The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1884-05-10
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
LETTER FROM WASHINGTON.
Figuring on the Presidential Nominee
Wide Difference in Calculations
President Arthur, &c.
WASHINGTON, d. c., May

WASHINGTON, u. ", May ON, 1904.
Mcssrs. Editors The last of the conventions
to elect delegates to the Republican National con-
vention were held last week, and theprobem that
is now most puzzling the politicians and those
"lightning calcuators" that have been sitting up
at nights and figuring to show that their favorite
candidates have the largest number of delegates,
is the great number of unrestricted delegates and
whom they are likely to vote for in the conven-
ton. OF course it is natural that each such cacu-
lator should claim all these delegates for his favor
ite-the "wish being father to the thought"-and
thus be able to pile up very handsome and, to
his mind, winning vote in that direction. The
most sanguine of these that have yet heard of is
Mr. Bayne of Pennsylvania, the "leader without
a following" as aptly said by n newspaper,
but who represents district in the present House
of Representatives. The name, it will be noticed
needs but the changing of one letter and the in
sertion of an 81" to make it "Blaine," of whom he
is such an ardent admirer; yet the letter "l also
stands for something else that would not, if ap-
piled to his present calculations inspire US with
great deal of confidence in his word. Nor do
think we need have, considering his apparent
mildness on the subject. Mr.. Bayne does some
beautiful as well as ingenious calculating, and
makes out that Mr.. Blaine has 425 delegates elect
co, "nicn Is iou'.0s- more than enough to nomi-
nate on the first ballot
Next comes the \. 7. Tribune, claiming 379
votes for the "plumed knight" Next the N. Y.
1anieS, winch moueSIIy noius pack, Uut 7Ininhs
that Mr.. Blaine has $40 votes. Then the Phila-
deIphia Press, ardent Blaine paper, is "certain
he will have $751;" and the Albany Euening Jour
nal according to the N. Y. Commercial Aduertizer,
credits him with 1851 devoted delegates" But
on the other hand, the N. Y. Snn, which is proba-
bly, more reliable than either of the above news
papers or the judgment and calculations of Mr..
Bayne, not being biased by favoritism or parti-
zansm or blinded by prejudice or self-interest,
after careful analysis gives the following figures
on the Presidential question: Arthur, 1923 Blaine,
31I 600 short of the nomination); Edmunds, SO
Logan, So; Sherman, %; Rawley, II; Gresham,
6; Fairchild, A, and 10 doubtful. Aud the N. Y.
Herald has several times shown by certainly as
careful estimates as any made by Mr.. Blaine's
friends that President Arthur leads in the number
of delegates elected for him, although he positive
ly refused to allow official patronage to be used
in his interest.
Manipulations among the delegates in the in
terest Of the various candidates will continue, of
course, to be made until the meeting of the con-
yention, at which time alone we will be able to
to know who will be nominated. A very strong
point in favor of the nomination of President
Arthur will be that he has made an exceedingly
safe and conservative Executive, coming into the
Presidential chair under the most inauspicious
circumstances, and the concentrations made Of
his administration, even by the conventions that
were most favorable to Mr.. Blaine, cannot but
have their effect. Otherwise it will be charged
that these encomiums of the President have been
insincere or that the Republican parry does not
wish good and pure government, refusing to eT-
dorse the good and honorable administration of
President Arthur, such as it is acknowledged to
have been by Democrats and Republicans alike,
by his nomination. ANON.