JAMES G. BLAINE,

THE BRILLIANT AND SUCCESSFUL STATESMAN.

HE close of the great civil war of 1861 marked a new era in American politics. The nation which was then restored to the people was a new nation. Freed from the blight of slavery, the country began to grow and expand with a rapidity which was absolutely startling. The South and West especially moved forward with giant strides. The permanence of the government being assured, the questions of the hour became those of reconstruction and pacification, of the rights of the freedmen, of internal peace and security, of foreign and domestic commerce, of tariffs and finance. Of the many able men who won their fame in the period since the war, there is none more prominent nor more widely admired and beloved than James G. Blaine.

Two States of the Union claim Blaine as a son. During most of his manhood and later life he lived in Maine; but he was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, and the latter State always cherished for him the warmest affection, giving him in the presidential election of 1884 a popular majority unprecedented in the history of the State. He was, however, familiarly known as "The Man from Maine," and by that name will live in the memory of the people with that other great leader, Henry Clay, with whom he has often been compared. His life began on January 31, 1830. His father, Ephraim Blaine, was a farmer and justice of the peace, whose fortunes had become impaired by too generous living and lack of thrift. James was a healthy, happy, intelligent boy, showing, even in early childhood, some of the traits which afterward distinguished him as a man. His courage and pugnacity are illustrated by a story told of him at that time. A well was being dug near the house, and little James, then three or four years old, was led by curiosity to lean over and peer down into the "big hole." One of the workmen, fearing that he would fall in, tried to frighten him away by making faces and glaring at him, and making threatening gestures with a shovel. But little Jim was not so easily scared. To him it was a case for fighting, not for running. Picking up clods from

the heap of dirt by the well, he began to heave them in upon the enemy. This vigorous bombardment was more than the workman had bargained for; he feared that stones would follow next, and called for help. The boy's mother heard him, and came and led the pugnacious little fellow away.

When Blaine was about eleven, he lived for a time at Lancaster, Ohio, with his uncle, Thomas Ewing, then Secretary of the Treasury,-the same largehearted statesman who a few years before had taken into his family young William T. Sherman, the boy who was to become one of the great generals of the civil war. Mr. Ewing's home was a resort of statesmen and politicians,

and in that atmosphere no doubt the mind of young Blaine received a strong impulse toward a political career.

In 1843 he returned to his father's home, and entered Washington College, at Washington, Pennsylvania. He was an ardent student, and made rapid progress. Logic and mathematics were his favorite studies, but he also delighted in history and literature. He was always a leader among the boys, especially in debate. It is related that on one occasion, when he was ambitious to be elected president of the literary society, he committed "Cushing's Manual" to memory in one evening, in order to qualify himself on parliamentary practice. He had also a strong love for history, and it is said that he could recite from memory many of the chapters in "Plutarch's Lives."

From Washington College Mr. Blaine went to Blue Lick Springs, Kentucky, where he became a teacher in the Western Military Institute, in which there were about 450 boys. A retired army officer, who was a student there, relates that Mr. Blaine was a thin, handsome, earnest young man, with the same fascinating manners that were characteristic of him throughout his whole career. He was popular with the boys, who trusted him and made friends with him from the first. He knew the full name of every one, and discerned his shortcomings and his strong points. While teaching here, Mr. Blaine met Miss Harriet Stanwood, who belonged to an excellent Maine family, and a few months afterward they were married.

In 1851 Mr. Blaine returned to Pennsylvania, bringing with him an intense hatred of slavery, which greatly influenced his future career. Going to Philadelphia, he became a teacher in the Pennsylvania Institution for the Instruction of the Blind. There he had charge of the higher classes in literature and science. An interesting memorial of his work in Philadelphia is still to be seen, in the shape of the journal of the institution, which bears the inscription :—

JOURNAL

OF THE

PENNSYLVANIA INSTITUTION

FOR THE

INSTRUCTION OF THE BLIND,

FROM ITS FOUNDATION.

COMPILED FROM OFFICIAL RECORDS

BY

JAMES G. BLAINE,
1854.

After two years work in teaching the blind, Mr. Blaine yielded to his wife's desire that he should make Maine his home. The young couple moved, in 1853, to Augusta. In the following year Mr. Blaine entered into partnership with Joseph Baker, a prominent lawyer of Augusta, and together they purchased The Kennebec Journal, of which Mr. Blaine at once became the editor, his ready intelligence and trenchant style being peculiarly adapted to this field. The Journal was a weekly paper, one of the organs of the Whig party, and exercised considerable political influence. Mr. Blaine speedily made his impress, and within three years he was a master spirit in the politics of the State.

When the old Whig party went to pieces, Mr. Blaine joined hands with Governor Anson P. Morrill in organizing the Republican party in the Pine Tree State. He entered into this work with all his energy, and his earnest and incisive discussion in, The Journal, of the rising conflict between freedom and

slavery attracted wide attention. In 1856 he was a delegate to the first Republican National Convention, held in Philadelphia, which nominated General Fremont for President. On his return home he made a report at a public meeting. His speech on this occasion, begun with hesitation and embarrassment, but advancing to confident and fervid utterance, first illustrated his capacity on the platform, and gave him standing as a public speaker.

In 1858 Blaine was elected to the Maine House of Representatives, and re-elected in 1859 and 1860. During the last two years he was chosen Speaker

of the House, and there began his training for the higher post in Congress which the future held for him. He distinguished himself both on the floor and in the chair. He was a hard worker, a fine speaker, and a dignified and impartial presiding officer. He became very popular in his State, and was seen to be a "rising man."

In 1860 Mr. Blaine was a delegate to the memorable convention at Chicago which nominated Abraham Lincoln for the presidency; and when he returned, he took an active part in the campaign. He was in great demand in his own State as a political speaker. Whenever a call was made upon the State