The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1892-06-03
AN INFAMOUS SCHEME.

-d.- 3 --
Editor FREE PREss:-In your Fri
day evenings paper you give what
purports to be the plan of the sore
head bosses and silver gluttons to
stampede the Minneapolis convention,
reduce order to chaos out of which
may evolve the nomination of James
G.. Blaine or worse still some
fifth-class member of the gang for the
presidency. The plot is infamous be-.
yond anything ever before concocted
in the Republican party. More dis
graceful to the concocters, and if sue
cessful, will be more disastrous to
the party. 1t may be worthy the
men who have planned it, but 1T is be-
meath the dignity and respect of any
but gang of ward bummerS and
midnight conSpirators, and to just
the extent that Mr.. Blaine permits
the use of his name by these conspira-
tors to accomplish their purpose, just
so far he becomes pa1ticeps crinainis,
with the conspirators. He stands up
on the same plane with the ignoble
band of conspirators. If successful
in their purpose Mr.. Blaine will place
himself before the people of his coun-
try as a shrewd, unscruplous and un-
reliable political demagogue. Mr..
Blaine cannot afford to pose before
the people of his country in that role,
nor do believe he will consent to be
placed there by a score or less OF men
who are better qualified to have fig
ured in the cOnspiracies Of CaligulaS'
time, than to be debating or furnish
ing presidential candidates in this
year of our Lord, 1892. to the Republi-
can party. When Mr.. Blaine wrote
his letter of February last in which
he said, "MY name will not go before
the Republican National Convention
for nomination." had he left out the
little three letter word mot" from
that letter he could honorably come
before the convention and receive the
nomination with credit to himself
and without dishonor and perhaps in
slant danger of disaster and defeat
to the party. But Mr.. Blaine has re-
peated this declination in letters and
later interviews at different times
and his true friends have taken him
at his word and the Republican senti-
ment had crystaliZed and settled up
on President Harrison as his own
successor He has given us an adj
ministration so pure, free from blund-
erS and candid that Democrats can
find no vulnerable point of assault.
From Washington to the present
time no president has carried more
conscientious determination to dis
charge the duties of his position hon
estly, justly and fearlessly than Presi-
dent Harrison, and it seems this is
what has thrown upon him the fury
of the bakers dozen of sore head
bosses now using Blaine's name to de-
stroy Harrison and set upon his ruins
a man of their own. Not one of the
cheap money bosses have any stand
ing before the people but what they
can get by shouting Blaine. Their
conspiracy is carried on in his name.
His silence gives color to their asser-
ton, sanction to their movement and
when harmony in the party is so
absolutely essential to success if not
in their plot, or intending to reap the
benefit Of their success he should as
soon as he can nip their scheme in
bud by public announcement that
81 am not in it,and all use of my name
in any connection Herewith was I'M
authorized and without my sanction"
This much Mr. Blaine could and
ought to do and it would be an honor
to him to do. If permitted to run to
the end without notice from Blaine
he puts himself on the level with
Tom Platt, Quay, Clarkson. Alger and
the cheap money crowd, and poster
ity will do him the same justice it
does the lesser lights in the conspir-
acy. Yours truly
O. BROWN.