Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1892-06-16
BLAINE AND HARRISON.
Their Disagreement the Result OF
Beud0ir, Drawing and Rall.RoOm
0nnrrals-A prankish YnunR Man.

B0udOir, Drawing aud Rail. Room
Quarrels-A Prankish Young Nan.
Town Topics.l
1t has rarely happened in this
country that the quarrels of the boudoir
and drawing.room came to play any
part in the council chamber OF diplo-
mats or the committee room of poll
ticians. And because of the very
rarity OF the occurrence, the sensa.
tional outcome OF the long standing
hostility between the women folk Of
the Blaine and the Harrison house.
holds is all the moro likely to attract
interest and arouse comment.
Several months ago equsbbles and
chickering's were even then VIGOROUSLY
frequent between the wife and
daughter of the President, on the one
hand, and the wife of the Secretary,
on the other, and it SO became evident
that such was the influence OF Mrs.
Blaine upon tho Secretary that these
apparently trivial tiffs in the social
order Of the administration would
effectually bring about an estrange-
ment between the President and his
oosdjutor of state.
1t is admitted by Mr.. Blaine's
closest and friendliest in.imates that
Mrs. Blaine was the most potent
factor in the Secretary's final but off,
deferred determination to break away
from his obligations to the man who
made him q Cabinet officer in the face
OF an illness that, for the better part
of his incumbency, untitled lin for
the duties of the post. There is little
doubt that Mr.. Blaine. left to his own
will and pleasure, would have chosen
to pass his days Of age and ailment in
the peace aud quiet OF private life.
But this am bilious spouse wllled other.
wise. Spurred on, possibly, by her
desire of position and importance, but
more probably by her yearning for the
power and opportunity to crafty old
grudRes and new enmities, she pre-.
vailed on the ex Secretary to try con.
illusions with the President in open
warfare. l quoted last week Mrs.
Blaine's remarkably tart uttesanee
that "the Harrisons are in the White
H ,use by Mr.. Blsine's sufferance, and
they seem to forget that fact" She
has certainly taken very effective
measures to remind them OF it.
1t is not within my certain knowl-
edge who is mostly to blame for the
pregnant feud between the two
houses. But do know that the
Harrisons are mild tempered, easy.
going lndianians, with but little social
mbition beyond maintaining the
rights and dignities of their place and
securing proper recognition for Baby
Mckee. Years OF residence under
the bilious and dulling influence of
Hoosier malaria are not calculated to
breed any intense interest in socisl
briiliancy or aristocratic precedence.
Secure of their rank under the shadow
Of their grandfather's hat, the jostline
and elbowing for the top of the lad
der of fashion had no place in their
humdrum lives. So il is not very
likely that they were the FIRST to give
the oifense that precipi,ated break
with the Blaines.
For Mrs. Blaine, on tho other hand,
to find occasion fer difference with
those about her is just as natural as
for the clouds to thunder, the winds
to rage, and the rain to fall. 1t is not
within my province or concern to de al
with the little chickering's of tea. table
and dinner>party; but in the present
instance they have worked such no.
mentous and far>reaching conse.
quenc-s that they rise to the dignity
of matter Of genuine import. 1t i,
easily credible that Mrs. Blaine's
ready temper, her sharp and pepper,
retort, her eagerness to take offense
and her stubborn memory of ever
fsncied slight, led her Into predeter'
mined discord with the President,
household.
| Anent tire interesting domestic
wrangle that has resulted in wha. ma,
prove to be an irreparable breach i,
one Of the dominant parties of the ma
ton, my Washington correspondent
writes:
"In the society Of the capital Mr.
Blaine's resignation from the Cabine,
with all that it carried with it, is gen
orally deemed the outcome of differ
ences social rather than political
And the responsibility oft all, strangel
enough. goes back to such an unob
vious cause as Mr.. Blaine's younges
son. In the early days OF the admin
istratien this sportive youth was pa,
ticuiarly free and extravaRant in hi