James Blaine, the Republican presidential nominee, peers out from his store window. The “Guano” brand of cigars refers to his role in the War of the Pacific during his brief tenure as secretary of state (May-December 1881). Blaine blamed Great Britain for arming and agitating Chile, and urged the U.S. to provide financial aid to Peru. Critics charged that he was motivated by personal interest, having secret investments in Peruvian guano and nitrates. A later Congressional investigation was unable to prove the charges. Many Independent (Mugwump) Republicans were concerned by what they considered to be Blaine’s aggressive foreign policy.