The Portland daily press., 1876-06-17
AN EXCITING DAY.
MIR. Blaine's Friends Waiting for News
from Cincinnati.

To say that the Republicans of Portland were
interested in the news from Cincinnati yester-
day would be putting it altogether too mild.
The interest began with excitement ard rose to
enthusiasm. Hundreds of men must have left
their business to make day of it. From the
hour when the balloting begun, the Merchants
Exchange was full of interested members
until night. The bulletin board at the PRESS
office was surrounded by an intensely interested
crowd from the time the balloting begun.
Sometimes the crowd extended out into the
street, nearly filling it, while scores took their
stand on the opposite side of the street, to be
out Of the sun, and avail themselves of such
seating accommodations as Mr.. Lord had set
out Of his furniture store.
Before the first ballot was announced many
of the wise ones had set up as political "Old
Probs," and had their predictions all ready.
Some were quite near the result, but all the
estimates were under MI. Blaine's strength and
gave Messrs. Bristowa and Conklng more than
they received. The friends Of Mr.. Blaine
and they embraced nearly every Republican in
the crowd-were greatly elated at his first
ballot and their excitement rose with his in
creased vote. When he fell off a few, the
crowd was disappointed. The Blaine ballot
was thermometer, so to speak, by which the
sentiment of the walters was indicated, They
became subdued in feeling as Mr.. Blaine's vote
run down from 29S to $780, But it suddenly
revived when Mr.. Blaine went up to 30S, and
there was quite cheer in front of the PRESS
Office. 'Don't Blaine's men stand splen1idly,"
said one enthusiast. "They went out to die
with him." said another, who had evidently
been West and borrowed frontier term to
show their fidelity to a leader.
AS Gov. Hayes vote increased, those who
had been saying the past four or five days that
it would be Hayes if not Blaine, called atten-
ton to the fact that they had been saying so.
When Mr.. Morton's withdrawal was an
nounced, the excitement increased. Soon
after came the announcement that Gen. Bris.
tow's name had been withdrawn, and then the
interest was still more intense. Now that the
contest had narrowed down to Messrs. Blaine
and Hayes, the excitement increased. Many
declared that "our man" would pick up
enough to win. Others shook their heads.
The excited ones asked: Chow will it go?'
"What do you think about it?' "Will Blaine
win?"
At $50 reports in advance of the ballot indi
Gated that Mr.. Blaine's opponents would unite
ON Gov. Hayes. At 5.45 the telegram came
announcing the nomination of Rutherford B.
Hayes of Ohio. The hundreds waiting were
terribly disappointed. Some were angry, but
all thought it was time to 60 home to tea. The
PRESS threw out its new banner, but by mis-
take the boys got it Union down, but soon after
some ardent friends set the flag of the victors
right
In THE evening the Republican headquarters
were filled with Blaine men whose ardor was
cooled, but whose mouths were full of hard
words for his personal foes, whom they will not
soon forget. One official gentleman who has
been reviing Mr.. Blaine the past three weeks
would have heard very sharp and very general
criticism had he been present.