The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-06-04

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and protest against Clayton The Arthur men
regarded it a gage of battle, and the Blaine
men accepted their situation, pinning themselves
to Mr. Clayton. The Chicago Tribune, the
Blaine organ, bubbled over with triumph be-
cause of Clayton's selection, while the Chicago
News, the Inter Ocean, and the Herald, repre-
senting Mr.. Arthurs interests, denounced the
action of the committe, In unmeasured terms
In the meantime, as a. res ult of Massachusetts
work, an opposition was organized Register
Bruce, of Mississippi, was asked but declined to
stand against Clayton. At o'clock
this morning the reluctant con-
sent of Mr.. Lynch was obtained,
but. pending the balloting, two three men
were forced to stand over him with a base ball
bat to keep him from arising and declining 1t
was bold thing to challenge the action of the
committee, but the die was cast in very effect
i've speech by Cabot Lodge, seconded by Mr.
Curtis, while the forcible little speeches of Mr.
Stewart, of Pennsylvania, and of Clarke Carr
of Illinois, added to the comments of the news
papers and the open action of the Blaine man
ayers, forced the fighting and made the vote, in
effect, test of Mr.. Blaines strength. While not
entirely so inasmuch as Arkansas voted solidly
lor Oltsy IOu as 1naIter OF cOnpnmenJ,
and there were other votes given him on per-
sonal grounds and because of reluctance of some
to inaugurate contest in the first step of the
proceedings, there can be no other Interpretation
OF the vote than that it was very decisive da
feat of Blaine, rout of his forces aided as they
were by the prestige of precedent and by the
disinclination of appearing to put an affront on
Mr.. Clayton and the committed Il was not
personal objection to Clayton, but it was an op-
position to the spirit that proposed to make the
choice of temporary chairman inure to the
benefit Of particular candidate that was the
open and avowed purpose.
EFFECT OF THE VOTE.
The Blaine men did not hesitate to proclaim
it a test, and they are being made to accept the
result The better judgment is that Blaine can
not get within rs or 100 votes of the Clayton
vote, certainly not over 300 while the 387 rep
resent all that, by any possibility could be
brought over and attracted to him This is the
universal feeling of the shrewdest political cal
eulators, in view of the surprising vote this
afternoon There is also another analysis of
the vote While the victory is seemingly
with the Arthur men, yet it was Sc
cured by combination not likely to
occur upon ballot for candidate. It was the
field not only against Blaine but against what
seemed to be the Blaine possibilities; but there
might be an equally decisive combination
against Arthur Leastwise, there were votes
for Lynch that are not for Arthur, and that will
not be; so that while the Arthur managers are
nerved and encouraged the thinking, careful
men see in the vote the potency of the third ele-
ment By the force of circumstances many men
are tonight thinking and eanvassing the likeli-
hood of a compromise candidate. For this list
there are the names of Edmunds, Sherman,
Logan, Harrison and Hawley The Edmunds
men do not expect to nominate him; they only
hope to hold his strength as nucleus for the
winner. Sherman and Logan are in more
hopeful condition, inasmuch as they both are
quite acceptable to the South; but there is more
likelihood of Hawiey or Harrison than any
other For obvious reasons, Harrison stands
before Hawley in the general Judgment, and
there will be busy canvassing of his merits and
availability to- night Within q quarter of an
hour after the vote was taken one could hear the
name of General Harrison spoken on every
hand. The fact that Indiana had agreed to
place him in the field was widely commented on,
and, in view of the proceedings today it is not
too much to say that it is within the possibilities
to secure the nomination of General Harrison
if the chances be skillfully and Loyalty taken
and combined and he be backed with heartiness
and enthusiasm by his own people.
The work of the convention has been greatly
shortened by the vote to day Ordinarily there
would have been at least another day, and
possibly day and half, during which the minds
-.
two men, But now they are brought face, to
face right from the first, by the almost certainty
of the selection of third man. That General
Harrison's candidacy, or, rather, the talk of it,
alarms the friends of both leading candidates, is
evidenced by the way it is treated by the local
press. The Tribune denounces it as raseally
Arthurite scheme to injure Mr.. Blaine, while the
News is insultingly rampant because it is a
Blaine scheme to hurt Arthur. This leads
naturally to saying that the conduct of the
Chicago press, without notable exception
is unworthy the great newspapers of
this great city Each journal
has its candidates, and facts are colored and
suppressed in the presumed interest of favorites,
while editorially there are the vilest denuncia-
tions of whatever and whoever the able editor
may have concluded to dislike. 1t is Journalism
in its narrowest and most offensive shape.
The only thing that will delay the proceedings
to morrow is possible debate over the Virginia
contest The Malone sitting delegation is for
Arthur, while the majority of the Dezendorf
delegation is for Blaine. 1t is likely there may
be two reports from the committee, in which
event there will be struggle. 1t is suggested
that both delegations should be admitted, with
half vote each; but this is not satisfactory to
General Malone or Mr.. Wise 1t is scarcely
probable the convention will ignore General
Malone and the party which has made Republi-
canism possible i'll Virginia. Should there be no
great contest over the matter and should the
platform be built easily, there is no reason why