The Portland daily press., 1880-06-05
The Convention.
ANYBODY'S FIGHT YET.
Gossip About the Situation.


| of Grant. 1t is said this is the reason Conk-
ling wanted an adjournment.
An analysis of the vote Thursday shows that
While Grant lost about eighty votes which he
would get if the unit rule was enforced, he
gains over thirty elsewhere. The significance
OF the vote lies almost wholly in the size of the
Grant column. That shows that. allowing for
eighteen Illinois and three Alabama votes
which the convention may throw out, he still
has the lead over any other candidate, and has
an army nearly, if not quite, 800 strong. If he
can hold that number the fight is by no means
lost. The situation has sifted down
to simply this, that both sides have reached
the fighting point. All that has gone before
has been skirmishing. The battle is yet to
come. The Grant managers have been de.
feated in their attempt to seize control of the
organization and force Grant through ON the
first ballot The Blaine men have succeeded
in the effort to secure foothold in the conven-
tion. Il must be square fight now, and the
contest is virtually narrowed down to Grant
and Blaine.
The New Yolk Sun says of Senator Hoar
that II am from Massachusetts, is written on
his clothes and his manner
despatch from New York says that Mr..
Tilden has expressed the opinion that Grant
will not be nominated, and that the successful
man will be Blaine or dark hose.
Townsend writes of Hoar: Then came for
ward Hoar, red faced man with white hair
and fringe of white side whiskers and steel
spectacles He was of large size, looked like
clergyman wore a loose sack coat buttoned
down the breast and covering the knees, and
had his speech near by in manuscript, though
he did not much consult it, His voice was
rather mournful, as if it came up from his
stomach-as if it was the offspring of some
what querulous nature. No man in that Con-
vention was of such distinctive New England
type or story.
why not Conkling HIMSELF" is often asked
and the popular inquiry but reflects the closet
talk of the great politicians. New York would
hardly divide her strength if the curled darling
of her inner pride should come before the Con-
vention. Even the anti-Grant men from New
York would proudly accept Mr.. Conkling. In
point of fact, Mr.. Conking is not an unlikely
dark horse
Ben Harrison of Indiana, who is likely to be
the Republican candidate for Vice President,
is sturdy, vital man in the ripening Autumn
Of middle age. His voice, when strained in
the vast auditorium, is not firm in tone, but it
has kindly, sympathetic ring, and his 10000
listeners look kindly upon him. Mr.. Harri-
sons hair is touched with gray. He is broad
built western man, and dressed with care, but
without affectation. There was TOUGH of the
dramatic in that scene when modern America
turned its eyes to listen to descendant of one
of those iron,handed judges who sent King
Charles to the block.
The Chicago Journal thus describes the lead
er of the Grant forces: Hundreds of people
probably call every day at the Grand Pacific
for little else than TO see Senator Conkling,
and their curiosity does not get its edge very
disappointingly turned, either, when they do
see him, for he is a man quite worth taking
look at. His two most distinguishing attri-
butes are thin legs and broad shoulders; he ta-
pers down and looks like an inverted pyramid
which is said to be the highest type of manly
physique. Then his head is also broad at the
top and tapers down to the end of his pointed
whiskers-which resembles smaller inverted
pyramid, and makes him look like two of
them, one on top of the other. He is over
six feet high slender and blonde, or at least he
was originally blonde-sort of strawberry
blonde-but his hair and beard have become
streaked with gray. His head is bald on top,
and there are two hummocks of hair, one over
each ear, which add breadth to his already
broad white forehead. His face is pale. his
eyes gray, almost blue-and his nose pointed,
with tendency to touch his upper lip, though
it looks not quite so much that way as Puck
and Mast take pains to draft it, The express
sion of his countenance indicates long-headed-
ness and intellectually. He is slow and self
assured in his movements deliberate In his
speech, inclined to quiet humor without much
laugh about it, and pleasant .and dignifed in
manner toward callers, if they are for Grant.
He wears an ordinary black frock coat, with a
handkerchief sticking out of the breast pocket;
gray pants, which fit his slender legs rather
closely, and small thin shoes. Altogether he
is distinguished looking individual.
The Sherman men retain their hopeful con-
dition, and patiently wait for the moving of
the waters. They claim numerous pledges of
accession after the second ballot, and they evil
IDENTIFY expect to receive large accessions from
the Blaine ranks. AS the contest appears to
Col. Moultcn, who is the Sherman manager
it will finally be narrowed down between
Sherman and Edmunds.
The Chicago Evening Journal says, as re-
CARDS the Presidential prospects: cit is now
pretty definitely settled that Grant cannot be
nominated. Blaine's friends are very jubilant
but it is by no means positive as yet that Mr..
Blaine can be nominated. Sherman's friends
also feel encouraged but the more general i'm
preston is that the question really lies between
Washburne and Edmunds either of whom, it
is confdentially believed, would be sure of
election.
George Washington, appointed one of the
secretaries of the National Convention, is
colored delegate from Alabama.
Don Cameron is understood TO have been in
treaty with the Edmunds men, and it is gener-
ally believed that to Edmunds will the main
strength of the Grant forces be transferred.
Names motto is proven. Dirigo does direct
Hon. Eugene Hale and Congressman Frye of
Maine have become, equally with Logan, Cam
eron and Conkling, the leading actors of the
Convention.
The ladies are keenly interested in the great
personalities of our national politics. Mr..
Conkling is the favorite of the gallery goddess
es, and you hear the ladies whispering,
"Where is Conkling? Oh, yes, see him now.
That's him with the fan. Well, he amt so
handsome" 'Yes he is, too. Just see how
he smiles"
Nearly every one begins to have weary,
tired look, and wishes are heard on all sides
that the balloting would begin. Such,
however, is evidently not the desire of Senator
Conkling, who has, or who processes to have,
the utmost confidence that Grant will be NOM
mated. How this can be accomplished others
can't see, as it is known that the entire Grant
strength is only 239, and that some OF these are
very shaky. Edmunds stands the best chance
of obtaining the greater part of the Grant
strength when the break comes, and it is very
evident that the Grant men will strain every
nerve to prevent the success of Blaine.
Whether Blaine can succeed in the face of
this opposition appears to be doubtful, al
though he has enthusiastic friends who are
confident that he will be nominated on the
second, if not on the first, ballot. If Blaines
friends find their cause hopeless they may
transfer their strength to Sherman. Indeed,
it is among the strong possibilities that the
closing contest may be between Edmunds and
Sherman. 1t is not however, always safe to
base speculationS of nominations on the trans
fers of blocks of votes for which political lead
ers may make the necessary bargains. They
cannot always deliver the goods.
The Grant men profess to be in no wise dis
couraged by the result of the first ballot. 1t
shows them what their strength is, reinforced
by number who will vote for Edmunds on
the first ballot. They also know that the adop-
tion of the report of the Committee on Creden-
tialS will increase the strength of their oppo-
nents and consequently diminish their own,
yet they profess to be greatly encouraged by
the result of the vote, as it gives them assur-
ance that no other candidate can poll any
greater number on the first ballot. They as
sert that they are exactly in the position which
Gen. Grant found himself at the close of the
first days fight at Shiloh. His subordinate
Generals counseled retreat, but he stubbornly
refused, and victory subsequently crowned his