The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-04-30
Presidential.


during the past week is the result of the
New York republican state convention
for the choice of delegates-at-large to
Chicago. Neither the Arthur nor the
Blaine factions had strength enough to
prevail. The Edmunds delegates, mum.
bering about seventy.five, held the balance
of power. Among this number were
some whose second choice was Blaine,
and some who would have neither of the
rival aspirants. The Blaine managers
proposed to the Edmunds men that they
should combine and elect two Blaine and
two Edmunds delegates. For one of the
latter Mr.. Theodore Roosevelt, a member
of the assembly and the leader of the
reform element, was named. Mr.. Roose-
welt had incurred, in the speakership con-
test last winter, the hostility of United
States Senator Miller, the leader of the
half-breeds and the manager of the Blaine
forces. Senator Miller, it is reported, OBJ
jected to Roosevelt, but the Edmunds
men insisted upon his candidacy. The
Arthur forces, assured of their inability
to succeed, to crush Blaine combined with
the Edmunds men, suffering the latter to
name the entire list of delegates. Too
late the Blaine delegates heard of the
combination and made an Intellectual eff
fort to overturn it. The Edmunds-Ar-
thur delegates elected the chairman of
the convention and chose for delegates to
Chicago four stanch and true men, de.
voted to Edmunds and reform. Their
names are Theodore Roosevelt, An
drew D. White, president of Cornell
University, State Senator John l. Gil
bert and Mr.. Edwin Packard. Senator
Miller and Ex-Governor Cornell, who
were Blaine candidates, were defeated.
Senator Miller has assumed to be boss
in New York politics during the past few
months, and in the first canvass in which
his strength and management were tested,
he has been "pulverized finer than the
wood pulp" which he manufactures. Ed
munds will thus enter the Chicago con.
ventiop with the high advantage of the
firm support of the delegation-at-large of
the state whose electoral vote, it is con.
ceded, will decide the issue of the presi.
Dental contest. Besides these he will
have also a powerful contingent of the
district delegates of that state, with
George William Curtis, the leader of the
independents whose vote will decide the
election in this pivotal presidential state,
at their head. The New York convention
has brought Mr.. Edmunds very prom
inently to the front, while it has at the
same time practically said that with Mr..
Arthur or Mr.. Blaine success is doubt
full. AS the Springfield Republican says:
The result at Utica is an advertisement
to the country, as large as the Empire
state, of the strength, of the position, Mr..
Edmunds will have at Chicago. In no
sense compromise or negative candidate,
he is not under the disability of the stall
wart odium which clings to Mr.. Arthur
he is not under the disability of the dis
trust and scandal which cling to Mr..
Blaine. He is no mere favorite son with
reputation and boom limited to his
own state, no dark horse whose avail
ability is largely due to the fact that the
country does not know much about him.
Presented as candidate now by New
York, New England ought to be solid for
him, outside of Maine, which is of course
under bonds to Mr.. Blaine. The republi-
can party at Chicago must realize, as it
did at Utica, that Mr.. Edmunds is the
only candidate who can assure victory"
Connecticut elected four delegates, unin-
structed, except to look out for the chances
of her "favorite son." General 10
Hawley. This complimentary trust dis
charged, it is safe to say that Mr.. Ed
munds will have the support of the land
Of steady habits if the independent ele-
ment concentrates on him. Massachusetts,