The Irish standard., 1908-11-07

FIVE months Of the hardest sort of cam-
bothering with and being
bothered about matters Of which he
knew little and cared less. On elec-
tion day Sc declared that lie was worn
out, and 1t o'clock that night he want
him.
NO matter about the election news"
he said. whatever it is it will keep
till morning" So the returns as they
arrived at Governors island were read
by Mrs. Hancock and by the members
OF the generals staff, and by few
friends and politicians who had come
over from New York.
About daylight the general woke up
and asked of Mrs. Hancock: How did
the election go?"
Struggling to appear self-controlled,
Mrs. Hancock replied: 1T has been
complete Waterloo for YOU"
That's all right replied the general.
II guess can stand it'-and he turned
over and went to sleep again.
Probably no presidential candidate
ever went to bed SO early on election
day or received the news Of his defeat
with such real composure.
When the stirring campaign Of 1884
came to its close with the morning Of
o3oo%;ox, 3o1, Io,noe ~ Evoine toolx nm
early train from the city, where he had
been stopping, and went to his home in
Augusta. His sons, Walker and James
c.. Jr., We're with him. The first thing
the senator did was to vote. Then he
went to his lone and rested so as TO
be in good physical shape for the even
ing. He had made arrangements to
have the returns repeated to him over
his telephone as fast as they were re-
ceived. It was about z o'clock when
the first returns were sent in. They
were of a doubtful and unsatisfactory
character. Blaine was evidently dis
turbed.
AS Blaine roamed in and out of the
room Mrs. Blaine would either hand
him the returns or read them to him.
He made. little comment, but express
ed a great anxiety to hear from New
York. His interest centered there to the
exclusion Of every other place. There
he had partaken of the "Belshazzar's
FEAST" given him by the millionaires,
and there Burchard had sprung his
three RS and Blaine needed New
York.
Up to 9 o'clock the bulletins from
the Empire state were not encouraging.
but little later Lynde Harrison sent
a reassuring dispatch saying that New
York had surely gone Republican Then
came a dispatch saying that Henry
gress from his Massachusetts district.
Things looked brighter. In a few min
utes, however, came a dispatch which
dashed all of, Blaine's hopes. 1t stated
that Cleveland had carried New York.
The record Of disaster now began to
come in fast and thick. At $3.50 Blaine
went to the telephone and, calling up
the telegraph operator, sent a dis
patch to Republican headquarters. ask
ing for their best estimates at that
time. Headquarters. with cheerful
optimism, had already sent in estl-
mates indicating Blaine's election. an
replied that they saw no reason tc
alter them. At 3 o'clock in the morn
ing the candidate went to bed conf
dent that he had been elected.
Hardly had he done SO, however
when reports proving beyond a dou5,
O. great Democratic victory began to
come in. Mrs. Blaine was much dis
turbed and sent her husbands secre-
tary up to his room with the unfavor-
able news. But Blaine was fast asleep
and they did not awaken him. He slept
quietly through the night and did not
dream of his defeat until Z o'clock in
the morning. when Mrs. Blaine tool,
UP to him the latest returns. He still
thought he had been elected, and as he
! had contracted a pad cold in the course
, of the campaign, determined to, stay
in his room all day and save his voice
which he thought he might require
to reply to congratulations.
Frederick, the old negro house ser.
want, added his share to the genera
agitation. lie had sat up all night
and swore he would neither eat no,
sleep until Mr.. Blaine was declare.
elected. Several days later the plumct
knight finally acknowledged his defeat
calmly, but with what bitterness o
soul only those who knew him init.
mately can tell.
Grover Cleveland was Governor u
New York when he defeated Blaine