New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-02-26

one, and on division it was
lost by a vote of 217 to $50. Sub
scquently several ant-Grant delegates de-
cided to go with the majority.
strong feeling of attachment for Mr..
Blaine was manifested even by the
pronounced supporters of General Grant.
There was lively skirmishng through
out the day, but in the end good feeling and
harmony prevailed. The delegates. at-large
are Senator COnkling, Governor Cornell, Cen
erdl Arthur, and j. p. Warren, of Buffalo.
THE SPIRIT OF THE CONVENTION.
A BRILLIANT DISPLAY or POLITICAL rAcICs-sEN-
AroR CoNKLING SHOWS GREAT RHETORICAL
sKIL-GOOD FEELING TRIUMPHANT
'BY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.l
T1IC, Feb. 25.-1he result may be briefly
stated-a delegation nomnalIy Tor the cx-President.
Not but there are members Of the delegation who
at heart prefer other candidates. but the carefully
drawn resolutions, and the significant speeches in
which their meaning was apparently only incident
ally but really carefully and specifically defined,
must practically weld the delegation in OBe and
give the vote oil t-e ate a unit in the Conyen-
ton.
If the vote on Mr.. Forster's proposed amendment,
which left the delegates free TO vote for any one
they chose may be considered criterion of the
strength of the opposition, the majority for Grant
was much smaller than had been supposed.
majority of thrty-seyen in a vote of four hundred
is not sufficiently largo 10 warrant any reckless
rough riding the preferences OF the minority,
and there was none in fact. The majority carried
ont their purpose to its fullest extent-did all they
set ont to, and without making any foolish
display of it used all their power.
| Looking simply at what effected,
| il must be admitted that the minority has been
absolutely suppressed. Looking at the way in
which it was done, it must be further confessed that
it was managed with cOnsummate shrewdness and
ability The screws put on most effectively to
the extinction of the opposition but put on SO
gradually and with such deft and delicate turning
that almost before the minority knew it they were
| silenced so far concerns any influence they
might exercise on the Chicago Convention.
Tho minority it must be sand, were very badly
managed and uuskilfuly handled. Mr. Forster, their
priucpal spokesman. labored under the disadvan-
taoe Of having no definite plans and not knowing
prec,sely what he wanted to do how to do it, Too
| much of the burden OF it on him there was no
one with whom to divide the labor. and the conse-
ouence was that he was too much upon the floor
upon trivial ard unimportant matters upon which
he laid too much stress aud in this way frittered
| away his own influence and the patience OF dele
gates.
The Grant men on the other hand knew precisely
what they wanted aud how to get at it. They were
strong enough and well enough organize to divide
ND their work assigning each part 10 perfectly conf
petent hands, and to be more straightforward, to
their object II Is the fashion TO call them " ma
chine men, WE'LL they did do their work with the
steadiness and conscious strength of men who were
rnnning machine. while the tactics OF the opDo-
sition had more the appearance of trling attempt
To obstruct and resist the inevitable.
There was some wrangling and confusion. as the
report will show. but It was chiefly confined to the
Kings County delegation was almost entirely re-
lated 10 the local and personal quarrels In that
county. aud had little bearing upon the question Of
Presidential candidates
There were very few features Of the proceedings
that could be called dramatic. Tho first was wild
Cutburst Mr. Alexander johnson. Of Brooklyn. cm-
pbaszed with what appeared to be hickory stick,
some very high favored observations on the pohti-
cal record and personal character OF Mr..
Jacob Worth. The connection Of his dis
course with the Presidential question was
! too remote to be detected. But its application
! TO Mr. Worth was very plain even TO the wayfaIlng
| man. Mr. johnson seemed 10 be the most pcppered
| member of an uucnmmonly reppery delegation, but
| the action OF the Committee ON Contestcd Seats "a
little later left them all out IN the coid' and de-
| proceedings
have proved a frequent if not agreeable spice.
There was q litte attempt ot dramatic effect
dnring the address of Mr. Charles L. Smith
in taking the Chair which was not
entirclv successful. The chaTman's allusOn 70 the
neyer-vanquished hero OF Appomattox brought out
a burst of cheers. was expected; but the person
| "a whom had been ntrusted the business 0i drop
pinV banner with portrait Of the eXpresideDt
from the gallery. did not get his work III
! in time to dOvetail, that 1t was not until the
speaker had got a sentence or two further on
that the banner, containing an exceedingly bad pic
! ture of the hero, was let down, and the applause
which greeted the first alusion to the exPreSIdcnt
| il seemed to me. was somethngo of disappointment
10 the friends Of the candidate 1t was participated
| in only to a very slight extent in the gallery. and
was far from being enthusiastic or general among
| the delegates.
| roUcmING THE PoPULAR HEART.
| II might indeed be called tame in comparison
with what happcncd later in the day, when as Mr.
| Stouehton reading the resolutions, hesltated
moment III deciphcrlng the manuscript tim
voice In tho gallery squcaked out. Huri"h
| for Blaine" The whole audience cheered. There
WAS no doubling the sDOntane!ty or the earnestness
/ of the demonstration. Mr.. Stoughton was mani
fostly embarrassed by H. rs well he might be- for II
was turning of the gums IN the resolutions IN favor
| of tho adversary. That Senator Conkling was
| vexcd by the unexpected circumstance subse-
onently appeared in the reference made TO 1t in
| bis characteristic manner at the beginning
| Of his set speech the resolutions. lt
might bo said that tho Senator'S slur
! upon bis fcllow-citizens IN the galleries
was In questionable taste, and certainly impolitlc
| But tho gentleman is not much In the habit oil
minc,no words or Of consulting policy in such cir
| cumstances No one would be less likely than he
10 bend before such hostile demonstration OF