Wilmington journal., 1876-06-23
THE TRUE INWARDNESS OF
THE CINCINNATI CONVENTION

what it calls "An inside view of the
Cincinnati Convention" from which
it appears I'll at the true inwardness of
the Convention was not by any means
altogether lovely. According to this
account the bottom facts show that
the fire works. calcium lights, brass
bands, tne banners and big type and
the benches for distinguished visitors
were all for Blaine The galleries
were for Bristow. The ''cooler
heads" soon determined that neither
Blaine nor Bristow would do, Blaine
because he was under fire and pretty
certain to be hit, Br1stow because he
was born too far South. Wines and
liquors were banished from the parlors
of all the delegations and we are not sur
prised for with SO many of their prom
inent men in Jail and in grief because
of whisky frauds it was but natural that
both the sight and sound of the
':ardent" should be painfully sug-
gestive. Mr.. Edward Mcpherson "clad
in a cheap array of saltand pepper gray
garme nts instead of appropriate dress
suit was foolish enough" says the Re
publican, to accept the permanent
presidency and this was ''fruitful of
evil because Don Cameron was op-
posed to Blaine while Mcpherson was
his supporter. By the aid of the Ter
ritorial delegates Blaine secured the
| Committee on credentials as to which
| the Republican discourses as follows:
Mr.. Ensor of Maryland, a Greeley
man in 1872, and a dogmatic person,
with selfish, conc, tied and tyrannical
tendencies, was nominated to be temp
orary chairman of that body, aud,
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; greater one, perhaps,
than the selection of Mcpherson
regard to party discipline, precedent,
or facts. the Tel ritories being for Mr..
Blaine and holding the balance OF
power, did mot hesitate, as in the
cases of the Alabama and District OF
Columbia contest, 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 il
should be beremembered that the success
iul delegation from Alabama, haC
among it's members four gentlemen
| i1D 1alanatnG r..
the Cincinnati Convention, when Gree
ley was nominated, and altogether
nine Greeley men, were pledged and
| instructed to sustain Bristow; bu
they violated both pledges and in
structons, add defeated the Spencer
or regular delegation, by selling GU
to Blaine. The same, or very nearl
the same, may be said of the Distrc
of Columbia delegates who were al
mitted. Both of them were Greeie,
men, and have not acted With the Re
publican party for four years, but they
made their bargain with the maj ajority
of the committee and were admitted
In this way Mr.. Blaine's friends, t.
nse harsh term, stole twenty vote.
from their opponents. As we hav,
said. this was done by the agency O
|
ritories, which enabled Idaho, for ex
ample, with two votes in the conven
tion and one in the committee, t.
offset New York. with seventy votes il
the Convention. This condition of af
fairs suggested the apt criticism tina
the Convention had been placed unde
Territorial Government.
l In spite of the advantage, however
r Don Cameron. by the aid of votes fio
J North Carolina, Nevada and Florida
J kept the Pennsylvania Delegates fror
l boiling to Blaine, and by the aid G
: votes from Michigan kept Ohio also t
the .anti-Blaine mark. AS the RepuJ
lican says:
, This was the situation Wednesda
morning when the Convention met
The struggle over the Alabama con
of the Cred ntial Committee was car
: ried out by small majority, and til
Convention dishonored itself by estab
fishing precedent under which th
minority of any State executive com
mittee may, witt the aid of an indis
crimlnate mass meeting, may overrid
the discipline, as we'll as defy the will
of the party. After this the nomina
tions were made, the sensation of tin
| day being the speech Of that eloquen
iufdel, Bob. Ingersoll, of Peoria, Hi
nois, who brought forward Mr. Blaine
Never before were such words of burn
ing rhetoric and unexampled appeal
heard by political gathering. Fervit
and poetical they may appear to th
unimpassioned reader, but it was th
apt thing tor the time and the occasion
The adjournment which followed in
iured Mr.. B!aine's prospects, becaus
the effect of that speech died away be
fore the Convention reassembled mex
morning.
Up to this time in the manipulation
of delegates the Blaine men were fht
most successful; but when the Con
eBtion met again on Thursday it soor
became apparent that they would b,
Cutgeneraled. In the first place, Mr..
McPhersOn lost his temper and com
mitted the unpardonable bluDder O
attempting to insult the chairman O.
his own delegation. The first ballo
had been taken in breathless silence
The second hal proceeded so far as tt
record North Carolina's partial vote
for Hartranft, and it was expected thai
Pennsylvania would stand solid foI
him. Four delegates, however, boIte6
for Blaine, and Mr. Mcpherson, from
his chair as presiding officer, under
took to aid them in their rebellion
against the unit rule. Don Cameron
with his finely chiseled profile, youth
full appearance and determined de.
meanor, stood unfinchingly amid the
storm which ragged around him, while
Mr.. Cessna, thelvenerable Dick Thomp
son, of Indiana, and others defended
him from the assaults of the pigmy
chairman. The latter's insignificant
appearance, incapable voice and shah
by dress were against him, and
finally nearly brought about vote re-
versing his decision, that delegates
should be allowed to vote as their in
dividual preferences dictated. Then
came roll call, after roll call
North Carolina always holding up Don
Cameron's hands by casting a few
votes for Hartranft, thereby keeping