The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-02-21

ed IRON he chIesgo s-taats.zamnE.

Translated IRON the hieago stRlts,Zemng.
The two Grant papers in this city-the
Inter. OCEAN and the Erening JOrrnal-haye
recently announced in the most official
tone, and with great emphasis, that Mr.. E.
B. Washburne Is not a candidate for the
office Of President, and that, moreover, he
earnestly desires the nomination and cleo
ton Of Grant.
This agrees exactly with the declarations
which Mr.. Washburne made last Thurs
day in a long interview with the editor Of
the &aas.Aeihm9,-or, rather, repeated,
for he had already expressed himselfin the
same manner and in the same place some
months earlier. Butthe two papers named,
because It suited their purpose, did notsay
all that was 10 be said, and the omission
shall be supplied here.
All that Is correct Is that Mr., Washburne
Is not q candidate against Grant; that, so
long as Grant shall be in the field, and so
long as there shall be any prospect for
Grants nomination, he (Washburne) will
not be an active candidate; and that he
will gladly divert to General Grant every
vote that would otherwise fall TO him, in
case such vote can be turned over. But 1t
Is not true that Mr.. Washburne, even II
Grant should voluntarily withdraw from
the candidacy, or shall not receive a ma.
jority in the National Convention, will
then decline to accept the nomination, 1t
the event, as would then be the case, than
Grants friends shall vote for him. With
the same assurance with which the Inter
OCEAN makes its "official" announcement,
and from the very same source, can we
announce that Mr.. Washburne did not
say "Yesn when asked il he would reject
the nomination under the circumstances
we have described.
Those who see in Washburne the best
and strongest candidate whom tue Repub.
lIcan party could put forward have never
for one moment thought that he would
appear as one Of the strongest candidates
In thefrst ballots in the National Conven.
ton. They have rather regarded him as
that man upon whose name the different
divisions OF the party could unite when
ever the prospect for one OF their own can
didates to receive q majority OF the votes
should disappear. In this ann was
HAYES nominated, and also a much better
man than Hayes-viz: Abraham Lincoln.
Washburne should land hopefully VIII
become a second Lincoln, not merely in
the manner OF his nomination, but with
regard to his Administration.
The affair may turn out as follows:
Blaine, whose "boom" is very strong Just
at present, may receive two-ifths OF the
votes in the National Convention. Grant
also two.fifths, and Sherman one.lfth.
The adherents OF all three candidates may
hold out firmly during half q dozen bal.
lots. Then q small break may occur
some OF Sherman's friends, and perhaps
someIof Blaine's, voting for Washburne.
ANY one who has taken an active partina
National Convention knows what usually
happens in such case; whoever has not
need only to recall the Cincinnati Conven-
ton. The ''boom" then breaks out with
almost elementary force for the candidate
who has hitherto been held In the back
ground; the delegates change their votes
more rapidly than the tellers can count
them, and, almost before any one knows
Il, the last has become the first, and is
nominated in a great hurrah.
This is the only way in which Wash-
burne can, and probably will, be nominat-
ed, unless Blaine or Grant shall receive an
absolute majority Of votes on the first
ballot, for which there Is as YET small
prospects. Washburne is the second
choice OF a preponderating majority OF the
adherents OF every one OF the three can
didates now in the field; il that is saying
too much, then 1t is still true Of Grants
and Sherman's adherents. Indeed, 1t is
scarcely to be doubted that, in grateful
recollection OF the declaration with which
Mr.. Washburne has made the Inter Ocedn
so happy, all the friends OF Grant, with
out exception, will vote for him wash
burne) so soon as the impossibility OF
pulling Grant through shall appear.
In order to bring this about, Mr.. Wash
burne need do nothing more than what
he Is now doing. That he will not have
the slightest ground for rejecting the can
didacy, il nominated under such circum.
stances, and that he will not reject it, we
believe we may maintain with the fullest
confidence. Nor is this in conflict with
the Inter. OCEANS announcement for, ac-
according to the latter, Mr.. Washburne
will not permit his name TO be used to
bride the Republican party; but, on the
contrary, he cannot object to the party's
being united and strengthened through his
name.
Let US note that those who advocate
Washburne's nomination in the genuine
conviction that he is the best-iltted man
for the Presidency need not allow them
selves to be "blufled of" in the slightest
degree by the Inter OcedH'9 announcement.
The situation Is now precisely what it was
at the beginning, viz: Washburne is not
a contestant against Grant, Is not in a
general way a candidate for the Presi,
dency, but will only begin to be a candi-
date when, without his own cooperation,
he shall be nominated by the National
Convention. Otherwise, certainly not.