The Somerset reporter., 1909-03-04
Letters of Mrs. James @. Blaine.


Letters of Mrs. James G. Blaine.
Anything relating to James G..
Blaine is of intense interest to our
older readers. Mrs. Beale, the
youngest daughter of Mr.. Blaine, has
just compiled and published two
volumes of the letters of Mrs. Blaine
that were written to different MEM
bers of her family at various times
during Mr.. Blaine's brilliant career.
We have read them with great pleas
ure, as they give clear understand
ing of the home life into. which her
children were born and of the
talented mind of the writer, which
made her a worthy life companion
for SO eminent a man. We know we
shall please our readers by giving
them a few extracts selected from
these volumes.
In 1871 to her son Walker in
England: 1.-THE great event since
wrote was your fathers Sar atoga
speech Gin which he contrasted the
economies of the Republican admins
tration at Washington with the reck-
less expenditure and shameless cor
ruption of New York city under Boss
Tweed) i'll which he made a great
strike. An immense crowd as
sembled to hear him, and he has
been overwhelmed with congratula-
tions." -"The Standard "a low
lived Democratic sheet in Augusta)
has been abusing your father in the
last two issues, the main cry his
great wealth. Today it has three
columns citing his princely style of
living, his retinue of servants, and
the expensive education he is giving
his children" The local poll
tics are becoming very interesting.
A partisan warfare is waged between
the Journal and the Standard, and of
course your father is the mark, for
most of the shafts and honors. j
"Well, Walker, the election is over
and well over. (Sidney Perham had
been elected Governor Every ward
in this city is carried by Republicans.
Everyone congratulated your father
on the election in this city as per-
sonal compliment. How he would
feel to have it, telegraphed all over
the country, as it was to be, that
aug uSbd, buS uOItl6 VI MOTTllt dllu
Blaine, had gone Democraticl o-
'Father is in Bangor accompanying
the President (Grant). l drove as
near the depot as / dared Tuesday.
There was a great crowd and Grant
was as miserable as is his wont on
such occasions. / did not see him,
who hunted us up, and spent de-
liohtfnl ri nf hour of fha
carriage. -"Hospitality flowed
like river in Bangor. Your father
stopped with Mr.. Hamlin, (Hannibal)
and was obliged to borrow his hosts
dress coat to wear to one dinner and
reception. Don't you think he must
have looked funny?"
In 1872, the family having removed
to Washington, Mr.. Blaine being
Speaker of the House, the Blaines
gave many suppers and entertain
ments. Mrs. 3. had no particular
liking for these things, preferring
quiet domestic life. She writes to
Walker, who is in France, and about
to come home: "Just now people
are coming to him Mr.. b. to talk on
the Presidential question. What can
be done with the situation occupies
all heads"
The family spent the winter of
1S777S at the old home in Augusta.
Mrs. B. writes to her daughter Mar
garet: 81 am writing at the old desk
of blessed Congressional memory,
and through the open window comes
the dulcet tones of Joseph Marley,
the undertow of Bigelow, the careful
intonations of Mr.. Hale, and your
fathers powerful thread. "--"M.
is off on her travels, and Jamie on
his, and Emmons has been, and from
the grain that feeds the horses to the
butter that spreads the bread, | pay
for everything. l often think | am
the heart, l iced the arteries, fill
the veins; if / stop pulsating 1t is
death, for debt is death. "--Oct.
25, 1850, to NJ: ave are all saved for
four years. For now there is no
danger that any of the tomfoolery of
the Hayes policy will be tried, and
hope there are no sunken rocks to
make shipwreck of the new admins
tration. Your father and | have
picked out Garfield's cabinet for him,
and have devoted to him for two
mornings our waking, but not risen,
hours. July 3, 1881, "Your
father got up quite early yesterday
morning, in order to drive the Presi-
dent to the station, and at $50 Tom,
the boys, Alice and / had breakfast
In the midst of it, the door bell rang,
and Tom was called out. Then he
called Walker; but as the house is
besieged all the time, we who were
so fortunate to remain unsent for,
paid no attention to the prolonged
absence of the absentees; but shall l
ever forget the moment when Maggie
came running into the room crying
"They have telephoned over to you,
Mrs. Blaine, that the President is
assassinated." Emmons flew for we
all remembered, with one accord,
that his father was with him. By the
time | reached the door saw it must
be true-everybody on the street and
wild. We drove over to the White
House. Found the streets in front
TANNED and the doors closed, but
they let US through and in. The
President still at the station, 80 drove
thither-ward. Met the mounted
police clearing the avenue, then the
ambulance, turned and followed into
the very gateway where, on the 4th
of March we had watched him enter.
| stood in the hall when dozen men
hnra IA in, ahnua THAR hao6o atratoba6