The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-11-30
BLAINE AS AN AUTHOR.
lie Was ON the PoInt OF writing Lilo OF
GaTnrld.

hhfHclus
Lewiston (Slul Journal: @. @. Has
kohl, Of Norwich, Conn, president Of a
publishing company, hua been telling
tho tIOry Of tho Blaine book, Ho aaye;
ut happened in thia wise. Immediate
y aliqr the assassination Of Garfield it
occurred to me that life Of Garfield by
james Il. blaina.- would bo q valuable
book, | wired Mr.. Blaine Ut Augusta,
and waited in vain Tor reply, then
started Tor Maine, leaving word that
were u reply to my dapalCn received II
should bo rGlurwardGd to me, i stopped
al Auburn, but no Dispatch reached mo
lhoTc, Then went TO Augusta, ! had
never mot MIR, BIalue, and called with
some iorubodlnga, and sent up my'caTd.
Mr. BiuinU renewed mo cordially IN hld
library aud at once put mo ut Hase.
Have you received q dispatch ir0m
MOP | asked, Worry likely said MIR.
Blaine, pointing 10 u big pile OF un'
opened mail, 'but YOU s1e 1t takes time
to got to tho bottom OF tho pile. May l
ask what your proposal tsg
"Iheu unlolled my plan. said:
There's no man in this country who
could write SO elective biography OF
MIR, Garfield as you, Mr., BialUB--and
that Tor obvious reasons, You hava
beon intimately associated with Gar.
field; he was shot down NJ your sldoi
you can have access to original doGu'
manls, no doubl. Tho book you'd ha u
great success, believe our company
could aoll u million volumes, Then |
outlined tho royalty that | would bo
glad to pay, which in my judgment, |
said 10 Elaine, would net YOU quar-.
ter million dollars far writing the book,
Blaine instantly ppIisd; 'lwant every
dollar OF tho profit from this book to 80
to Mollis Garfield. l should not accept
a cent
AFTER further conference dispatch
was sent to Mrs. Garfield suggesting the
plan. went back TO Norwich, but no
word OF reply was received from Mrs,
Garfield, got ready my prospectus,
but OF cOuraO could put out nothing uu-
Ill matters wero settled with her, After
waiting till | was unable longer to do
lay, went to Mentor, Ohio, whore she
at that time resided, and uad an inter-
view. The interview amazed me. Mrs,
Garfield had inlrusted the biographical
issue to two or three friends, aud shs
hesitated. lsaw those friends, aud put
tho case to them. The objection raised
was not that Mr.. Blaine would not
write go d biography, but that Il was
thought the contemplated work should
not be written by u personal friend.
You know ths results, Biographies OF
Garfield we got, but We lost BlainO's
Garfield.
"You may be sure went back to
Norwich with heavy heart" con-
tiuued Mr.. Haskell. "But it occurred
to mo that there was q work which
Blaine might write even oil more Ondur.
ing worth. Twenty Years in Congress
were tho words that rung in my ears.
| again visited Blaine and broached tho
subject 10 him. lie was not in the best
Of health, and he was yet immersed In
politics, and he hGsitated. visited
him repeatedly, and no agreed 10 write
the book, but he was not ready to sign
the contract. Finally | mo him in
New York. Gail Hamilton advised
him to sign the contract aud haston TO
tho execution OF II work for which he
obviously possessed eminent fitness
both 10 experience aud in literary art.
Finally he signed tho contract--and SGT
himself to work in his library, but be-
ioro he had done it no had been APP
preached by a Now York publisher,
who said; Whatever you are offered
for writing Twenty Years in Congress
we'll double tho price That tempting
and strange offer. however, did not in
tho least change Mr.. BlainO's deter.
mination to give the publication OF tho
book to the house that had suggested
"a