New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1892-01-06
DEFENDING Mr.. BL AINE.
Alden ]. Blethen in the Minneapolis Jour
nal Fights for the Plumed
Knight.
Against the Attacks Of the Tribune he
Utters Fine Sentiments for the Re
publican Leader.
No Other Living Man Could Have Polled
the Vote in Minnesota that
Blaine Did.

upon our present secretary Of state and
q number Of his Minneapolis admirers,
Alden }. Blethen penned the following
letter to the Minneapolis Journal, full
Of fine sentences and excellent pointers
for the malignersof the nation $ leading
statesman:
Let us examine the situation a little
from q historical standpoint and see
whether or not this attack upon great
statesman by a newspaper which has
been uniformly his warmest friend and
supporter and the just criticisms made
by some of his warm friends can be
properly classed under the head of ga
tempest in a teapot. 9
The personal history Of Mr.. Blaine is
familiar toeVery man who ever cas-. a
vote for q presidential candidate in the
United States. His brilliant career
from the time he entered the legislature
of the state of Maine in the early 6O's,
through his cotinued service in congress
both as member and speaker, his ca
reer as United States senator, his
association as secretary Of state in the
administration of the late lamented
Garfield, the magnificent canvass Of
1884, resulting as it did in victory IN
every Republican state in the union,
with the exception of New York, and a
defeat there of only 1000 votes, together
with his magnificent career as secretary
OF state in the present administration,
are matters of history with which every
man who has any interest in the pro-
gress and stability Of his government,
or the success OF his party, are quite
familia.. There is not a man in the
Northwest to-day who does no. know
that that great majority of 10000 votes
which Minnesota gave Mr.. Blaine in
1884 could not have been duplicated by
any other living man.
In the late contest for the national
Republican convention. Col. G. w.
johnson, clerk of the u. S. senate, al
though perhaps never an enthusiastic
Blaine man, assured the newspaper re-
porters of the national capital that ..9O
per cent. of the Republican party Of che
Northwest were unanimous for James
G. Blaine as candidate for the next
Republican contest" Similar express
sions were made by United States sena-
tors.
In a recent interview Col. Conger, OF
Ohio, said that Mr.. Blaine s.was 100000
votes stronger than his party And
there is not a man to-day who has the
best interests of his party al stake and
who desires the perpetuity of his party
but that knows that the words of Col.
Conger and Col. johnson are more than
true.
To-day I yield not one jot or title to
any man in my admiration for the adj
ministration of Gen. Harrison. It has
been one OF the most perfect, faultless
and complete administrations that has
been made by the Republican party
since the days of Abraham Lincoln.
But / do not forget that the brilliancy
of this administration owes vast debt
of gratitude to this same man, James
g. Blaine, who as secretary of state has
formulated, brought forward and put in
active operation his new doctrine of
reciprocity for the benefit of American
industries. = I do not forget that had
| litnot been for the vigorous conduct of
Mr.. Blaine, exercising the full power Of
his office, that to-day there would be no
law upon the American statutes upon
which this doctrine could rest even, SO
that the credit for even the originality
of the idea, to say nothing Of its having
q foundation upon which to build, is
wholly, absolutely and entirely due to
the efforts Of Mr.. Blaine.
Neither do I forget that by reason of
the remarkable history of this great
man, and especially BY reason of his
conspicuous stand before the American
public to-day as the champion of this
new doctrine. that hundreds of thous-,
ands Of well-wishers to the Republican
party have been given new hope. new
strength, and, if this doctrine can be
carried to q successful end, new lease
Of party power.
s In view Of these things is itany won
der that when an attorney in one Of the
remote states Of the Union, who has
been engaged 10 prosecute tho divorce