps the
| nation in suspense and confusion by
suggesting that the secretary of state IS
| yet unsettled in his own mind. and that
not until after the leisure of the holt
| days will he determine on the course
which he will finally pursue.
The movements and intentions of
great men are always interesting TO the
average citizen, and no journal of these
modern times could hope to maintain a
respectable circulation unless it catered
to this prevailing taste. People like to
know what prominent women wear,
and with which lotions they battle their
compilations, and the favorite foods and
brands of cigars affected by famO US
statesmen; plutocrats or philanthro-
pistS can be safely enlarged on in pa
per's columns with confidence that such
matter will be we'll received. If it were.
in this spirit that all these tales about
JAMES u. BLAINE were published to
the world, they would be open to no
different criticism from that which be-
fits any form of personal journalism.
RYGf tofi
bulletins are not issued in this way, but
in response to a supposed popular hun
gerng for knowledge as to who is to rule
over this land from 1898 to 1897. The
impression seems to be we'll grounded
that if this modern HENRY CLAY will
only say the word he can advance as Oh
a triumphal car from the Exposition
hall at Minneapolis in June to the White
house inlthe following March, without
let or hindrance from any quarter. The
difficulties which are usually depicted
as surrounding progress to the presi-
dency are eliminated from the calcula-
tlOnS when he is connected with them,
and instead Of canvass a series of hur-
rahS is dreamed of as efficient material
for his election. Every state is pictured
as clamoring for his elevation, and the
solid business concerns of East and
West unanimous in the conviction that
his hand at the helm is essential to their
prosperity and progress.
Mr.. BLAINE has been a presidential
candidate several times, and up to date
no miracles have been performed in his
favor. In 1876 his own party repudi-
atod him n favor Of on oh oud in
experienced country lawyer. and in
1884, when he finally secured the NOM
inatiOn, for the only time since the civil
war the Democracy won a victory in a
national election. A great many things
have contributed to Mr.. BLAINE'S weak
ness before the country in the past, and
it yet remains to be shown how time has
Injected any vigOr or spirit into his frame
which was then unequal to the race.
HAYES defeated him in 1876 because his
personal record was a furnished one.
lie had rallied lar2e following to his
standard by certain dash and reck-
lesSneSS of demeahor. He headed the
minority in the lower house, and with
much grace and effectiveness OF diction
set off linguistic firecrackers and
waved Chinese lanterns in partisan de-
bates. During all this time he danced
before the nation as sort Of refined
Fire Alarm FORAKER, without capacity
for constructive work or any of the
qualities which would commend him to
men of sober judgment.
Since that time he has served in the
United States senate. where he made
hcnlf no., 81
profound lawyers and men of affairs
about him until his own shrewdness
prompted his retirement to a field less
| eXacting in its demand for the higher
intellectual qualities. In this retire
| ment he compiled history of the Union
which sold because he wrote it, but
which has gone the way of subscription
books without merit, and is neither
thought of nor referred TO at this time.
Called in 1884 to lead his party's ticket,
be was beaten, because his campaign
was unSkillfully engineered, because
the business interests of the country
were opposed to entrusting power to
one of his theatrical and injudicious
temperament, because his personal hon
eSty was subject as to which there
was grave and widespread doubt, and
because he gave his sanction to cow
ardly and contemplate attack on his
opponents character, growing out of
mistake of his young manhood which
he had lived down by years of distin-
gushed public service and blameless
private life. Mr.. BLAINE'S popularity
was squarely tested in that contest, and
70, Iea
instead of giants.
The question at once arises. in what
particular he has developed or what re-
cent achievement has given him a better
claim on the country's admiration.
There is only one answer to this. He
has grown older, and his health is
broken through advancing years. His
fierce spirit has been quelled, and the
dangers which were once thought to be
involved in his radical views and I'M
balanced methods, his friends declare.
are no longer imminent, because his
physical strength is not of the kind
which suggests or executes such pranks.
All this may be true, but does it afford
firm foundation for the faith in his
destiny? Is there the promise of a great
! triumph in a campaign the burden of
which will be that the standard bearer
| is not as bad as he was when the nation
| rejected him, because he is an Invalid
and is incapable of folly and excuses?
dispassionate view would seem to
suggest that something more powerful
| than cheers, sky-rocketS and martial
music would be needed to land man of
this ilk in the presidential chair.
HOW TO INVEST 1T.
In the quest for novelties one Of the
| New York papers sought interviews
with many of the most prominent