Statesmen . , had had no experience, and was nervousand easily embarrassed, and his speech was hin-dered by a slight impediment. He had attendedthe first national convention of the Republicanparty, which was held at Philadelphia in 1856,and on his return he was asked to address ameeting of his fellow Republicans in Augusta, totell them the story of the conventions he became accustomed to the sound ofhis voice, and the friendly audience before himencouraged him by their sympathetic applause,he was emboldened to make what was said tobe a very creditable speech. A more important JAMES
Statesmen . , had had no experience, and was nervousand easily embarrassed, and his speech was hin-dered by a slight impediment. He had attendedthe first national convention of the Republicanparty, which was held at Philadelphia in 1856,and on his return he was asked to address ameeting of his fellow Republicans in Augusta, totell them the story of the conventions he became accustomed to the sound ofhis voice, and the friendly audience before himencouraged him by their sympathetic applause,he was emboldened to make what was said tobe a very creditable speech. A more important JAMES G. BLAINE 285 address, however, was delivered at a Republicanmeeting in Litchfield, Me., during the followingmonth. This speech was carefully prepared andcommitted to memory and was notable for itsconservatism and for the moderation of state-ment which characterized it. He was actively engaged in the political cam-paign of 1856, when Fremont was the Republicancandidate for the Presidency; and in 1858 he was. The Birthplace of Mr. Blaine at West Brownsville, Pa. elected for the first time in his life to a politicaloffice, being a member of the Assembly of theMaine Legislature. He now devoted himself toa careful and exhaustive study of the rules ofparliamentary usage and the manual of was an assiduous student of all public ques-tions and was master of the methods of pro-cedure in legislative bodies, not, as many havesupposed, by reason of his powers of intuition,but by a diligent study of rules, precedents, 286 STATESMEN and historical examples. These acquisitions ofknowledge formed the basis of his election asSpeaker of the House of Representatives of theMaine Legislature two years later. He servedtwo terms, and his training in the Legislature asmember and presiding officer fitted him for thehonor which was still later conferred upon himby the national House of Representatives. His studies continued to be ardent, and hespent his nights in storing his mind with usefulp
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