Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1915-07-24
New News Of Yesterday
Marcus Morton's Majority
of One
By Holland.

In the winter Of 1879 James G..
Hlaine was one Of the guests at a din
ner in New York city which number
cd among the other guests and hosts
some Of those who had achieved great
ly in public service in commerce and
in finance. Among those present at
that dinner was the late Capt Fred
erick c.. Wagner, himself a man of
Influence both in the business world
and at an earlier time as provost
marshal of New York in President
LincOln's administration.
Capt Wagner was so greatly i'm
pressed by the brief almost informal,
remarks which MIR. Blaine made. ap-
parently eXtemporaneously, that in
after years he frequently spoke Of
that impression, saying that he
thought on the whole Blaine's few
sentences contained the finest demon
stration ever made of the capacity of
the Anglo-Saxon race for self-gov-
eminent, and were especially remark
able because Blaine had CONTACTED
into few words this exposition.
81 remember well how Blaine an
to command attention. On this occa-
sion his large dark eyes seemed es-
pecially brilliant and ! know attract
ed others as they did me. / have been
told that this peculiar expression of
Blaine's eyes was characteristic Of
him when he was speaking upon
matter which v'as next to his heart.
Il don't recall how il happened that
Blaine was led TO speak as he did.
Something must have been said by
some Of those who preceded him
which led him to the train of thought
in his speech.
He said that perhaps the best evil
dence OF the ability OF the Anglo
Saxon race to maintain self-govern-
ment was its capacity for accepting
the will of the majority. People OF
other races than the Anelo-Saxon who
had established republics frequently
failed to maintain their republics be-
cause they would not bow to the will
OF the majority.
All this, Of course, was Nero gen
eralization. It was listened to close
" because Blaine always con. PEELED
attention when he spoke. but immedi-
etely after he had thus generalized.
lie began to tell historical anecdote
He said that in Massachusetts there
had been D hotly contested guberna-
torial election some thirty years ear
lier. In that election the passions. the
pride, and the prejudices OF men we're
enlisted as never before in the State
OF Massachusetts,. Having said as much
as this Blaine stopped for a moment,
evidently anxious TO see whether his
audience was listening as closely as
he desired 10 what he said. He was
not disappointed. Every eve was FIX
ed upon him Then he went on to say
that the party which was in power
in Massachusetts, held all the election
cards or counter in its possession.
There was total vote of about 100.-
COO. The party n power which had
the counters or cards representing
the power of possession was beaten
by a majority Cf one vote and i'm
mediately acknowledged defeat. The
result was that Edward Everett the
great orator. president OF Harvard
College and afterward candidate for
walked out Of and
Marcus Morton walked into the Office
Of the governor Could there be more
complete or perfect illustration Of the
recognition OF the majority rule than
those few words Everett walked ont
and Marcus Morton walked III Then
Blaine said that for the Anglo-Saxon
race a majority Of one is as good as
a majority of O hundred thousand. and
in that fact is to be found, he said.
the reason for confidence in the per-
maneDco ~ Our rapuhIfo
THE speech made a very great i'm