In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

151 Chapter 9 Foreign Policy Like many senators who were elected to office because of their skill in domestic politics, Blair was a novice in the field of foreign policy. He was far more knowledgeable about tariffs, education, and voting rights than about foreign policy issues. The result was that he did not have the guiding principles or specific knowledge to play an important role in the debates on America’s external affairs. His ignorance in this area led to his involvement in two of the most embarrassing episodes of his public career . The first was a possible conflict of interest involving a private claim in Peru, and the other came when China rejected him as the U.S. minister to that country. In both instances, a lack of foreign policy sophistication in the executive branch of the U.S. government contributed to his problems. Although these two episodes received national coverage, Blair suffered no real political damage. At this time, neither U.S. government officials nor the general public showed much concern about events beyond the nation’s shores. Despite his limited knowledge of foreign policy, Blair held some strong opinions. Singling out Great Britain as the greatest threat to the United States, he advocated for U.S. economic and military dominance in Latin America and declared that Canada and the United States were destined to become a single nation. He also called for the exclusion of Chinese labor from the United States under most circumstances. Although the roots of these attitudes were often obscure, Blair rarely deviated from them. His expectation that Canada and the United States would join under a single government appears to have been a common expectation of the people who lived in northern New Hampshire—I recall hearing this expressed in the 1950s. Without sensing the contradiction, Blair also called for tariff restrictions on Canadian products.1 In particular, he was concerned that the potato farmers of Coos County would be driven out of business by Canadian exports.2 He never sought to reconcile these 152 Henry W. Blair’s caMpaiGn to reforM aMerica inconsistent views, giving a further indication that he felt that foreign policy was unimportant. These concerns about Britain and Latin America often fused into a single policy. During one congressional hearing, Blair testified: “English influence is very largely established in South America already. That increases very much the danger that her political influence will become predominant there. The existence of those facts has had great influence with my apprehensions that very soon South America will belong to Great Britain instead of the United States.”3 This fear of British power was one that he shared with many Americans. Perhaps, childhood stories about the Scots-Irish experience and the American Revolution made him even more sensitive to Britain’s push for an empire in the 1880s. His close friendship with James G. Blaine may explain his special interest in Latin America. After leaving the Senate, Blair claimed that he had proposed the idea of commercial reciprocity with Latin America through an amendment to the Tariff of 1883 and that Blaine had taken the idea from him.4 Blair’s concerns about Latin America and the British influence there, combined with a personal financial problem, led to his first major foreign policy debacle. Blair’s finances had never been secure, and his election to the Senate only exacerbated the problem. Believing that he should live in a style befitting a member of that august body, Blair purchased a house within a block of the Capitol—where the Folger Library is now located— and had the residence suitably furnished.5 Eliza dressed in fashionable clothing, and young Henry attended the best private schools available. All these expenses severely strained the small official income that Blair received as a senator. Unexpected crises drained Blair’s income even further. The most spectacular of these events took place in the spring of 1887 when a fire partially destroyed the family residence. One of the clerks of the Supreme Court spotted the fire and reported it to the fire department. The flames had started in an adjacent structure, allowing the firemen to arrive in time to save the Blair home from serious damage. In fact, the most dangerous part of the incident came when firefighters discovered that Eliza was confined to a bed and had to be carried out of the house.6 Although most of the expense was covered by insurance, Blair observed: “Between the bane...

Share