National Republican., 1876-06-20

q sympathy aroused by the fact that he
was the victim of Confederate persecu-
tion-they succeeded, as we have said, in
capturing the hot impulse and the gener-
Gus admiration of the average delegate.
Mr. Blaine's gallant fight for self-preserya-
ton against overwhelming odds chal-
lenged the respect and evoked the chival-
rous regard of every American citizen, and
it was not to be wondered at that in the
preliminary skirmishing he gained great
advantage. For example, his friends got
control of the Committee on Permanent
Organization, and after Morton McMichael
had sagaciously declined the permanent
presidency, MIR. Edward Mcpherson, clad
in cheap array of salt and pepper gray
garments, instead of appropriate dress suit
was foolish enough to accept it. This
acceptance was fruitful of evil, because it
developed never. ending animosities in the
Pennsylvania delegation, as well as the
State at large. This will be understood
when it is known that Don. Cameron, the
chairman of the delegation, as a Hartranft
supporter, was opposed to Mr. Blaine,
while Mcpherson favored him. At
the same time the Blaine men. by
aid of the Territorial delegates, secured
control of the Committee on Credentials.
Delegate Elkins, of New Mexico, and Gov
ernor Mccormick, of Arizona, were most
active in manipulating the frontiersmen IN
Blaine's behalf and began as early as Sun
day morning their efforts to capture dele
gates and bring back Blaine "trophies on
their Shields" In the end, when the
Credential Committee met Mr.. Ensor, of
Maryland. Greeley man in 1872. and
dogmatic person, with selfish, conceited
and tyrannical tendencies, was nominated
to be temporary chairman of that body,
and, with the most unblushing assurance,
accepted the Office as permanent chair
man. He held it, too, by sheer force of
impudence. In the proceedings of this
committee the greatest mistake was made
by Mr.. Blaine's friends for his cause; a
greater one, perhaps, than the selection
Of Mcpherson. Without regard to argu-
nent, without regard TO party discipline,
precedent, or facts, the Territories being
for Mr.. Blaine and holding the balance
of power, did not hesitate, ss IN the
cases of the Alabama and District Of
Columbia contests, TO throw out the
regularly-elected delegates and admit the
contestants simply because the latter
pledged themselves to vote for Mr.. Blaine.
In this connection It should be remembered
thatthe successful delegation from Alabama,
having among its members four gentlemen
who were delegates four years ago to the
Cincinnati Convention, when Greeley was
nominated, and altogether nine Greeley
men, were pledged and instructed to sustain
Bristow; but they violated both pledges
and Instructions, and defeated the Spencer,
or regular delegation. by selling out to
Blaine. The same, or very nearly the
same, may be said of the District of Co
lumbia delegates who were admitted. Both
of them were Greeley men, and have not
acted with the Republican party for four
years, but they made their bargain
with the majority Of the committee and
were admitted. In this way Mr.. Blaine's
friends, to use harsh term, stole twenty
votes from their opponents. As we have
said, this was done by the agency Of the
preponderating power of the Territories,
which enabled Idaho, for example, with
two votes in the convention and one in the
committee, to offset New York, with
seventy votes in the convention. This
condition of affairs suggested the apt criti-
cism that the convention had been placed
under Territorial Government.
Tuesday night, before the convention
met, all efforts at combinations having
failed, and the canvass having become per-
sonally hostile-that is, the adhersnts of
termined not to abandon their favorites
for any known man-the aspect of affairs
was serious. At this juncture if the in
dividual preference Of all the delegates had
found expression, unhampered by unit
rules or State instructions and "favorite
SON. tendencies, Mr.. Blaine would have
had sufficient majority to nominate him.
1t therefore became necessary to hold
the delegations together to prevent disIn-
tegration, or TO accept the handicapped
rominee. The Penusylvanians had re-
bellcd-a portion of them, at least-lnd
Don Cameron found it difficult to control
them. A minority of his delegates were
ready to bolt Hartranft, to abandon State
pride, and to go over to Blaine. He
'polled" them three times, and found the
situation desperate. Several stormy con-
sultations followed, and he discovered
that the delegation was slipping
from his grasp. The Ohio dele,
cation was in the same predicament. Not
withstsnding the fact that the Cincinnati
newspapers, the Chicago Tribune and the
New York Times threatened to bolt the
ticket if Blaine should be nominated, and
that serious disaffection and cold shoul-
deredness, so to speak, existed in many
quarters toward him, the "whoopla,"
the hurrah and the enthusiasm set strongly
in his favor. He was on the top wave of
the incoming tide, and would have been
landed safe and dry: if Don Cameron had
lot at this instant conceived a brilliant
stroke of policy by which TO keep Penu-
sylvania firm fer Hartranft. That concep-
ton was quickly executed by drawing
upon Mr.. Conkling's forces for outside
help. In other words, votes were OBJ
tanned from other States for Hartranft, and
80 long as he received support outside of
Pennsylvania the Keystone delegation,
with insignificant exceptions, felt bound
to stand by their favorite son. Those
votes were obtained from North Carolina,
Nevada and Florida. The outside votes
necessary to keep the Ohio men solid were
obtained from Michigan.
This was the situation Wednesday morn
ing when the convention met. The strug-
gle over the Alabama contest was exciting,
but the programme of the Credential Com
mittee was carried out by small majority,
and the convention dishonored itself by
establishing precedent under which the
minority of any State executive committee
may, with the aid of an indiscriminate mass
meeting, may override the will of the ma
iority and destroy the discipline, as well as