New-York tribune., 1903-02-01
BLAINE'S BIRTHDAY.
.Some Reflections on Political E0e"ts
IN Which He Took Chief Part.
BY Murat Halstend.

Yesterday was the birthday of James G. Blaine.
.se t.s horn on the last day of the first month or
1920 He was a man of such fascinating qhahtleS
that those who did not desire to accept ms NM y
ence as irresistible were warned not 10 coihii't
tbemsplves to acquaintance with him. He was "A
man n. extraordinary gifts. and among them an
understanding of situations that was marvellous
He had no rival in the native ntelligence-the sou,
exact information and the ihtuitiohs t.ia' ,
him TO map out the future and survey the eie
of public opin:on-the attractions and repuisloil'
the Glacial drifts and the driving currents Ills
a-t ne navigation was consummate searnanshlp-
His training that of a teacher OF schooia
and an editor. and If there was personal ied'0'
why he did not reach the Presidency 1t was eecause
he did not enter the profession Of the law HIS
rotations TO public affairs a lawyer would nave
ror,o,ad nre;1dice and rebuked SANDER. he was
held to a standard of integrity because ne was d
statesman. different from that OF the professionals
nan His understanding of enterprises. of the fore
shadowinss as we'll the achievement OIL great
works of Improvement was so well sronhoeu 'hat
be was prophetc In his foresight of events ana
the far reaching comprehension of that WHICH ue
veoped in his far flashing mind was oased upon '
same ability on a larger scale that plays gaines o
chess when the boards which the pieces al
,,o,.od GRO unseen except they are pictured III
memory and grasped by calculations OF chahces'
measurements of the skill of opponents p'h'i "
tables of iosarithms ut, :.
Nn,b,re can ever take from him his position IN
Ia
,,,r,. He will be involuntarily remembered ana
honored among the class Of statesmen oil <Ainei ~
for whom the conditions SURROUNDING "ei0 =
;oned that they did not become Presioeh'S h'
one of the very few the people eApec'eu -
the Presidency by reason OF his strehsth anu p
to,a1 orinacv and were disappointed that ne u'u
not It was a distinction for him. as tor oiaS @ ai
Webster not to be President he had Seii'
that the office of Secretary OF state was ohe %
eo,,a, dignity though of less conspculfy 'hh 'iie
that
splendid though less exalted ,
A series of accidents incalculabie-even MS iote
almost mystical. did not discover the" III 'i
nrsvented his nomination for the great office IN
1875 THE three men who were more Instrumental III
do<.o+ne his nomination than others oflclal-Jo-
senb Medilj Richard South and Murat Halsledo
soon realized. after the mistake they Haoe " :" as %
irreparable that they had been mistaken lneS
were regretful and repentant, ana the ioiise' '
lived the greater the certainty grew and the
It was defined to them that they had gone wrong
in the crisis when they were SO paceu 'hd' '"'
had lifetime opportunity, and iost lt-ho' ''i
the Indulgence of pique. but rather Oh d sehei
tive pride OF opinion that held too long 10 error
honestly committed. But Blaine. that time "oulu
have overcome all anita gonism-but for an accident
He had already the fight. when stricken on
Sunday morning entering church with his wiIe' ,ile
struggle welnigh as he had reason 10 oe-
leve the delegates assembling IN Clhclnhau, ne
tainted from exposure to the sum- whose rays haa
always before been welcomed by his vital forces
for until that hour he was best described oy MS
own word-stalwart. The church was. to- him a
sanctuary where there change, calm Sc
oiusion for a welcome hour from the stiffness thdt
was stormy without and his fall. like a bolt from
the blue caused panic that turned the tlde OIL
fortune. has happened on many a memoraoie
field of battle.
Just before the meeting Of the National Repub-
Iicsn Convention of 1854 Mr. Blaine became
alarmed" as he said, fearing that the movements
OF the Republicans who were pressing his nonina-
ton could not be counteracted. He believed II
was unwise. for as he looked into the future ne
saw that with his name up for the great place he
would lead to defeat. though ticket could DC
named sure to win. His ticket was General Sher-
man and Robert Lincoln He telegraphed me 10
see him in Washington before going to Chicago.
and most irnpressively told me these things. His
alarm was justified. In 1876 he was defeated for
nomination by series of accidents when there
was no reasonable doubt of his election. In 1884
he was nominated by another series of accidents,
against his will and then against his own final
judgment he actually chosen by the people. in
spite of "Belshazzar's Feast and the three RS,
and beaten by the transfer of enough votes cast
for Ben Butler and counted for Cleveland 30
close was the that six hundred votes shifted
or switched were sufficient to change the cleo
toral vote of New-York. which held the balance OF
power from him to Cleveland, and fulfilled the
undeserved destiny of defeat exactly as he had
said before nominated. His words were; New
York will be against me; may be only little but
enough We may believe for a while we shall win-
but We will not; and so the failure came. Blaine
named the very counties in New-1ork where the
Mugwumps appeared like locusts and devoured the
fair promises Of the fields.
The remote cause this fatality was the as
sassination of Garfield, who had been found the
available man in 1880 to defeat the third term
General Grant was overwhelmed by his friends,
who wanted him three times elected. with TOUR
wears intsrmission between the second and tnlrd
terms that he barely consented to the candidacy
and was not favorable to it He wrote a letter at
Calena about it to Senator Cameron and sent IL
by the hand of John Russell Young. suggesting
and requesting that there should be no contest Tor
him In the convention. This letter was not made
public, and it should have a place in history
worthy of its excellent intent and justification
of the serene good Judgment of General Grant
There is another letter that should be given TO
the public: before all living witnesses gone
a letter that if printed. might have decisive in
Grant visited Mexico. and the empire was over
there he wrote a letter to Senator Jones, OF Ne
vada that criticised the course of President Gar
field in regard to his attitude toward the friends of
Grant, who had. under the generous but charac-
teristic leadership of Grant himself. entered the
campaign personally for Garfield. making the rally
for him In the State of NewYork sufficient to give
the regular nominee the vote of the State and
election to the Presidency.
President Garfield wrote General Grant. who was
in Mexico, a letter, copy of (which General
Charles GrosvenOr read which packed away
in the boxes containing the correspondence of Gar