New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1892-06-15
THE GREATNESS OF BLAINE.
When Out Of the Way his Enemies Admit
his Superior Powers.
He Lived Down Abuse, Says the Globe,
with brilliant Services to his Country.

He Lived Down Abuse, Says the Globe,
with brilliant Services to his Country.
Now that Blaine is safely out of poll.
tics, his opponents can afford to look at
him as he really is. The st. Paul Globe
for instance, which has always been bit
ter and malicious in its raillery of the,
brainy chief, NOW. says:
James G.sBlaine is the most pathetic
figure on the stage of contemporary his
tory. More than this is true. His end
ing. is sadder than that suffered by any
victim of popular fclleness and ingrati-
tude whom the memory of man can call
to mind. People sometimes. have COM
pared him with Clay and Webster, and
in these days of his humiliation parallels
are drawn between his fate and the dis
appointments of these leaders of an ear
! lier generation. But Blaine is a greater,
nobler, ADLER man than either Clay or
Webster Clay was a fierce, imperious
character, with a marvellous gift Of i'm
passioned oratory. But his education
was limited, his personal habits irregular.
and his power Of application small. He
formed the most immovable opinions
without careful investigation or study,
and adhered to them with tenacity sug-
gestive of narrow -mindedness. He was
an idol of the masses because his bearing
inspired admiration in the unthinking,
but the verdict of the scholars is against
his wisdom or his fitness to be president.
Webster's strength was partly in his per-
sonal appearance, partly in his extraor-
dinary logical powers, partly in his effec-
tiyeness as a public speaker. But his
character was not above reproach. He
drank too much. He did not pay his
debts. His personal ambition was so
great that he sacrificed his principles in
the hope of advancing it. Mr.. Blaine
has done what no other conspicuous
American has done. He has lived down
a tarnished reputation and wiped out its
stain by his services to his country.
Eight years ago he was defeated at the
polls because he was proved guilty, in
the eyes of his fellow citizens, of politi-
cal corruption and dishonesty. A weak
Z j Il. s. s.,
er personality would have been crushed
by such an experience. He rose superb
or to it. He turned his back on the past
and concentrated his admitted abilities on
constructive work of the highest value.
He selected Garfield and Harrison to be
presidents of the United States and gave
them the benefit of his counsel and assis-
tance. His discretion, his good judg
ment, his self-restraint, his broad sym
pathies and his appreciation of prevail
ing habits Of public thought have made
him his party's savior. Whateyeris pop
ular or defensible in the Republican leg
islation of the past decade was impaired
to it by his genius. He injected the on
lily elements Of vitality and patriotism
which have colored its dull, slavish sub
lection to the interests of classes and
monopolies. All the while he has been
harassed by uncertain, health and domes-
tic cares and yet heshas never lost his
courtesy, hisgenial carriage, his approach
ab,eness, his. charm of manner. The
weaknesses of immoral or careless meth.
DDS, which have touched SO many Of our
leading men, have not taken hold on him.
/ He has withstood the danger Of routine
and prominence, and has had the cour-
age to grow, even with the flight Of years,
Chastity is the tragedy which closes his
career. s'Time. the arch satirist, has in
/ deed had its joke out with him.