The Portland daily press., 1884-06-02
TsEcoND DESPATCH, !

The party from Maine number 110, and all
are in good health and hopeful spirits.
W. A.
SECOND DESPATCH,
CHICAGO, Ill /, June 1.-The special train
with the Maine aud Rhode Island delegates to
the Convention, and the Blaine Club from
Maine, arrived safely about ten o'clock this
morning Congressman Boutele, president of
the Blaine Club, met it at the statioD, and
forming two by two they marched from the
station to tie Grand Pacific Hotel, where the
delegates were qaartered. The Pacific coast
delegates were also at the station, and cheered
the Blaine Club, which returned the compile
ment heartily. The Pacific coast men also
acted as escort on the march to the hotel. Gov.
Robie and his party and majority of the
Blaine Club are in quarters at the Clifton
House. Collec or Dow and Mr.. Coombs are
at the Palmer House by invitation of friends.
The delegates are nearly all in the city, and
the hotels present lively scene of canvassing-
In spite of the day, all the headquarters are
open, and there is a stream of vsitors-some
interested as delegates and others merely curl.
GUS to see public men and catch indications of
the drift of public opinion.
The Blaine headquarters are the most spa
cious of any, including the grand saloon par
lor in the front of the second story of the ho-
tel. The New York Arthur headquarters are
in the smaller parlors off the side corridor.
The general Arthur headquarters are at the
Palmer House, and the Vermont men, whose
rooms serve for headquarters of the Edmunds
men, are also at the Palmer. The Massachu-
setts men are at the Leland House, where
they were four years ago. There is no ques-
tioning the fact that the Blaine headquarters
have been the chief centre of interest all day.
At any haur the largest crowd was to be found
there, and all over the spacious room were
gathered knots of eager listeners to arguments
in support of the nomination of the favorite
son of the Pine Tree State. In spite of all at.
fractions elsewhere, that was the spot to
which all delegates wished to go, and did go;
and they appeared to find it pleasant lingering
there. The talk today has been OF kind hat
gives great encouragement and satisfaction to
the friends of Mr.. Blaine, and they have good
reason to believe that the solidity of the
Southern delegations fer Arthur will be brok-
en-, and that Blaine will receive many votes
from that section, perhaps at the start, and at
all events at an early stage of the balIoting.
There are some reports of losses, or rather of
connections which lose him few votes here
tofore counted in the estimates of his strength,
but on the whole, the drift of things today ap-
pears to be strongly toward Blaine, and there
is at his headquarters and among his friends
throughout the city, sentiment of great con-
fidence, which has been strengthened since
morning. Even those who support other can
didates are conscious of this, but they do not
admit that 1t is anything more than phenom-
enon, swing one way of the pendulum,
which will swing back again tomorrow, and
they say they have known the nomination to
seem inevitable on the Sunday previous to the
meeting of the convention in times gone by.
Nevertheless they do MT like the outlook, and
they have little reason for rejoicing tonight.
w