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Blaine's Memory

Blaine's Memory image
Parent Issue
Day
4
Month
June
Year
1897
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Upon taking editorial charge of the Kennebec Journal Mr. Blaine Boon farailiarized himself with Maine politics by studying the files of The Journal, and he studied them closely as far back as 1825. By this means he soon became the best posted man in the state on Maine politics, and he was looked upon as authority. His able editorials during the campaign bringing up political matters of the past showed careful research, and theywere copiedwidely. It was white editor of The Journal that he was one day stopped on the street by an old lady whora he had never seen bef ore and asked to write up the wedding of her daughter, which occurred the night before. Blaine had served his time in congress and went to Maine to speak during his campaign, when at the close of -.his speech he began shaking hands with the masses crowded around hira. An old lady with wrinkled brow and whitened hair, bearing a babe in her arms, approached and offered her hand. "Why, how do yon do?" said Mr. Blaine. "Where's that daughter of yours I wrote up that wedding notice a bout?" "Poor Lucy is dead, " said the old lady, and her eyes filled with tears. "This is her child. " The man with the big, kind heart reached over and kissed the little blue eyed girl. During the Greeley campaign in 1872 ex-Governor Cuín back of Indiana spoke with Mr. Blaine in Springfield, O. This was early in the campaign. Just before the election Mr. Cumback was sent up in Blaine's state to make a speech. He was told by the committee that he would find Maine people very stiff and inhospitable and quite different from the western people. Mr. Cumback was surprised, however, at his enthusiastic reception, there being large crowds everywhere, and he never had a mor8 enthnsiastic meeting than at Augusta. He told Blaine of the incident and his agreeable disappointment. "Oh," said the statesman, "they had a man of unusual stuff to get them stirred upl Such a man on a speech as you are would have a good reputation anywhere. " "But what do you know about my speech?" asked the 20 vernor. "Didn't you speak with me over at Springfield?" aaid Blaine in a way as a reminder. Then he went ahead and told Mr. Cumback all about his speech, of the crowd present and gave proinptly all the main points of the speech and even named the party with them. He also remembered at what hotel they put up and what day of the week it was. Another instance of Blaine's great memory is cited in the following story, as told by Mr. Cumback: During the Garfield campaign Mr. Blaine spoke in Cumback 's town. He was entertained by Mr. Cumback and driven over town. "There's a sick man in that house there that has been talking you up for president for f onr or five years, ' ' said the governor, "andhe thinks there is no one like Jim Blaine. " "Me for president?" said Blaine. "Yes, yon for president. Do yon want to stop and go in to see him a minute? Nothingwould pleasehim better. " They went in and remained a few minutes. Blaine trotted the children on his lap and talked freely with the sick man, whose name was David K.err. Blaine and the governor met at Garfield's inaugnration. "How are you, Will?" asked Blaine. And he asked all about the men he had met in Cumback 's town several months before and called nearly all of them by their first nanaes. "Oh, yes," he said, "how is Dave Kerr? Did he ever get well? Poor fellow, he suffered terribly. And those little children, how about them?" This may be considered a wonderful feat of memory. It was in October when he met these people, and it was on the 4th of March, nearly five months afterward, that he recalled his visit, remembering the name of every person he was introduced to on that day. He had seen a million people since that time and had shaken hands with and met thousands. Mr. Cumback accompanied Mr. Blaine on his speakingtour through Indiana during his campaign in 1884. It was jnst ten days before election. Cumback left him at Lafayette, saying that he wouldn't see him again until the inauguration. "I don 't know, " said Blaine doubtfully. "I'm afraid it won't be. " He had an unusual, vacant, faraway look in his eyes, and he was very serious. His words carne slowly and hesitatingly. Mr. Cumback assured him that there was no doubt, but Blaine shook his head. "I don't know," said he. "I've had a sort of feeling for the last week that I wonldn't be elected. I hope I will, but the outcome is doubtful, and I feel now as if it were very doubtf nL But if I am defeated I will go to work the next day on xny book. " And he did. He began the second volume of his "Twenty Years of Congress" the next day af ter the electiou.

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Subjects
Ann Arbor Argus
Old News