Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-11-12
WASHINGTON.
THE REPUBLICAN FIGHT ALREADY
ON.
A Preliminary Contest for Position at the
Convention - Growing Conviction
that Grant Will Not Accept
No Such Impression Con-
cerning Sherman.
The Battle Already Begun.

WASHINGTON, November 1.-THE
giants of the Republican party have
already begun the battle in a quiet way
for the mastery. The first move is to
secure the place of holding the next Ma
tional Convention. Secretary Sherman's
friends want it to go to Cleveland.
Blaine's friends prefer Philadelphia,
though they are not averse to Chicago,
while Grants friends favor Chicago. 1t
seems to be conceded by common con-
sent that A. b. Cornell, of New York,
will be Zach Chandler's successor as
chairman OF the National Committee,
and Colonel Tom Keogh, OF North Caro-
lima, the successor of young Mccormick,
Thurman's sOn-in-law, as Secretary,
although w. +. Chandler's friends put
in claim for him. II Cornell is chosen
it will be a starter for Grant.
Will Grant Be CandidateP
Jut how it got abroad there is no tell
ing, but within day or two there has
cropped out that Grant, after all, will
not be candidate. The fact that Sher-
man preferred to let the Ohio Senator
ship Slip away from him to remain in
the Presidential field, indicates that
there will be a contest for the nomina-
ton, and in such event the wiseacres
say that Grant will not suffer his name
to 90 before tine convention. j. Brisbin
Walker, an intimate friend OF Sec
retarv Sherman, says that he re-
Gently had a talk with Sherman, during
which the Presidential topic came up.
Said Walker: al cannot see, Mr.. Sec
retary, how General Grant can permit
his name to 90 before the Convention
in case OF contest, and | presume there
will be contest" to which the Secre-
tary quickly responded: "Of course
there will be a contest" This goes to
show that Secretary Sherman is not 60
ing to step aside so easily as the Grant
managers had hoped, but will keep in
the race with a view TO make Grant con-
test for the place rather than that the
Presidential plum should, unsOught, be
dumped into his lap.
| hear it, too, from Sherman's friend
that he is not so much afraid o. Blaine
as he is of Conkling-that is, he has no
idea that Conkling can himself get the
nomination, but that il iGrant should get
out of the way, in that event Conkling
would turn in and throw his influence
(the vote of the New York delegatiOn)
for f.. b. Washburne, of Illinois. The
sixtv-six votes of New York, added to
the forty of Illinois, which Washburne
could count, would give him a
good start, and the Grant in
iluence i'm the South would also
be likely To go for Grants candidate,
who would undoubtedly be Wash
ourne. Again, Washburne is outside OF
the jealousies and chickering's which ex-
ist between Conkling, Blaine and Sher-
man; and ii, with Grant out, the Con-
ventiOn should degenerate into polite
al throat-cutting affair, it would be the
history OF the Cincinnati Convention
over again-the selection of candidate
upon whom the discOntented elements
could rally. Blaine and Sherman might
as well make chalk mark OF it now
that COnkling is going to have a delega-
ton sent To the Convention from New
York, and he may himself head it, which
in no event will vote for either OF them.
Conkling is now here. He arrived
this afternoon, to argue a case before
the Supreme Court, and is the liveliest
reported corpse ever seen hereabouts.
One of his enthusiastic admirers, who
is with him, said tonight that the Pres
idential nominee on the Republican
ticket would be a candidate acceptable
to COnkling, and that he will have more
10 say than any one man as to whom
the nominee will be. This same enthu-
siastic admirer likewise adds, with fla
vor OF sarcasm, that the Administra-
ton removed three Federal Off
GERS in New York-COrnell, Sharp and
Arthur-and gloats over the TACT that
Cornell has been elected Governor,
Sharp TO the New York Legislature, of
which he will probably be the Speaker,
and that Arthur stands Il very good
chance Of succeeding Herman in the
Senate should the next Legislature be
Republican. This would indicate that
to those he speaks with in confidence
Conkling feels that he has paid President
HAYES and Secretary Sherman back in
part, but that he has yet more retribu-
ton in reserve.