Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1892-05-27

about the ina OF Mr.. Blaine In
stead of that of Mr.. Harrison. They do
not know and l do not know positively
that Blaine has determined to beat Harri-
son, but there are indications that Mr..
Blaine is permitting his friends to under
stand that he will accept If nominated at
Minneapolis.
The friends OF the president say he could
not have appointed Colonel Coppinger
brigadier general, because Coppinger stood
second from the bottom Of the list of
%eligibles, and his promotion under these
circumstances. would have been destruct-
i've of discipline in the army, besides being
an injustice to the men who stood near the
top. Mr.. Blaine's friends contend that the
secretary had voluntarily declined to be a
candidate for the presidential nomination
when it was within his power to get the
nomination by simply asking for it; that
his withdrawal cleared the field for the
president, and that such a great obligation
should have been met by the president in
any way in his power. To refuse to pro-
mote a man whose promotion Mr.. Blaine
asked for was. in the opinion of the secre-
tary's friends, rank ingratitude.
MT. Blaine is not a candidate for the
nomination to be made at Minneapolis. No
one pretends that he is. But his most in
innate friends give it as their conviction
that he will accept if nominated, and I
nave inside information to the effect that
it is upon this assumption that they intend
to proceed. They do not even intend to
ask him if he will accept, knowing that
this is not a fair question. They will sim
ply go ahead and nominate him, and with
the question thus raised they feel confident
OF what Mr.. Elaine answer will be, At
the present time Mr.. Blaine is in such a DO
sltlon that he cannot even Indicate a will
lngness to accept. Having announced that
he will not be a candidate there is nothing.
left for him to do but to do nothing. He
is trying to discourage his friends from
supporting him, and insists that he does
not want the nomination. But since they
believe thai he will accept, and us they are
determined on the strength of that to go
ahead, the reader may understand that, in
the absence of another declaration from
Mr.. Blaine, more emphatic than the one
which he has already made, an effort will
be made to stampede the convention for
him at Minneapolis.
During the last month Mr.. Blaine has
grown steadily in strength and. activity
For the first time in a year he has appeared
ike his old self. He shows himself as
much as possible in public. He takes long
walks, attends the theater often, visited
the circus the other day and was as joyous
as a boy in his appreciation of the wonders
and umor of the performance, and not
long since surprised every one at the Capt.
toll by making his appearance there to
argue before II committee in favor of q bill
IN which the department of state is inter-
ested. All this activity, this apparent re-
vival of health and strength, gives hone to
those friends who want to make him presi.
dent.
The men who intend to nominate Blaine
have prepared for him a very comfortable
programme. After the nomination they
say he is to write a short letter of accept.
ance and spend the remainder of the sum
mer at Bar Harbor. They do not want any
campaign speeches from him, they would
not have him bother himself receiving del
egations. If Blaine should be elected they
contract to keep the office hunters and
politicians away from him and protect him
They want him to spend the coming win
ter at Augusta in semiretirement, and to
come to Washington March 3 next with his
cabinet already chosen. @sy
Then they would have President Blaine
bring about n much needed reform in the
presidential office by refusing to take
charge in person Of the distribution of
offices. They contend, and rightly, that
under the existing practice a president of
the United States simply wears out his life
listening to the appeals Of rival aspirants
for appointments, whereas all but the most
important of these cases should be heard
and finally decided by the cabinet officers
under whose jurisdiction they would nat
urally fall. Mr.. Blaine's friends would
have him shut himself up in the White
House, see only his ministers md persons
of prime Importance and abolish the sense
less American custom of handshaking and
public l~evees, whose only purpose is to tire
out the president and satisfy the curiosity
of the crowd. Serving as this sort of n
president, Blaine's friends argue that lie
IS strong enough to endure the cares of
office, and that there is no reason why he
should not accept the nomination.
This is a very pretty plan, and it may
be carried out. But the reader should not:
lose sight of the fact that Mr.. Blaine is a
peculiar man. He is well and apparently
ambitious today, smarting somewhat I'M
der the presidents unwillingness to do
some things which nave been. asked Of
him, but next week he may be feeling de-
spondent and without a word of warning to
his friends write a letter which will make
it impossible for them to nominate him at
minneapolis. Mr.. Blaine has always been
a fatalist as to the presidency. He has not
for eight or ten years at least believed that
he could ever attain the summit Of his
ambition. Intimate friends of his nave
detailed to me conversations which they
have had with him On this score, CONVEX
sations in which he showed himself to be a
pronounced, almost a pitiful ~fatalist. Yet
this strange man may have shaken off
even his fatalism, and with apparently
returning health renewed the ambition Of
his younger years.
You see much talk in the newspapers Of
other aspirants for the presidency and Of
other possible nominees of the Minneapolis
convention. Let me tell my readers that
in the Judgment of the men here who
have both information and wisdom the
Republican nominee must be either Blaine
or Harrison.
Not to weary you with details, / can.
assure you that with Blaine out Harri-
son will be- renominated so easily that IN
my judgment the opposition will not. care
to make a stand or ask for a roll call. But
with Blaine in the field the 600 uninstruct-
ed delegates will with practical unanimity
1 49, 49, -Ls 49, = - H-Y -LNE ~