The daily gazette., 1880-04-30
SECOND EDITION
From the Herald.
Fighting tor a State.

THE CONTEST IN THE PENNSYLVANIA
DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION - RAN
DALI THE vICToR.-sENAToR WAL
LACE, STARTING WITH A MAJORITY,
LOSES A TEST vOTE-A DIVIDED
DELEGATION TO CINCINNATI.
HARRISBURG, April 30, 1880.
The result of the Pennsylvania
Democratic Convention is such one
as Samuel j. Randall may well be sat
isfied with. Its effect has been to
strengthen him in the State, and its
only apparent purpose to show that
there is much vitality left in the Til
den men Of Pennsylvania. For several
years the control of the party has been
in Senator Wallace's grasp, and on
occasion he has not hesitated to exer-
else his ascendancy to cripple his fel-
low partisan in every way. 1t is a
notorious fact that he even went upon
the floor of the House of Representa-
lives and labored for Randall's defeat
for the Speakership. When Mr.. Ran
dali made his appearance here on Mon
day night he found the sentiment of
the majority of delegates hostile to
him. He threw himself with an energy
which he has never before shown into
the contest, and for twenty-fou hours
he led forlorn hope. Never before
has he been known to make personal
appeals to men for active support.
The crisis of his life was upon him,
however, and everything had to be
done. The tender of reconciliation
cane from the Wallace party. Cassi-
dy, who is now counted as one of Wal
lace's delegates at large to Cincinnati,
developed the plan. The concession
of halfthe Philadelphia delegation was
a substantial victory for Randall,
whereby he received from that city 90
instead of IA votes, which alone he
possessed. He had everything to gain
by compromise, yet he waited to be
approached by his apparently domi-
nant rival. Step by step he gained
ground. Often over-sanguine, per-
haps, and liable to exaggerate his
strength, he realized that he was IN
the minority, and on at least one Occs-
sion so referred to himself publicly.
Yet he did not shirk a serious and open
fight in the Convention to-day with an
antagonist whose hand he clasped only
yesterday.
THE UNIT RULE CONTEST.
The story of to-day's battle against
the unit rule will be found below. 1t
only remains to explain that the pres
ence Of that obnoxious ride to the plat
form was due to the unquestioDed ma
jority which the Wallace party had in
the Committee on Resolutions. The
vote on the adoption of the unit rule In
the Committee stood 25 for reporting in
its favor to % against. This decided
Wallace to force a test of strength, at
which-however many men may have
been bought-he was defeated by bare
majority. Senator Wallace now alleges
that the liberal use of money circum-
vented him, but this is hardly salts
factory explanation, because he knsW be-
beforehand the susceptibilities ofsome of
the weaker vessels TO the Establishments of
the men who to-day have their hands In
"the barrel" Viewed from the dispas-
sionato and unseDtimental standpoint Of
politician, Senator Wallace was guilty
of very foolish thing in seeking the
quarrel he did to-day when not sure of
success. The Randall managers, on the
other hand, resent the imputation that
money was employed, and declare that
a moments argument with the Bayard
men sufficed to secure their opposition
to the unit rule in this State. BY no
shadow Of possibility, they say, can Mr..
Bayard hape to secure majority of the
delegates OF Pennsylvania, but if this
rule is not operative, he may secure
votes enough from this State atisome
critical moment to capture the nomina-
tion.