Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1893-02-04

anu father, has suffered much and went
bitter tears over his losses and wounds
May all these be closed-as they Will be
with the closing of the gravel
Blaine's rise TO public notice was aus
picious, but not singular He entered
easily-and successfully into the stormy
life Of politics. He devoted himself to
that pursuit with native zest under the
sharp spur of an unusually active am
biuon. His early experiences in jour
nalism stood him well in hand. The
period IN which he held the editorial pen
was precisely that in which the old style
Of explosive and redundant oratory was
giving place to the exacter and truer
forms OF speech.
The transformation demanded that the
orator Of the new period should be a man
Of exact language and cogent argument
Blaine's quick and capacious mind con-
formed readily and in excellent measure
10 the new demand, and when he ad-
yanced TO the national platform he went
with the equipment of perfect linguistic
forms a fair measure of imagination
and ever improving argumentative re
sources.
The editorial career of Blaine had an
intrinsic as wen as secondary merit. BY
his pen he commanded his first public
applause. The young Republican party
had the Pathfinder for its candidate
Blaine was in at the birth. He was then
twenty-six years of age He was dele
gate to the audacious convention which
nominated Fremont for the presidency
Such candidate was worthy of such
support. The aspiring young Maine ed
itor made his columns fame with passion
and appeal. Glorious spring days were
those Wien human liberty began to re
vive Happy fortune Of the young men
Of 1856 10 appear ON the stage when truth
was put O. trial; when party debate had
not yet Gcscaerated into wrangle, in
trigue and falsehood; when the defense
of principle still promised as fair reward
as is uoW promised Tor hateful subsery-
iency 10 the caucus! Blaine's virgin ed
itori-l5 were eagerly sought by the jour
nalists Of Boston and were reprinted III
Ohio and Michigan. His name was al
ready hoard as far as Minnehaha and the
Platte.
James g. Blaine entered the house Of
representatives. in 1863 TO continue in
active service in that body for fourteen
consecutive years. This was the period
in which he achieved his national repu-
tation He was one of the many aspiring
young civilians upon whom the after
forces and passions Of the great war
played and reacted with striking effect
In proportion as his faculties were strong
er and his ambitions more prevalent thar
those of his fellow members he rose above
them until only a few competitors re-
manned of like stature and mettle. On
one side was seen in the same rank with
himself the persistent Garfield, and on
the other the magnificent and arrogant
Conkling These three perhaps already
saw tho presidency afar off. They also
saw each other. Not all of them could
reach the goal,
Blaine at this epoch had many advan-
tages. In addition to native gifts and
well earned attainments he had the powe.
of growth He was always a growing
man. To the end Of his ca-eer-or very
nearly to the end-he continued to branch
and flourish. His growth was strong
and conspicuous. Each year added to
his stature His figure, his intellectual
and personal life, became picturesque
and striking,
Herein is a difference between the
strong man and the weak The strong
man grows long and well. The weak
man grows for a short space and then
grows no more, He has brief efilores-
cence and then a dwarfsh delivery Of
sour fruit! But the strong man grows
and continues to flourish in thought aid
spirit to the end of his days.
1t were not amiss to ascribe to James
G. Blaine this unusual power of develop
ment Have his last years been years Of
weaknes-? Has there been in him intel
lectual decline? Has he had an epoch Of
senility and the second childhood Of old
age2 Nay, the last estate has not been
of this color in the case of the great
secretary.
We need not here repeat to what ex-
tent James G. Blaine wrought himself
and his purpose into the legislation and
history of his times. Three times speaker
of the house of representatives in the
stormy and anarchic period which fol-
lowed the civil war, he must needs have
contributed much to those public meas
ures in which the current history of our
country was recorded. Upon all of the
issues arising in the train of the re-