The Irish standard., 1904-08-06
The Foolish and Bigoted Old Preacher De-
stroyed the Chances of "Plumed
Knight by Four Words.
Blaine Heard the Words But Oddly Failed
to Rebuke His Supporter and Thus
Lost Presidency

Standing between the two men on
the staircase of the Fifth Avenue
hotel that October morning in 1884, I
heard the Rev. DR.. Rurchard hail
James G. Blaine as the leader of Re-
publican hosts against 1.-The party
whose antcccdents had been rum, Ro-
manism and rebellion" says Frank w.
Mack, in Iarper's Weekly My gaze
had been fixed intcntly upon DIR. Bur
chard's earnest, slow-moving face as
he spoke but instantly the famous
ALTERATION reached my ear l turned
to see how Blaine received it, | felt
that something had happened-somc-
thing large, important. But Mr..
Blaine had not been so impressed. In
deed, | do not believe he heard the
three fatcful words. 1t is my convic-
ton that while they reached his ear
they were not carried to his brain.
His eyes were gazing over the heads
of the crowd below him. They were
seeing but not observing eyes. He
| was wcaried by travel, anxious about
the elcction-(ay crisis, which was then
less than one week away. Surely he
WAS safe in the hands of Il company
of clelgymcn who were there to help
him. They had gathered he was
there, the oratory was pouring over
him. Might he not relax without
fear? And SO, l believe, Blaine's mind
was somewhere away off, busy, per-
llaps, with other plans.
A presidential candidate was in
| deadly peril, but did not know it. He
was being defeated among his adhcr-
| cnts five days before the battle of the
| ballots The hostile words of the
friendly old preacher hoatcd past him
| unhccdcd; in his response he failed to
rcbukc them, and the supreme moment
of opportunity had gone by. "Destiny
| had waited just around the corner"
| but turned now away and laid a new
trail for history.
Through its local bureau l was re-
sponsiblc to the Associated Press for
| the national end Of politics in New
York city mt the close Of that great
campaign. That "Wednesday morning
| the manager had objected to my
shortening his staff by taking away
LewsIcy and Mulvcy to act as stem
ogrphcrs at "a simple cut-and dried
meeting of dominics that any man
should be able to report Alone" he
said. On the face of things before the
event it looked that way, and frank
y admitted as much. But inside me,
somewhere behind the brain, l felt
on insistent impulse to caution.
"I'ut you don't need two stenogra-
phcrs," protested the manager. zone
shorthand man can take it all and
then get it out soon enough for first
cditions-.ucss the world isn't So
anxious to get quick news about this
clerical matinee"
My mentality agreed with his, and
felt half silly about it; but beyond
that was the dread lest something of
Importance be forgotten. Being re-
spOnsiblc, l insisted on that ground,
and, with the two StcnOgraphers,
started for the Fifth Avenue hotel,
where the reception to Mr. Blaine was
to occur. | felt safe then, like one
who has got up in the night and made
note of something he might otherwise
have forgotten. | would "dO'' the in
PRODUCTION and the descriptive part OF
the story.
On the parlor floor of the Fifth Ave-
nue. hotel, one flight above the offices,
Il deeply carpctcd space forms a court
upon which open the reception parlOrs
and the great dining hail, ana from
which radatc the corridors and out of
which rises the broad staircase to up
per floors.
A sizable and increasing company Of
men were chatting in groups about
the broad hall, and the place was
frightened by women who had sought
this available spot to observe great
man, and, though no one yet sus-
pected, great event.