Evening journal., 1915-06-18
New News Of Yesterday
A Presidential Candidates
Fatal Oversight
By Holland.

I was told by an intimate personal
friends of James G. Blaine. friend
Who had no part in any of that states
mans political campaigns or public
career. that Blaine felt that the most
,erious mistake of his entire career
vas his neglect to insist that copy
Of the speech OF welcome which was
io he made at the close of the CAM
naisp of 1884 at a reception given TO
aim in New York City by the Rev.
DR.. Burchard should be submitted TO
Aim before il was delivered. Had he
read the speech over he would have
demanded that the alliterative rum,
Romanism and rebellion" which DR..
Burchard used TO compliment Mr..
Blaine be stricken from the speech.
To his failure to do that. Mr.. Blaine
attributed his loss of New York state
by the narrow plurality of 1,100 votes,
and consequently the loss of the cleo
ton for President.
Several years ago. ] was speaking
of this to William II. Hawk. at that
time president of the Ohio Society OF
New York state and for years an in
innate personal friend Of William
Mckinley. Mckinley and Mr.. Hawk
were neighbors in the town of Can
ton. Ohio. and the relation between
these two men and their families was
so intimate that President Mckinley
invited Mr.. Hawk and his family TO
he guests at the White House at the
time of the first inauguration.
What Mr.. Blaine felt that he should
have done with Burchard's speech
was what Mckinley always insisted
upon doing after he was nominated
for President and when various dele
cations visited him at his home in
Canton. He would not receive a
delegation unless the speech OF the
leader of II was submitted to him in
advance. On several occasions he
,aused paragraphs to be stricken
rom the speech and modification or
changes in other parts of Il to be
made. It is for this reason that there
b was not a break in any of the incl
tents associated with the visit to him
IF many delegations when he was
candidate for President.
7 happened to mention this state
ment to Frederick w. Seward shortly
after his return from a visit which he
made to Alaska at the close Of Nc
xinley's first administration. Mr..
Seward said: 1T has always seemed
incredible TO me that Blaine neglected
TO take the precautions to read over
Or. Burchard's speech Of welcome be-
fore il was delivered. It was the
'atal error of his entire political
career. He would surely have been
elected President but for that mis-
take. for it cost him the vote Of New
York state My father always made
il a practice to look over in advance
speeches or addresses of welcome
which were to he made in his honor
especially if he we're expected to re
ply. President Lincoln was yer,
careful about this. l have been tolG
that after he was nominated fol
President he insisted that ever
. speech which was to be made b,
members Of visiting delegations b
submitted to him. have personall
one extraordinary and pathetic evi
dence that this was President Lin
coins habit for he disclosed IL TO. m
N the last words ! ever had with hin
at was at the final Cabinet meetin
on the day he was assassinated.
had been sent to that meeting. as m
father was unable to be present. JUS
as we were separating, I said to tn
fTeSlueui iudi OH fItueiiNh biuct
the new Minister from England, de
sired to be presented TO him an
asked the President if he would A.
an hour He thought a moment, evi
IDENTIFY to call to mind what appoint
ments he had for the next day, an
then said to me that he would re
ceive the British Minister at o'cloc'
on the following afternoon. He start
ed to go out of the room and the
stopped a moment and, calling TO me
said BE sure that have. copy q
his speech some time in the mornin
so that I can look it over and Sc
what he has TO sayl' I made tn