The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-06-24
THE RErUHIICAN CONVENTION.

WhalSO'Or you and 70 do,
DVH theH sith all TOdr fuiEht.
THE REPUBLICAN CONVENTION.
How Either Eimunds or sherman Could
Have Brrn Nominated.
Edmund Hud'OaS, Review OF the Great Contest.
Crowds aud noise were the distinguish
Ing characteristics Of the convention Of
1880, and there was only one person who
never got lost 10 the crowd, and never
mAdeany unnecessary noise. That was SEN
ator Hoar Of Massachusetts, who presided
ver the convention with such skill that
Il he hadn't been for Garfield, he might
nave proved to be the dark horse in the
contest for the nomination. The thought
certainly was not absent from the minds
Il some who were present In the conven'
ton. There were two men, one OF whom
should have been nominated for Presiden,
ny the convention. 0ns was JOHN Sher,
nan and the other was Senator Ednunds
Mr. Shurman would have been nominated
II Ohio bad been sufficiently earnest aud
substantially united In his support. MIR,
E,lmnnds could have been nominated by
the Grant men easily II they han not pre-.
isrred defeat with Grant 10 SUCCESS with
any other candidate.
The result OF the convention was not so
much defeat OF Grant Us for the syndi
tais OF his Seliconstitured managers
They were routed at every point save the
choice OF the candidate for Vice Presi.
dent, which they obtained through weak
concession on the part OF the Ohio men.
they would not have obtained this advan-
tage II Mr.. Sherman had been nominated,
Tor to have put OH Arthur with Shermah's
name at the head oil the ticket would
have been mere hOrse-plAy, and the con.
vention might meyer have been held. The
nomination Of Sherman was the natural
and proper thing Tor the invention TO do,
and II was very near to being accom-
plished. A majority OF the convention
certainly felt kindly to Sherman. The
Blaine men generally felt kindly toward
him. There never was any chance ijr
Blaine, for the very excellent reason that
u majority Of the cOngsni;J thought his
nomination would not be "a wise one. 30,
when the question arose us TO whom the
anti-Grant forces should combine on, Il
AIS Mf. Sherman rather than Mr.. Blaine
who would have been the beneficiary Of
this movement. But among the Blaine
votes wvrs nin1 from Ohio which were
given to Blaine for the express pgrposo Of
defeating Mr.. Sherman.
II Mr., Blaine bad undertook 10 transfer
his forces TO Sherman, then these nine
Ohio men would have gone to Grant In
order to beat Sherman. Two Of these nine
delegates zane from the district represent,
ed il Congress by Mr.. @5 a.. on Mon lon
day evening, after the % continuous s:.:
lots, it became evident that Mr.. Blaine
and Mr.. Sherman together had not VoIet
enough TO nominate either one OF them II
they combined. Still, there were the
votes OF Massachusetts, Vermont and Min.
nesotA-I6 altogether-which could have
been concentrated on Sherman, but the
sherman leaders were afraid 10 try II
They made no efforts to induce the
Wisconsin aud Indiana men to lead of for
Sherman, as they would have done II
urged 10 do 80. Mr.. Sherman was
slaughtered In the house Of his friends.
The failure Of the Sherman leaders TO
put him In nomination was paralleled 10
Jolly by the failure OF the Grant men to
nominate Elmunds. They followed the
mislead oil Conkling, who perststently as
serted that II was impossible for the anti
Grant msn TO combine, 4 palpable error
which should compel the retirement from
active politics OF the man who Is capable
Ol committing II. Mr. OOnkiing believed
that Blaine was stronger than he really
was, and he expected to see Blaine gel
$50 votes ut some point In the convention,
which, Us be we'll knew, would have rs.
sured the nomination oil Grant, The mo.
ment he perceived how weak Blaine really
vas, Conkling should have made his n.
engagements 10 go TO Etimuhds, Tor thu
weakness Of Blaine made It absOlutel!
certain that the Blaine men would seek u
mi S"me other candidate In nomination,
II, on Monday nigut, S" c:s!.nS REALIZING
the strong desire OF the Blaine men IT,
uame the candidate, and the helplessness
ii the Sherman leaders, bad invited thu
Indiana and Wisconsin men 10 jpin the
Grant forces 10 going over to 'Eilmunds,
he might have nominated the Vermont
senator over the heads OF both Sherman
and Blaine, and walked of with some, Il
not all, Of the honOrs Of victory. But b,
was cray over Grant, and let all oppOrtu
mites for victory slip BY him.
What Is the explanation OF this extra
ordinary hallucination about Grant,
many people will ask. The explanation
Is that In 1877, when Grant went out o.
The White House, MIR. Conkling went Il
Grant aud made To him solemn and for
NAL promise that he Roscoe Conkling
would put him back into the White
House In 1881. Relying on that promise
Gen. Grant has been for four years await
ing the honor which he was foolish
enough 10 believe Mr., Conkling was capa
bic OF securing for him. The whOl,
Grant movement rested at last on Conk
ling's personal assurance to Grant 10 1877
| Could Gen. Grant have been nominated
by the convention under the ciFcum
slances7 | think he could, but not with
such leadership as Conkling gave to thu
movement. The Grant managers never
condescendsl 10 argue the cast ln his be
hall. They did not permit themselves u
discuss the question as TO whether Gram
was preferable to Blaine, or Sherman, o.
Washburne or anybody else. But they
loItily assumed that he was the only eau
didaIe with whom there was any posail
bIllty Of winning in tho campaign al thi'
year, and they treated all PeFs6ns WHIT
differed from them rs impairment o.
weAk'mindrd people. There was an al,
Of Imperialism about Al that vas done and
said for Grant, and the majority ialt thai
their voice was to be stiaed BY the cunninp
movements oithe men behind Grant Thai
Grant himself had imperalistic designs
nobody believed but tho movement bS
which II was sought TO nominate him va
worthy Of the mlnlous Of Napoleon ~
The ambition OF COnkling was 10 put III
Ilhe White House man who would 10 80
deeply In his personal dent that Tue ex'
ecutive power would 10 effect 90 MS As
well as the succession. He would rather
be President maker, with bis own oppor'
tunItIes for office lying behind than to
aspire To the executive Of this Tune, de
had behind him, the snbservlent delegate,
IRON New York, Pennsylvania and lii
nols, and tho nearly 200 delegates from th,
South. who ObBVed ike 40 many slava,