Nov. 4, 1884: Republican James G. Blaine (1830-1893), a former U.S. House speaker and former U.S. secretary of state from Augusta, loses the U.S. presidential election to the Democratic nominee, New York Gov. Grover Cleveland, after one of the dirtiest presidential campaigns in U.S. history.

During the campaign, Cleveland, a bachelor, answered accusations that he had fathered an illegitimate child by a woman in Buffalo, New York, by taking responsibility for the child.

A Democratic-leaning Indianapolis newspaper noted that Blaine’s first child had been born only three months after his marriage to Augusta native Harriet Stanwood in 1851 in Pittsburgh. Blaine defended himself by claiming that he and his wife also had been married in Kentucky in 1850, but that marriage never was recorded. He filed a libel lawsuit against the newspaper.

However, the long-festering, complicated scandals in which Blaine was accused of taking bribes from railroad companies probably did more to damage his reputation.

With the Nov. 4 election result uncertain initially, the Republican-aligned Kennebec Journal announces a Blaine victory with a front-page headline saying: “The Victory Won! A Glorious Result! Blaine and (vice presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. John A.) Logan the People’s Choice.” By Nov. 18, however, it is clear that Blaine has lost to Cleveland.

Political analysts later attribute his loss partly to Blaine’s failure to repudiate a Protestant minister’s last-minute public labeling of the Democrats as the party of “rum, Romanism and rebellion.” “Romanism” is a reference to Roman Catholics, and “rebellion” means the South, which lost the Civil War 19 years earlier.

Blaine later serves as secretary of state again in the administration of President Benjamin Harrison.

Nov. 4, 2003: Maine voters approve a proposal to allow gambling in the form of slot machines at racetracks. The decision leads to the opening of what now is called the Hollywood Casino Hotel & Raceway in Bangor.

At the same time, they reject a proposal to authorize the Passamaquoddy Tribe and the Penobscot Nation, Maine’s two major Native American groups, to operate a casino.

Joseph Owen is an author, retired newspaper editor and board member of the Kennebec Historical Society. Owen’s book, “This Day in Maine,” can be ordered at islandportpress.com. To get a signed copy use promo code signedbyjoe at checkout. Joe can be contacted at: jowen@mainetoday.com.

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