Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-07-16
THE HENDRICKS BOOM.
How it Came to be Started.

The story of the origin Of the Hendricks
boom, says New York Times correspon-
dent, which came near carrying the con-
ventiOn by storm on Friday morning, has
not been fully told. The Times cores
pondent encountered a gentleman on the
Tammany train hOmeward who was pres
ent when it was cOncOcted, and who had
a good deal to do with its inception and
progress, and who feels quite confident
that if it had been started in the cOnven-
tiOn the night before it would not have
miscarried. His story is as follows: At
s O'Clock on Friday morning a conference
Of leading Democrats was held, on pre-
viOus invitation, in parlor J Of the Palmer
HOuse-One of the rooms occupied
by Gen. Butler. There were pres
ent at the conference Gen. But
Ter, John Kelly, Thomas A. Hendricks.
Speaker Carlisle, Morrison of Illinois,
Davis Of West Virginia, J. G. Thompson
OF Ohio, J. II. Mooney of New York,
Col. Clunie of California, and two or three
more whose names are not now recalled.
Mr.. Mooney. who had been studying the fig
ures of the first ballot for President. which
took place late on the previous night,
submitted to the conference an ANALYSIS
of that vote, from which he demonstrated
that nearly One-half of the 392 votes cast
for Grover Cleveland came from States
that by no possibility could give him an
electoral vote. The following is the list
of such States, with the votes cast by
them, as figured out by MIR. Mooney:
Illinois 2S, Iowa %, Kansas IL. Maine
u. Massachusetts >, Michigan IA, Min
nesOta IL. Nebraska 5, New Hampshire s
Ohio 21, Oregon >, Vermont s. Pennsylva-
mia 3, Rhode Island 6, Wisconsin u, the
Territories 15-tOtal 1872. This number,
together with the % votes from New York
that were falsely registered under the
unit rule against the wishes OF the dele
gates who cast them, comprised, as was
demonstrated, more than half of the entire
vote cast for Cleveland, and the argument
was urged that it was unfair and unsafe
for the convention TO nominate a candi-
date on the votes of States that could
90 him no good on election day. Mr..
Carlisle and others appeared to be
strongly impressed by this showing, and
il was generally agreed by those present
that an effort ought to be made at once
to concentrate the opposition to CleYe-
land on one man. A discussion followed as
to who was the strongest man and the one
most likely to turn the current that was
setting in so steadily for Cleveland. 1t
was finally agreed that Mr.. Hendricks
was the man most likely to accomplish
the UnlEEN uG1lACNs anu a AuuNAUA W do AldNG
to present his name to the convention.
At this juncture Mr.. Hendricks addressed
the conference. He said that he came to
the convention to present the name and
take care of the interests of Joseph L.
Mcdonald. Thus far he had done so, and
he must continue to do so unless
majority of his colleagues from
Indiana agreed upon different
programme. With these remarks Mr..
Hendricks left the room. 1t was
still the unanimous opinion Of those re-
mainiEg that Mr.. Hendricks was the best
man to concentrate the opposition. Gen.
Butler pledged the conference that he
could carry Massachusetts, and Mr.. KeI-
IL promised $4,000 from New York. The
| conference then adjourned with the un-
derstanding that Hendricks name should
be sprung upon the convention at the fit
test opportunity, and that the necessary
outside appliances should be brought to
bear 10 work up boom that would be ir-
! resistible. But it was too late; the slate
had been fixed tor Cleveland, and the 30
minutes cheering and waving of hand
| kerchiefs that followed in the convention
was only so much lost wind and wasted
l muscle.