East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1907-08-19

one of the most calamitous Incl
dents in James G.. Blaine's career is
entertainihgly told in recent issue
of Harper's Weekly as follows:
1t was James G. Blaine who was
the victim of his friends at the Fifth
Avenue hotel in 1884. Only six days
before the election that was to de-
eide whether he or Grover Cleveland
was to be the next president of the
United States-to wit, on Wednesday.
october 30, at 10 o'clock in the morn
ing-a meeting of clergymen of many
denominations was called in one of
the private parlors of the hotel to
pronounce their endorsement of the
republican candidate, as opposed to
his democratic opponent, whose pri-
vate life had been criticized
The gathering Of clergymen, aug
mented by laymen from the hotel cor
ridors who took advantage of the op-
portunity to have look at the
"Plumed Knight" became so numer-
Gus that it was decided to hold the
meeting in the main parlor on the
second floor When Blaine came in to
meet his clerical supporters, the
throng packed the big apartment as
well as the stairway, and there was
considerable noise and confusion.
1t was then that Rev. DIR. S. d.
Burchard, of Rutgers Female college,
the chairman of the me Getting. who de-
livered the address of welcome to
Blaine, at one and the same time
made himself an everlasting name
in the annals of American politics.
and slew the candidate he was trying
to serve, by phrase. That Blaine
heard the fatal ALTERATION is out of
question, for he was far to clever a
politician to have allowed 1t to pass
unchallenged. 1t should be borne in
mind that he had been engaged in a
wearing campaign tour that had last
ed for five weeks, and had only just
arisen that morning after a few hours
of troubled sleep, subsequent to- at
tending a banquet in his honor the
| night before. Then a complimentary
address was no novelty to him, to be
| listened to with supreme attention
|
resonant, and the acoustic qualities
of the hotel parlor were not good.
That Burchard's calamitous express
sion did not reach the ears of the ma
jority of the gathering in the hote
parlor is indicated by the fact that
only two of the daily newspapers re-
ported it the next morning. The
World, which was opposed to Blaine
was the only one of the two to "pla!
it up" and print the damning word!
\ in capitals. They were, according t
\ that journal: I'VE are republicans
\ and do not propose to leave our part,
to identify ourselves with the part!
whose antecedents have been Rum
y Romanism, and Rebellion" Th'
Herald, also anti-Blaine, the onl!
D other paper to report the matter a
1 all the day afterward, merely quoted
j the Weekly Union and Catholic Time
of the same date, which represented
J Burchard to have declared to the can
didate, you represent all the virtues
Mr.. Cleveland represents rum, Ro
manism and rebellion"
Neither the Times, anti-Blaine, no
the Sun, pro-Blaine, reported Bur
\ chard's address at all the day afte
II was delivered. The Tribune, tn
| only other New York daily toIsuppOr
Blaine, quoted Burchard as saying
I'VE know your name, and we ar
here to give you the assurance tina
the voice of calumny cannot hurt II
We are republicans loyal to tn
party and to you"
| gr-t...
the democrates all over the country
and particularly in New York, mad
the most of the insult offered the Ro
z man Catholic church at a republican
meeting, which Blaine had allowed I
go unrebuked. and by his silence ha
4 acqulesced in. His protestations tina
= he had not heard the reverend gentle
mans pious characterization Of hi
opponents went unheeded. Indeed
the phrase was put into his ow
mouth, and it came to be the gener
ally accepted idea in the street tina
Blaine had himself declared the dem
ocratic party to be the party of run
4 Romanis!r and rebellion.
The Cleveland election wa
a very close one. New York was, a
usual, the pivotal state. It was tn
"mugwump" year. and many republi
cans were voting for Cleveland
Blaine's practice of convolving tn
tail Of the British lion when occasion
4 offered, had made him a favorit
with the IRISH however, and the re
publican campaign managers ha'
figured that enough Irish democrat
would vote for him to offset the mug
wump vote. After the supposed af
front to the Roman Catholic churcl
that Idea was given up. Blaine him
self told his more intimate friends
before the election that he believed
that rum, Romanism and rebellion
/ had destroyed his chances for thu
' presidency. And so 1t proved. Cleve
4 lands plurality in New York wal
! 1149 votes.