Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1893-02-03
As a Presidential Candidate.

In the Republican national convention
following these stirring events Mr.. Blaine
was the most prominent candidate for the
nomination. On the Sunday preceding
the convention, just as he was entering
church at Washington, he was Frustrated
by the heat, but the advocates of his NOM
ination remained mistaken in his support
On the first ballot he received 2S5 out of a
total of 754 votes, and on the seventh ballot
his vote rose to 351, lacking only 2S of
nomination. A union of the supporters of
all other candidates gave Gen. Hayes 1884
votes and secured his nomination. Imme
diately after the convention, on the resig-
nation of Senator Morrill, of Maine to &C
cept the secretaryship of the treasury, Mr..
Blaine was appointed senator to fill the un-
expired term, and in the following winter
was elected by the legislature for the full
ensuing term. He opposed the creation of
the electoral commission for the settlement
of the disputed presidential election of
1915.
On the currency question he always took
pronounced position. While a member
of the House in 1876 he made an elaborate
speech on the national finances and against
the perpetuation of an irredeemable paper
currency, and after entering the Senate he
took strong ground against the deteriora-
ton of the silver coinage. He opposed the
Bland bill, and when its passage was seen
to be inevitable he sought to amend it by
providing that the dollar should contain
425 grains of standard silver instead of
412t. In 1878 head vocated the estab-
lishment of line of mail steamers to Bra.
I'll and unhesitatingly urged the applica-
ton of a subsidy to this object.
Mr.. Blaine was warmly supported in the
Republican national convention of 1880,
when a third term for Gen. Grant was ad-
vocated. The convention lasted through
six days and on the Seth ballot Gen. Gar
field was nominated.
Mr.. Blaine was appointed secretary OF
state by President Garfield, but retired
after Garfeld's death, having made bril-
liant record during his TENURE of the office.
Upon his retirement from the cabinet
Mr.. Blaine devoted himself to preparing
his Twenty years in Congress" When
the Republican national convention met in
in Chicago in 1884, Mr.. Blaine was again
the leading candidate. On the first ballot
he received 3341 votes, President Arthur
27S, Senator Edmunds of Vermont 90, ant
Senator Logan 63t Mr.. Blaine was nom
mated on the fourth ballot receiving 54l
out of total of S13 votes. In the canvass
which followed Mr.. Blaine made remark
able series of speeches in Ohio, Indiana
New York and other states, his main sub
ject being the policy of protection to Amer
lean industries. The election turned upor
the result in New York, where Mr.. Blain'
was defeated by the small margin of 1O4
votes. Many people have always believed
that enough votes, cast for Gen. Butler il
New York and Brooklyn in that election
were wrongly counted for Cleveland to hav
given Mr.. Blaine the election. After tn
election Mr.. Blaine returned to Augusta an,
resumed work on his book. In speech il
his own city he arraigned the Democrat
party for carrying the election by suppress
ing the Republican vote in the South, an
cited figures of the returns to show that
on an average, only one-half or one-thir
as many votes had been cast for each pres
idential eector or member of Congress
elected in the South as in the North. Thi
speech had a startling effect and attracte
universal attention.
His Later Years.
in ~,