Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1893-01-30
Ever and anon while still in the house

! original force the nrSU sparks OF tnat
policy between which and the high jingo-
ism of British politics so many points of
similarity may be discovered. 1t may
be defined as the policy of acute Ameri-
cdHism! 1t develops itself into the
theory of the complete segregation of the
American republics and of the affiliation
of all under the Rgis of the United
| States 1t is form of patriotic indig-
nation of which one of the fundamental
principles is attachment to the Irish
cause and aversion to British influences
on this side of the sea. 1t is probable
that the doctrine of protection, to which
Blaine gave such powerful and rational
advocacy, was by him held as secondary
to the deeper motive of American self
sufficiency and of the confirmation of
the United States in the primacy of the
three Americas
Blaine's whole career in congress was
spectacular and dramatic. The genius
of the man favored display and great
acting. Without doubt Blaine had the
power to grasp situation, to extract
from it its dramatic elements and to
work those elements into a scene. In
this particular American history has not
furnished his equal. His audacity al
ways stood him well in hand. Time and
again he was brought into collision with
dangerous men and still more dangerous
facts. 1t may be doubted whether In
such contingencies he ever suffered dis
paragement, to say nothing of defeat.
| Time and again he issued from the most
serious complications, portending ruin
to his fortunes, with victory on his crest.
In such contests there is little doubt that
he was capable of supplying in his own
cause, by well placed fiction and unsup-
| ported defamation, those elements of
fact which truth withheld. In the crises
of his career he was wont to shoot the
rapids like a sllillful and daring boat
man, There We're days when his proud
ship and valuable cargo were crowded
hard between Scylla and Charybdis, but
he always went through with shout
and was answered by the roar of the sur
rounding seas.
We may here refer at once to Blaine's
personal antagonisms and ever recurring
encounters. No other American states
man of great rank has had so many and
such serious battles. Some were battles
with men and others with circum-
stances. These cost the gladiator dearly
1t was his antagonism, be it said, that
finally stranded him on the shores lis
side of the White House He attacked,
and attacked bitterly, all of his rivals.
He seemed to be inspired with the belief
that he must vanquish them and put
them down. As he rose toward the
speakership, and from the speakership
toward the presidency, he discerned witn
clear eye the facts and the men with
whom he had to contend. There was
Roscoe Conkling for one. Blaine at
tackled Conkling, and in that hour Mem.
esis looked down from the gallery He
eyed Morton askance. He saw Garfield
with jealousy which became acute as
Garfield pressed up to his flank His
impetuosity knew no bounds. At time:
, it seemed that he could not curb him
self. He flung sarcasms and ironies ant
i invectives by the handful. They strucl
, where they might. His was to be lead
} ership by conquest and by the humila
ton of the foe
In Blaine there was, however, strong
mingling of the calm, the judicial the
conservative method. Strange how just
he could bel The house of representa-
tives never had better or truer speaker
His personality in the desk was immense.
AS presiding officer he not only won but
merited universal respect. His rulings
were impartial. His eye had the glance
of the eagle, and his pose and self posses
sion were magnificent. He was capable
of justice and truth. He would not
brook such infamy as the caucus occa,
sionally propounded. At one time he
was well nigh losing the allegiance of his
party by defiant counter ruling in fa-
vor of the Democracy. The strange
thing about Blaine was that though he
in that crisis set himself against the
first force bill with the determination of
duty and truth we are still left doubt
full whether he was inspired with the
belief that his ruling was good politics
for himself or whether he felt the power
of the speakers oath upon his conscience.
If Blaine attacked his great rivals with
all the resources of his genius, what shall
we say Of the onset upon the political
foe in both houses? The recriminations
of the war were hot within There was
one spectacular episode after another.
Did Blaine purposely devise and plan
the situation and the day of his famous
deliverances? At any rate he provoked
Benjamin II. Hill and made him his foil.
Jefferson Davis should not be pensioned
as Mexican veteran-not indeed because
he had been president of the Confed-
eracy, but because he had been responsi
BILE for Andersonville and Libbyl That
indeed was a bombshell. 1t exploded.
and the roar of it was heard to Califor.
MIA. Vainly did the man of Georgia raj
ly and countercharge and assail. He
was vanquished, and the plume of Blaine
was the one conspicuous sign seen above
the field.
The age following the civil war was
corrupt. That word, in its radical sense,
means broken up and confounded. The
times conformed exactly to this defini-
ton. The sluices of redundant cur