The Portland daily press., 1893-01-02

Gno art OF keeping MS own counsel, IHe
value of the dramatic surprise as well as
of the talk producing mystery. Flow he
finally came to the front with decision
which amazed the country, but more &C.
curely fixed him in the public eye as a
rising and courageous man, is a matter OF
history.
Then came long series of Blaine mys-
teries. Mr.. Blaine was candidate for
the presidential nomination of his party.
Could he secure it? Was he in earnest
or was he trying to throw the prize first
to another in hopes of picking it up for
himself later on? On the steps of q
Washington church he was taken sud-
denly ill, just before the nominating con-
vention at Cincinnati in 1875. Was he
seriously i'll, was it a case of sunstroke,
was he suffering from some organic dis
ease or was he acting part? There were
men mean enough to suggest the last
named explanation.
Beaten in 1875 by convention acci-
dent, discussion at once arose as to
whether he would be candidate again
in 1880. And beaten in 1880 by the Grant
forces, which stood like stone wall till
the convention ran away to a man who
had not been talked of at all, genuine
Blaine mystery materialized in the ques-
ton of what he was to do in 1884. Could
he win this time? And after he had been
nominated, could he be elected?
The bitterness of that campaign will
never be forgotten. There never was
anything like it before nor since, and we
all hope never will be, in the history of
American politics. The campaign war
fare of that year brought out most So
rious personal charge against Mr.. Blaine
and his family. It was paraded in the
newspapers. The country was divided
as to his guilt or innocence. Was he
the worst abused or the most insincere
of men? That campaign brought home
to every observer in the country the say
ing which had already become an axiom
that wherever James g. Blaine was con
cerned there was sure to be a mystery
which all felt they must solve and none
was able to solve. Fate seemed to con-
spire to emphasize the mystifcation al
ways attendant upon Mr.. Blaine's public
career, for after the election was over it
was several days before the country
knew for certainty whether Blaine or
Cleveland had been elected.
Before this there had been the mystery
as to whether he would or would not be
a member of President Garfeld's cabi-
net, and during his short service in the
Garfield administration the country was
asking itself what Mr.. Blaine was trying
to do with the South American republics
"a question which was not satisfactorily
answered for eight years, or till after
Blaine had again become secretary of
state
Mystery was piled on mystery. The
convention of 1888 approached, and as
usual there was a burning desire to
know whether or not Mr. Blaine would
take the nomination. This time it was
not a question whether he could get it,
but if he would take it were it offered.
In due time the mystery became almost
painful, when Mr.. Blaine endeavored to
set it at rest with a positive defamation
over his signature. But such was the
fate of this most remarkable mana
large part of the press and public in
sisted that he did not mean what he had
said, and that he must be nominated,
declination or no defamation. He did
come within an ace of having the prize
thrust upon him, and was himself the
only man who could have defeated him
self.
Would Mr. Blaine go into the Harrison
cabinet? For months this was the par
ticular form Of Blaine mystery which
had the country stirred from top to bot
tom. And when this had been decided
the form was varied little, and it be-
came, Would he and the president quar-
rel? or, Was it true that Mr.. Blaine was
about to resign: A hundred times with
in three years and half Washington
newspaper correspondents were sent fly
ing the capital over to run down one or
another of these mystifying and harass-
ing rumors.
What was Mr.. Blaine trying to do in
the pan-American business? Was Mr.
Blaine opposed to the Mckinley bill, and
did he smash his hat in senate commit
tee room? Did he and the president
nearly quarrel about the Gillian case?
What was Mr.. Blaine's attitude in that
international episode? Was it Blaine or
Harrison who carried on the correspond
ence with Italy over the New Orleans af-
fair? And after a time the old, old mys-
terry showed it's grizzly head again. Pub
lie men and newspaper men were set
wild with curiosity and disturbing I'M
certainty as to whether Blaine would ac-
cept presidential nomination.
For months and months this mystery
stalked up and down, refusing to be sat
isfed. At length came the letter of last
February declining, and following it,
of course, endless discussion Of its sin
certify and effect; then the convention.
the effort to nominate Blaine, the dis
cussion of his willingness and cognizance,
the resignation from the cabinet and de-
feat on the roll call.
Added to all these public and polit-
TOOL ,,o1,cta1.inc hac heap for wars the