News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-06-05
The Chicago Convention.

me chicago convention.
That notable gathering convened
Tuesday, and elected Hon. John r.
Lynch of Mississippi, temporary chair
man. Already the newspaper cor
Respondents are busy as bees in
picking up crumbs of news gathered
from interviews with delegates and dis
tinguished individuals who have gath
cred at the city of conventions. AL
though the dispatches from Chicago
during the next two or three days will
be full of interest, our readers must
remember that all predictions must OF
necessity be unreliable for several
days to come. We should remember
that the convention of 1880, which
convened at the same place and on the
same day of the week, did not so far
complete its preliminary work as to be
able to have single ballot until the
following week. 1t was after eleven
o'clock Saturday evening that the last
presentation speech was made by Hon.
Frederick Billings, who put in nomi-
nation Hon. Geo. +. Edmunds. The
southern and western delegates were
clamorous for single ballot on that
memorable Saturday evening, that the
exact strength of the contending forces
might be known. They were anxious
for something to discuss the following
Sabbath; in fact some of the Pacific
Slopers cared little whether the first
ballot was cast Saturday evening or
Sunday morning, but the better ele-
ment of the convention prevailed, and
the suspense confined until Monday
morning, when the first ballot was
taken.
1t now seems probable that the pre-
liminary work will take less time than
in 1880, and we would not be sur
prised if balloting should commence
on Friday or Saturday. Meanwhile
we see but little reason TO expect that
either of the leading candidates will
share a different fate than did Grant
and Blaine in 1880. The political
mathematicians now figure out small
lead for Blaine, but on the other hand
a much larger vote is conceded to Ed
munds than he received in 80. 1t is
now thought that he will receive upon
the first ballot about 100, with trife
more than 500 for Blaine, and very
likely a little less than that numbe
for Arthur. John Sherman will have
a smaller following than in 1880, but
it is claimed by his friends that
Blaine's strength will be transferred to
him as the dark horse in case the
Plumed Knight finds himself unable to
win. Gen. Logan seems to have lost
strength during the past two weeks,
while the names of Hawley, Gresham,
and Harrison are more frequently
mentioned as among the possibilities. |
We have but little nope that Yer
mont's favorite son will receive the
nomination. unless the more sagacious
leaders, after consulting with each
other, come to the conclusion that he
alone of the candidates named can
carry the Empire State, without which
Republican success is next to impossi-
Die. Geo. VIM. Curtis, the acknow-
lodged leader of the independent wing
of New York Republicans, and chair
man of the New York delegation, is
pronounced in his opinion that Sena-
tor Edmunds is by far the strongest
man that can be named so far as New
York State is concerned, which, to-
gcther with the fact that the four dele
gates at large from that State are fer
Edmunds, gives our Senator an i'm
mense advantage that he did not pos
sess in 1880.
For the second place upon the tick
ct Lincoln seems to be the universal
faYorite, in fact his popularity is so
great that be may be easily counted as
one of the prominent dark horses to
whom the nomination for the first
place may probably go. We hope to
lay before our readers the result of the |
convention in our next issue.