The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-06-09

the following brief letter was received by
President Harrison:
DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
WASHINGTON, June 4, 1892; l2:45 p. m.
respectfully beg leave to submit my resignation
of the office of Secretary Of State of the United
States. to which was appointed by you on the 9Th
of March, 1889. The condition of public business
in the Department Of State justfes me in re-
questnR that my resignation may be accepted i'm
medialely.
l have the honor to be. very respectfully, your
obedent servant
JAMES G. BLAINE.
President Harrison apparently lost no time
i'm accepting Mr.. Blaine's resignation. for the
| following, marked in Mr.. Blaine's own hand
| writing, Received five minutes Of 2oclock,"
was given to the press by the ex-Secretary of
State in time to be published III the afternoon
| papers:
| EXECUTIVE MANSION, /
WASHINGTON, June 4, 1897
| To THE SECRETARY STATE:
Your letter of this date rendering your resfgna-
ton of the Office of Secretary of State OF the United
| States has been received The terms in which you
| state your desires such TO leave me no
| choice but to accede to your wishes at once.
Your resignation is therefore accepted.
| BENJAMIN HARRISON.
The announcement of Mr.. Baine's resigna-
| ton came like clap Of thunder out of clear
| sky, as not even the suspicion of rumor pre-
ceded it. Men high in the favor of both the
| President and the Secretary of State were
amazed, and almost the first question that was
asked by everybody was what does this resig-
nation mean?" The general reply would in
variably be that the Maine statesman had taken
| this method of declaring himself as q candi-
date for the nomination at Minneapolis, to save
[ the trouble Of writing a letter to that effect
President Harrison notified his Cabinet of
the resignation, and they Immediately assem-
| bled at the White House for consultation on the
situation. Some of the Secretaries remained
| with the President for several hours, but what
took place was SO closely guarded that nothing
could be learned regarding it.
All sorts of rumors were afioat in Washing
ton regarding the matter. 1t appears that the
| resignation must have been determined on
very suddenly, for Mr.. Blaine had seen the
| President but once last week. and that was
during the 10 minutes he spent at the White
| House during the regular Cabinet meeting On
! Friday morning.
| Many people think that the resignation,
although undoubtedly precipitated by recent
occurrences, had its origin a long while ago.
and in causes more personal than political,
such as incompatibilty of temperament, which
| caused disagreementS over public questions,
| such as the settlement of the Chilean troubles.
Besides this, the conduct of injudicious friends
| of both Mr.. Harrison and Mr.. Blaine, In ascrib-
ing credit due to either in the enactment and
|
| the general conduct of the foreign affairs OF
this Government, including the management
of the Boring Sea controversy, has caused a
GOODNESS to spring up between the President
and his Secretary of State. 1t is also said that
| there has been great lack of cordial relations
between the families of Mr.. Blaine and Gen.
| Harrison, and that Mrs and Miss Blaine hardly
ever took part in the White House receptions.
| Another reason is also given, which is hardly
good one, and that is thu failure of tho Presi-
dent to promote COL Coppinger, Mr.. Baine's
| son.in-law, TO the vacant Brigadier. General
ship. All this, however, is mere rumor.
Secretary Blaine's resignation caused much
| excitement among the advance guard of poll
ticians and delegates at Minneapolis, the Secre-
tary's adherents claiming that it meant to q
| certainty that he was candidate for the nomi-
nation. The news was therefore received with
delight by the Blaine boomers while the
| Presidents forces were somewhat dismayed at
| the changed aspect of the situation caused by
| tho resignation. Consultations of the oppos-
| ing forces were Immediately held, and there
| was for time considerable talk of abandon
ing both President Harrison and Mr.. Blaine
| and taking up a new man, and Senator Sher.
man. Secretary Rusk, Gen. Alger and Senator
| Culium were talked Of. But again the aspect
was changed when it was announced that dis
| patches had been received from the President
| by the Indiana delegation asking them to
stand by him to the end. This had the eff
| feet of convincing the Blaine adherents that
they must also stand by their candidate to the
| end of the fight, and they consequently pre-
pared to meet the issue by abandoning the
| idea of a third candidate.
| Gen. Alger was therefore appealed to, and it
| seems not in vain, for he Immediately tele-
graphed to the Blaine managers: I" am in your
hands; do as you think best" Gen. Ayers
| friends Immediately held conference. 1t
was known that if Gen. Ayers name was pre-
sented to tho convention he would receive a
good many votes which would otherwise go
to Mr.. Blaine This might Indirectly aid
| President Harrison, and 1t was therefore
| agreed, without dissenting voice, that Gen.
| Ayers name had better not be presented to
the Convention. When notified of the result OF
the conference, Gen. Alger promptly wired his
willingness to retire from the field rather than
be put in nomination as rival candidate to
Mr.. Blaine.
! The news of Gen. Ayers withdrawal from
the race gave the Blaine boom consider
able impetus, and had correspond
ingy depressing influence on tho Presidents
friends although they continued to show a
bold front, and worked as energetically as
before.
All day on Sunday the adherents of both the
President and Mr.. Blaine, here In Washing
| ton, were busy in the interests OF their chiefs
| but both these gentlemen remained compare
| lively quiet. President Harrison attended
church as usual, and there were more than
the usual number of Sunday callers at the Ex-
ecutive Mansion. The President walked to
the church, his route being along Lafayette
| Park Immediately in front of the Blaine resi-
dence this being the most direct way from the
| White House to the church. The President
| partook of the Sacrament Of the Lords Supper
which was administered by DIR. Hamlin after
which he rode home, his carriage being in
waiting for him. Secretaries Foster and Ell.
kins were waiting for him. and private con.
| ference was held until lunch time Later in
the day Attorney General Miller came to the
Mansion ard was coseted with the President
| for some time.
Mr. Blaine, his wife and son, James g. ir.
went out driving in the afternoon, and in the
| evening several callers were admitted to the
| house. among whom were Senator Chandler oil
| New Hampshire; Sir Julian Pauncefote, and
| Hon. John w. Foster. AT 6:30 in the afternoon
| Mr.. Blaine drove out again, returning after
| dark. Lights were put out early at the resi-.
| dence.
1t is said by astute politicians that If little
| more work and zeal were shown by the Nc
| Kinley men, the Mckinley spark would swell
into roaring fame notwithstanding the
uttcrances of Gov. Mckinley, who is one oil
| the Ohio delegates at-large, that he is not a
candidate and will support President Harrison
to the end of the contest 1t is growing eyi.
dent that unless either Gen. Harrison or Mr.
| Blaine receive the nomination on the first bal.
lot, dark horse will become necessary, and
Ohio's well-groomed Executive stands the best