The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-05-28
The Chicago Convention.
What the Preliminary Proceedings will
Be,

Mr.. q. L. White, the we'll known staff cor
respondent of the New York Tribune, gives
the following information concerning the pre-
liminary proceedings in the coming conven-
ton:
When the delegates come together in the
Exposition Hall in Chicago, on the I'd of Jnne,
they will be called to order by Senator Gamer
on, and temporary chairman selected by the
National committee will at once be chosen.
1t is safe to predict that that chairman will not
be Grant man.
When the National committee met in this
city last December for the purpose of selecting
the time and place for holding the National
Convention and choosing chairman in the
place of the late Senator Chandler, the Grant
and Sherman men together had majority OF
only one over the Blaine men in the commit
tee, and the latter believed then and believe
now that they could have elected their candi-
Gate for the Craftsmanship in spite of the COM
bination if it had been thought wise to make
the attempt AT Chicago, General Grants
friends will be met by the united Blaine and
Sherman men on the committee, and OF course
will be defeated.
The temporary chairman will Of course treat
all parties in the convention fairly and rule on
all questions that arise in accordance with the
customs and usages of Republican national
conventions; but the supporters of General
Grant need not expect to have, any points
that Senator Don Cameron will claim the
right to select the temporary chairman him.
self, and he will appoint some one who will be
very useful to the third term managers: II he
attempts to do SO, he will be resisted both in
the national committee and in the convention
The committee has always nominated the
temporary chairman, and it will do it this
year.
The next business of the convention will be
appointing of committees on credentials, per
manent organization, rules, resolutions, etc.,
and these are selected by the State delegations
each State and Territory naming one mem ber
of each committee. According to the Tribune
estimates, published last week, the anti-Grant
people will have majority in thirty-one
States and Territories, while the third-term
being equally divided. The Grant men will
therefore, be outvoted two to one in all those
committees in any contest which may arise.
For instance, the supporters of the ex-Presi-
dent have already announced the theory that
the national convention is gathering OF the
representatives of States, and that the State
conventions have right to determine who the
delegates shall be, and how all OF them shall
vote; in other words, to enforce the unit rule
On the other hand, the Blaine and Sherman
men contend that the States send only the del
egates at large, and quote in support OF the po
sition the following paragraph from the cal
issued by Senator Cameron:
Republicans, and all who will cooperate
with them in supporting the nominees OF tine
party are invited to choose two delegates from
each congressional district, four at large from
each State, two from each Territory, and two
from the District of Columbia, to represent
them in the convention.
When these questions come up in the COM
mittees on credentials and rules the anti-Gran
party will probably have about thirty votes in
favor of their theory, which has been affirmed
by every National Republican Convention in
which the question has been raised, while tn,
third-term men will have only about dozen
This will place the latter in the position o.
having to make contest against the organiza
| ton of the conventions position that will b,
anything but easy to maintain
1t may, therefore, be confidently expected
| that when two sets of district delegates appea
| in the convention, either from Illinois or from
| any other State, one holding credentials from
| the State convention and the other from the
| districts which they represent, the latter will
| be admitted to seats and the former excluded
and when any district delegate from Stat
| which has adopted the unit rule and voted in
| structions expresses a desire to have his vot
| recorded in accordance with his own prefer
| ence, his vote will be so recorded.
| BY these two decisions, General Grant is cer
| tain to lose eighteen votes in Illinois and thiI
| ty-two in New York and Pennsylvania, an,
| instead of leading on the first ballot his vote i
| likely to fall far below that of Senator Blaine
From this brief review of the situation as i
| will probably exist at Chicago next week,
| will be seen how empty is the boasting of tn
third term managers. The contest for then
| has become desperate one, and their Onl
| hope now is to win over a few delegates frOr
| the South by the Chinese-gong tactics which
| they have adopted.