Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1880-07-17
HOW GARFIELD WAS NOMINATED.
The Chicago Cuiminstion = Frank
Pixiey's verstou or H.
6. 3. Araonaut. Univ 10.

~. r. dryondnf, Juty ~.
The nomination OF General Garfield, /
am convinced. was o pure accident, and
one entirely unexpected by him. The
convention had become weary with long
and apparently changelsss balloting.
The Grant men boosted OF their deter
mination not to yield. The Blaine lead.
ers had met in secret council, not an
hour before the convention convened,
and the determination was to stick to
the Blaine ship, and to 60 down. IL
necessary. with colors flying. Many
that voted steadily with Grant were Inn
patient to break away. There were
votes for Blaine In Alabama, Arkansas,
Wisconsin, Minnesota. Ohio, Louisiana,
North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Illinois
and other States, that were waiting the
opportunity Of q break. When It came
taking the form Of Q Garfield boom
there was Q panic. California had been
called, with its twelve votes, for Blaine;
and had the Blaine lsaders-Messrs
Hale, Frye and Chandler-kept up their
courage, and looked the storm squarely
in the face, they could have prevented
enough votes being cast for Garfield to
have left the thirty.siIth ballot unds.
cided. Iowa. with its twenty-five votes.
was as solid for Blaine as was Maine or
California. Michigan, with Ito twenty.
one votes, was ~immovable. A hint from
the Blaine leaders to Joy. Of Michigan.
or Henderson, OF Iowa, would have
saved those States. and another ballot
would have been had.
While the ballot was pending. Senator
Cameron came to Senator Dorsey. chair.
man OF the Arkansas delegation, and
whispered to him: "Cast your next
vote for Blaine. Pennsylvania will fol.
low" Dorsey asssnted. Arkansas had
cast twelve votes for General Grant
through all the ballotings. l was watch.
ing the Blsine leaders, and saw them In
consultation with Iowa and Michigan.
To my utter surprise. Iowa cast her vote
for Garfield. To my further surprise.
Michigan followed; and when Maine
was called. to my utter CONSERVATION,
Mr.. Hale, Its chairman. responded with
its fourteen votes for General James A.
Garfield. Had there been another bal.
lot, Alabama would have given thres
votes for Blaine, Arkansas twelve votes
for Blaine-all gain; Illinois would have
cast for him eighteen, and probably
twenty-five votes; Pennsylvania would
have given him sixty.eight, solid; In.
diana would have increased her Blaine
vote; he would have got two or three
votes in Vermont. all OF the Window
votes in Minnesota, all the Washburne
votes in Connecticut and Wisconsin, O
large number Of the Sherman niggers
from the South; while oil over the con.
vcntion delegates were waiting their op,
portunity 10 vote for Blaine.
1t does not perhaps become me to
o~riticise the political leadership OF Mr..
Blaine's chosen champions. I do not
question their devotion, and / may not
grasp the situation. There may be
secrets I did not explore. and depths
did not fathom. But that Mr.. Blaine
was the choios OF more than q majority
OF that convention, I Am sure. / know
that his defeat Is attributable. II not to
bad manipulation, to accident. And IN
this / must not DO understood az limiting
that the accident was q calamitous one.
It may have been providsntial. 1t gave
US a candidate upon whose nam oil the
party has united; one that will find no
bolter nor kicker nor scratcher in its
ranks; one that, more than any other,
will Gus no personal %jealousies; one
that can command all the votes, all the
energies, and all tho e~Isrtions Of q united
party,