Memoirs of an editor : fifty years of American journalism / Edward P. Mitchell.

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MEMOIRS OF AN EDITOR

Mr. Blaie was, obviously, the logical candidate against
Grover Cleveland in 1888. His letter to the chairman of
the Republican National Committee declining to have
his name considered by the convention that year, for
reasons "entirely personal to myself," was dated at
Florence, Italy, on January 25. He had gone to Europe
to better his health. Later, his health was improved. In
June, at the time of the convention, when he was visiting
Andrew Carnegie in Scotland, and travelling with him
just then in the north of England, his canny host went so
far as to authorize the publication in The Sun of a statement, written out by himself, saying: "If the Republican
party finds it cannot agree upon a leader, and then calls
upon its former leader to lead again, it goes without
saying that it would be his duty to do so, and Mr. Blaine
has never failed to do his duty." It is probable that this
statement, authorized by Mr. Carnegie, but not purporting
to be indorsed by his guest, was merely the expression of
individual hope; but it encouraged some of Blaine's
friends in the convention to keep his name in the balloting
and they persisted in voting for him despite his repeated
declination. On the third ballot he had thirty-five votes
and the tide was rising to forty on the sixth ballot when
Captain Boutelle of Bangor read this conclusive cable
from Edinburgh, dated June 24: "I think I have the right
to ask my friends to respect my wishes and refrain from
voting for me." Nevertheless they still kept on, in dwindling numbers, till Harrison was nominated on the eighth.
Thus strangely did Blaine reject a possible nomination
and possible election. Conkling, out of power, had perished just two months before.
Some years later in Milan, where one of my family was

ill, I made the acquaintance of Doctor Fornoni, an Italian
physician educated in London. He had attended Mr.
Blaine during his sickness at the Hotel Cavour. Foroni
had conceived for his patient an admiration great in