The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1880-06-16
OF MESSRS. JOY, GAR
FIELD, AND CONKLING At THE
CHICAGO CONVENTION.
JOY on BLAINE.

tlemen of the Convention, | shall
never cease to regret that circum-
stances have been such as to impose
the duty upon myself to make a
nomination of a candidate to this
convention. ! have been absent
from the country for the past two
months, and arrived home but Just
before this convention. Since the
convention has been in session |
have been employed upon the floor
all the time; if, therefore. words of
NINE are important for the candi-
date who shall be proposed. they
Will benefit him but little. | will.
however, bring him before the audi
cnce-the convention-in as brief a
manner as possible. That it will be
very brief will, / presume, satisfy the
convention and the audience. be-
cause we are now all impatient for
the voting.
1t was in 1860, / think, that a
then young man, born IN the old
Keystone State, but a resident in the
State of Maine, entered the House
of Representatives. Ii was time
when the sky was lowering, when the
horizon was filled with clouds indi-
eating II tempest. 1t was Just before
the war. The clouds, the tempest
burst upon the country, and the war
ensued, which ragged for four long
years. Fortunately for us, there
was, at the helm of the ship of state
the right man, and it was manned
with the right crew. After the
whirlwind of war had ragged for four
years, the elements ofstrength of one
of the contending parties gave away,
and peace at length settled down
upon the country. Then ensued
the contest for reconstruction, and
it occupied nearly three or four
years more. During all that time,
that young man, always true, always
brave, always eloquent, applied his
talents in all the debates and in all
the procedures which were necessary
either to carry on the war or to bring
about reconstruction upon a proper
basis. When reconstruction had
been secured, and during the period
of those controversies, his reputa-
ton had been emerging, growing,
towering, until at last, when, in 1868,
reconstruction had been practically
secured, his reputation was towering
before the country, and his name
was one of the great names of the
country, that had been spread
abroad all over the land. 1t had be-
come a household word; it was IA
miliar in every corner; 1t was look
ed up to from every part of the
country. That name was Hon.
James G. Blaine, the Senator from
Maine. [Great outburst Of enthusi-
asm.] When the stormy period of
Andrew Johnson's administration
had passed away, and the nominal
ton of General Grant was made to
the country for the Presidency of
the United States, all eyes in the
northern section turned to the Hon.
James G. Blaine. He was called
upon to canvass the country. He
canvassed the country from Maine
to the Mississippi and beyond. He
made himself familiar with the great
North and the great West, the peo-
pie became familiar with him in the
North and in the great West, and he
had about him the wonderful pow
er of attraction which half q century
ago was possessed in most emf
nent degree also by another great
man of this country, the great son
of the great State of Kentucky,
Henry Clay. On the second nomi-
nation of General Grant, in 1872, he
was called upon in the same way,
and travelled the country exercising
his power, his ability, and his elo-
quence for the cause of his country
over the same extent of this North
ern territory. He had become so
well known, the people of the coun-
try had become so well acquainted
with him, he had fastened them to
him by attraction so great that in
the convention which was held at
Cincinnati four years ago, he had be-
come the leading candidate of the
Northern people for the Presidency
of the United States. He was the
fap orite candidate of the State which
re present in this convention. Its
deles ,ates went to that convention
with a view of urging and securing,
if it were possible, his nomination.
He can le within a few votes of sue
cess, WI en- for some leasons, his col
nmn bro Ike and the result was anoth
sr nomin; ,tion which had not been
before the country. You all know
he disappt 'intment; you all know,
perhaps the astonishment which was
in so. ne sections of the coun-
nv at that result. BY the State
which | have the honor to represent
lpon this floor it was considered al
most calami. " to the individual
members of the Republican party of
hat State. tbev felt it almost as