The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1893-02-10

the rank and fle for the nomination-he would
not have been investigated with the acrimony
that was displayed by his opponents in the
democratic party, and that was sympathized
with and aided in a measure by the enemies he
had made with his sharp tongue in his own
party. or course the attacks made on him in
congress had something 10 do with his defeat at
the convention, but it was chiefly the internal
strife OF the party that beat him.
In 1sSj Blaine was candidate for president
before the Chicago Convention Gen Grant
was candidate for q third term. and after
bitter contest Gen Garfield received the nomi
nation Mr.. Blaine went earnestly TO work &c
secure the election OF the republican candidate
and was successful
In 1884 he received the nomination for presi-
dent but was defeated by Grover Cleveland
From this defeat he never fully recovered. His
friends were anxious for him to go before the
convention in 1887. but he declined 20 do so and
Gen Harrison was nominated and elected over
Cleveland
In the Cabinet.
Mr.. Blaine was first made secretary Of state
in 1899. Gen Garfield's nomination TO the
presidency had been accomplished in the repub-
lican convention by a combination Of the friends
of Blaine and Sherman On Mr. Garnelds
election Mr.. Blaine was rewarded with The first
place in the cabinet 1t was then that he began
to develop his schemes of commercial inter
assumed definite form, became known as
reciprocity" The first necessity was TO Sc
cure and preserve pence throughout the eonti-
nent. He planned to cultivate closer CONNER
cial relations with the republics in South Amer
lea He issued an invitation for conference
to be held in Washington on November "a, 1882
All the independent countries in North and
South America were invited and all but two of
them accepted the invitation. The assassina-
tion Of Pres den, Garfield and Mr.. Blaine's sub
sequcnt retirement from the cabinet blocked
the plans and the conference was not held.
Mr.. Blaine was called TO the cabinet the
second time on the election Of President Har-
rison. 1t has been said that his appointment
was dictated by Tho people There was GER
tainly popular clamcr for him. He was ap-
pointed on March 6. 1873. He entered on the
duties Of the Office with L vim and vigOr that
were Characteristic One of his plans was the
annexat tiOn Of Hawaii. Another was Tccipr1C-
ity. The people for time gave credit to Mr.
Blaine for almost every act of the administra-
tiol. Finally a cooiness arose between
the president and the secretary OF state.
After the Italian affair came the trouble
with Chilli In the beginning the corre-
spondence was carried on by Mr.. Blaine
Matters seemed in far way TO be amicably
arranged when the ItIta incident came. At
that point Mr.. Blaiue dropped out of the con
iroversy entirely. He virtually retired from
CoblltI anu htuL 10 il' Z dt HIS
home in Bar HlrboT. The correspondence was
carried on by Assistant Secretary Wharton un-
der the direction of the president There is
reason to believe that the president and MI
Blaine differed radically on the policy TO be
adopted in handling this affair Mr. Blaine. IL
was said, was for peace first and above every
thing. The correspondence itself showed that
the president was for reparAtion for the attack
on the Bai;imore's sailors at any cost
Ono of Mr. IS1aipp-S moves an his taking
the Office of secretary OF state under President
Harrison was to renew the reciprocity scheme
that he had planned when he WAS in Gariield's
cabinet The pan-Amercan conference, for
which the invitations we're issued during Gar
fields term. was held. The sessions were pro-
ionged for five months, and exhaustive reports
were received on commercial union. interna-
ticnal arbitration and kindred things. While
the body had no treatv-maling powers and its
recommenda ations were, therefore, not of bind
ing force they went long way toward adyanc-
ing treaty plans ana promoting commercial
unicn-
Mr.. Blaine resigned from the cabinet last
June having long time been in i'll health.
MIR. nIaine'- Religion.
As everyone knows, Mr. Blaine had always
been beset by stories that he was at heart a
Roman Catholic that he was actuall. a mem
Der of the Roman church that he was about
to become Roman Catholic In the cam
paign OF 1875 his enemies started the story in
a most able manner, and it gained such cur
rencv that he made q public denial rs fol-
lows:
''The charge is very provoking, considering
the motive tnat inspires IT, and veTT exasper-
atiug when / see il connIved at, il not in fact,
by men who sat with me in Presbyterian
Bible class. The charge is part and parcel OF
the tactics OF the Cameron gang 20 rob me OF
the PENNSYLVANIA delegates, when, in fact. four
if,hs of the republicans of the state desire my
But from time to time the rumor started
again. Recently IL rcappeared in the form OF
positive statement that Mr.. B.aiue, lying at
the point OF death, had sent for the priests and
had either been received into the church or had
made his las. confession and had received ex-
treme unction. This story was as positively
and circums tantially denied as the others. The
for these rumOrs Law in the fact that
Mr.. Blaine's Ilother was Roman Catholic, and
that his wife and part of the family were ad
herenis of the Roman church.
Mr.. T. C. kerens, OF St Louis, who has been
an intimate friend ot Mr. Blaine for years.
when asked as 10 the religious views Of the de.
ceased statesman, said: "Alr Baines religious
and beliefs are some things that can
not be spoken of with certainty by anyone. ]
don't believe that anyone ever really grasped
his religious views"
1t is impossible TO give any very reliable esti-
mate Of Mr Blaine's fortune. A few years ago.
after the campaign Of 1884 it was
said that Mr. Blaine was almost ruined finan-
cially. When his book appeared and found such
a wide sale IL was said that the profits from il
had set him upon his feet again. Other sources
have it thar Mr.. Blaine laid the Foundation OF a
considerable fortune in the Spencer rife con
tracts in the war time, and that continued rail-
md
had. on the whole, increased this fortune 10
considerable proportions, to sl,O0J,0J0 or 2OO',-
OJO
BIaine's Family.
Mr. Blline's family consists OF Mrs Blaine
his two daughters. Mrs Damrosch and Miss
Hattie Blaine. and his SON. James G. Blaine,
Jr He had three other children Walker and
Emmons Blaine ard Mr.. Coppilger, now dead
Walker Blaine was never maTric1 Emmons
Bidine mlrricd daughter Of McCormacl:, the
res per ma. and left one child At his death
Hrs. Ccpp niger left TWO chi dreI who generally
have lived with their grdndInO ther, Mrs Blaine,
but just now are with their father, Col Coppin-
ger. OF the United States army, and James
Blaine the third, now with his mother, Miss
Nevins
Tus :ew Lett.
The ravages OF time or the vicissitudes OF
political life are strongly acccltUlted b. the
fact that in a house composed OF S3s members
to-day there are but twelve members who
served in the house with Bl sine in the Forty
fourth or prior congresses These are Holman.
O'Neal. OF Pennsylvania, Harmer. Hooker,
j! cunt. Burrows. Springer, Forney. CulheTt-
son. Bland. Henderson. of Illinois. and ketch-
am. There are out seven Of those ~ho served
with Mr. Blaine in the senate remaining in the
body where he served So honorably and SO well.
They are Senators Allison, Coclzrell, Dawes,
German, Mitchell Morrill, and Ransom, four
republicans and three democrats.
MR. RLAINE'S DISEASE.