Despite the
legend that he had made the pejorative comment about “Rum, Romanism, and
Rebellion,” Blaine seemed the ideal Republican candidate. While he was raised Protestant, his mother
was Catholic, and had his siblings brought up in that faith. Catholics tended to view him with a tolerant
eye if only because fanatic nativists questioned his faith. Blaine even managed to oppose government aid
to religious institutions without coming across as anti-Catholic.
 |
| U.S. support was believed key to Irish Home Rule |
Blaine was
also thought to look favorably on the cause of Irish nationalism that was absorbing
politics in the United Kingdom at this time.
Believing that he would put the force of the U.S. government behind
settling the Home Rule question, both the
Irish Nation and Patrick Ford’s Irish
World endorsed his candidacy.
Ford’s
endorsement of Blaine outraged his friend, the agrarian socialist Henry George
. . . even though George supported no one in the election. This was not because George opposed Charles
Stewart Parnell (1846-1891), “the Chief” who was head of the Home Rule party in
Ireland, due to Parnell’s advocacy of widespread ownership of land, where
George pushed for nationalization.
George refused
to support Blaine because of Blaine’s stand on the tariff and because he was a
Republican. He also refused to support Grover
Cleveland, the Democratic candidate.
It seems that
Cleveland had alienated the powerful Tammany Hall political machine. He had taken a reform position and, despite
the endorsement he received, refused to accede to any of their demands.
 |
| Cleveland, the "traitor," not delivering the spoils. |
This seemed
the height of ingratitude. After the
fall of Boss Tweed, Honest[1]
John Kelly had taken over the Tammany Tiger, the first Catholic to head up the
Democratic organization. To forestall a
power grab by Tammany’s Brooklyn rivals, Kelly had endorsed Cleveland for
governor.
Rather than
repay favors, however, Cleveland had refused to distribute spoils. As governor, he rejected state job
applications connected with or emanating from Tammany Hall (including that of
Henry George, who then declared that Cleveland must be corrupt despite his
reforms), refused to back a “Freedom of Worship” bill, and vetoed legislation
giving aid to a Catholic orphanage system.
While not completely consistent with his reform program, Cleveland’s
actions were essential to distance his administration from corrupt machine
politics.
What Kelly
regarded as Cleveland’s treason split the Democratic Party. In an effort to prevent Cleveland’s
nomination for president, Tammany Hall spread rumors that he was anti-Catholic
and opposed Home Rule for Ireland. It
was also falsely alleged that in a speech during the Democratic convention, General
Edward Stuyvesant Bragg (1827-1912) had declared, “the Irish may
go and be damned.”[2]
The campaign
took mudslinging to new depths. The
Democrats wasted no time in reminding people that Blaine had sponsored the
proposed amendment to prohibit aid to Catholic schools. It was also alleged — falsely — that he had
been a prominent member of the Know-Nothing movement.
 |
| "Another Voice for Cleveland" |
Nevertheless,
Blaine’s active campaign contrasted favorably with Cleveland’s “front porch”
style. It also didn’t hurt that many of
Blaine’s relations were Catholic — his cousin was Mother Superior of a convent.
A clincher
appeared to be that Cleveland had assumed financial responsibility for a child
fathered on a woman of questionable reputation who had intimate relations with
a number of men. This was widely taken
as an admission of guilt. Republicans
gleefully chanted, “Ma, Ma, where’s my Pa?
Sittin’ in the White House, ha, ha, ha!” . . . countered with Democrats labeling "Blaine, Blaine, James G. Blaine, the continental liar from the state of Maine" for his connection with shady railroad deals.
Still, had it not
been for the Reverend Burchard’s “unfortunate remark” on “Black Wednesday,”
October 29, 1884, Blaine could very well have walked into the presidency on the
Catholic vote. As it was, as noted in
the first posting in this series, the election was very close.
#30#
