he did not need to be "stirred up" for an attack. His keen scent led him unerringly to the exact lurking-place of evil, and when it was discovered, his indomitable courage never faltered. And yet those assailed the most sharply were at the same time so held by Mr. Blaine's manner that they never cherished ill-will.

The late Governor Kent, of Maine, summed up Mr. Blaine's general "quickness," or "dash," or by whatever term it may best be designated, as follows:

"Almost from the day of his assuming editorial charge of the Kennebec Journal, at the early age of twenty-three, Mr. Blaine sprang into a position of great influence in the politics and policy of Maine. At twenty-five he was a leading power in the councils of the Republican party, so recognized by Fessenden, Hamlin, the two Morrills, and others, then and still prominent in the State. Before he was twenty-nine he was chairman of the executive committee of the Republican organization in Maine-a position he has held ever since, and from which he has practically shaped and directed every political campaign in the State-always leading his party to brilliant victory. Had Mr. Blaine been New-England born, he would probably not have received such rapid advancement at so early an age, even with the same ability he possessed. But there was a sort of Western dash about him that took with us Down-Easters; an expression of frankness,

candor and confidence that gave him from the start a very strong and permanent hold on our people, and as the foundation of all, a pure character and a masterly ability equal to all demands made upon him."

As a reflection on Mr. Blaine's quickness it is asked, disparagingly, "What great measure did Mr. Blaine ever originate?" One might go on indefinitely asking what great measure did Mr. Sherman or Mr. Thurman ever originate, or Mr. Edmunds or Mr. Conkling or Mr. Webster or Mr. Gallatin? Such critics and such criticisms are equally shallow. Great measures grow in the minds of the people. Specie payment came after long public discussion, and it is useless to be quarrelling as to who it was that drafted the bill passed in 1875. So it is with all measures of great public moment. They do not spring from the mind of one man sitting behind his Congressional desk. The duty of the statesman is to shape, mould, guide, direct in a Republican government. The creative power is in the minds of many, and the cause of action is necessity. The great lawyer does not create his case. He argues it, develops it, applies principles to it, but in any case Mr. Blaine is among the first to see, and the earlier to act.

To say that Mr. Blaine has been a power in Congress for the past seventeen years is simply to affirm current history. Though entering very

At the period

young, he made his mark at once. of darkest depressions in the war, when anxiety brooded everywhere and boded everything, Mr. Blaine delivered a speech on "The Ability of the American People to Suppress the Rebellion,' which has been cited for the great attention and warm commendation it received. Its value lay not alone in its timeliness, for after its first wide circulation it was reprinted as a campaign document in the Presidential campaign of 1864.

It was the delivery of this speech, and some discussions which took place shortly after, that caused Thaddeus Stevens to say that "Blaine of Maine has shown as great aptitude and ability for the higher walks of public life as any man that had come to Congress during his period of service."

CHAPTER XIV.

STIRRING UP STRIFE."

ON May 19th, 1879, there was a lively time in the Senate on the question of National Sovereignty versus State Sovereignty. The question before the Senate was a bill making appropriations for the legislative, executive, and judicial expenses of the Government, but discussion took a wide range, and abounded in cross-firing of wit and repartee. Mr. Blaine had the floor, but Mr. Eaton, of Connecticut, Mr. Bayard, of Delaware, Mr. Butler, of South Carolina, and others, figured largely in the discussions. Toward the close of the discussion, Mr. Blaine, continuing his frequently interrupted speech, and seeking to unearth the sources of existing ill-will, said:

"I do not think the evil that has been done to the Southern country by the school-books in the hands of their children has been measured. Many of the books put into the hands of the rising generation of the South are tinctured all through with prejudice and misrepresentation and with a spirit of hatred.

"We are accused by our friends on the opposite side of the Chamber of stirring up strife

At the period

young, he made his mark at once. of darkest depressions in the war, when anxiety brooded everywhere and boded everything, Mr. Blaine delivered a speech on "The Ability of the American People to Suppress the Rebellion, which has been cited for the great attention and warm commendation it received. Its value lay not alone in its timeliness, for after its first wide circulation it was reprinted as a campaign document in the Presidential campaign of 1864.

It was the delivery of this speech, and some discussions which took place shortly after, that caused Thaddeus Stevens to say that "Blaine of Maine has shown as great aptitude and ability for the higher walks of public life as any man that had come to Congress during his period of service."