The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1884-03-19
Presidential Probabilities.

.
ing exists to day, and what IS more
the nearer we come to the convention
the less of that sort of personal DO
lltlcs there seems to be. All signs
point to a delieerative instead OF a
belligsrant National convention
This is true. indeed, Of both parties
Nothing is being accomplished anC
very little attempted for any candi-
date in either party by setting VI
pins, laying wires, lighting bonfires
and the other devices of boom-mak
ers. The entire country seem:
pervsded by the spirit ofdellberation
The only attempted boom now III
progress to advance the interests o.
a candidate by the methods of 1856
is General Logan's. How much o.
this effort is due to hiMself and his
immediate surroundings and how
much to what are well called fool
friends" it Is difficult to say. II the
General is as sagacious a politician
as The Inter Ocean has always given
him credit for being, he is now using
his influence to bring his friends
into line with the current of preva-
lent opinion, and will do so all the
more as the campaign advances. A
public man is often the victim OF
friendly folly, and General Logan's
candidacy should not be prejudlced
by wha. he cannot prevent.
A recent canvass of Illinois by the
New York Tribune, Blaine's special
organ, and for that reason a paper
Just now very friendly to Geseral
Logan, shows that only ifty-two out
of the 102 counties of this State, and
those not the largest, have Logan as
their first choice. This does not
mean that a majority of the Repub-
licans Of Illinois would regret his
nomination but simply that they are
in sympathy W tt a general spirit of
deliberation which prevails elsewhere
in the country. The Lie. OceGa
sees no signs of an anything-to-beat-
Logan fight in any district Of Hi
nois, but it does give the party in
this State credit for wanting the
National convention to nominate the
ticket most likely to carry a MAORI
ty of al! the electoral votes, without
regard to local pride or prejudice.
1t is evident that the contest will be
very close and that neither party can
afford to make mistake in the
choice of a standard-hearer.
There are six doubtful States, New
York, Ohio, Indiana. Nev jersey,
California, and Nevada, casting in
all ninety-four of the 401 electoral
votes. The Democrats are conceded
153 votes, the Republicans 154.
New Jersey with her nine Is likely
to 20 Democratic, and California
with her eight Republican, thus max
ing the two parties stand a tie, l62
each. OF the remaining seventy
seven doubtful votes New York will
cast thirty-si1, giving whichever
party may win that golden prize 1913
votes, or within three of a majority.
Any one of the three remaining
States, Ohio, Indiana, or even Ne
vada, would then complete the ma
jority.
A campaign under such cireum-
stances is bound to be for both par
ties the crossing of a precipice upon
a single log. One false step and all
is lost. Deliberation, in distinction
from rash precipitancy, is the neces-
sity of the hour for both parties con-
fronting such a contest.
According to the present indica
tions, President Arthur is the man
Of all others to lead the Republican
party to victory. All the signs of
the times point that way. Entering
upon the office under peculiarly dis
tressing circumstances, beset at the
threshold of his administration by
of the most embarrassing
nature, he has steadily grown in
popular favor. Suspicion was dis
armed and animOsity turned to ad
He has not been the head
Of faction. Abraham Lincoln him
self was not more Thoroughly deter
mined to obey the will of the people
as against the behests of cliques and
factions. He has succeeded in har-
monizing the Republicans of his
own State, and in winning to, his
the more conservative ele-
ment, which pays little heed to the
crack of the party whip.
The Utica convention of April 2S
will in very important sense be
National in character. The intelli-
yence of the country will note with
great care all the proceedings OF that
body, and the accessories of it, with |
, view to this question Can Arthur
larry New York ? If satisfied that
ne can, then his nomination in Chi |
ago, with Lincoln or some other
Western man for Vice President, will |
oilow almost as a matter of course. |
Not only has President Arthur
,ncsuraged no resort to the ordinary |
methods of winning delegations, but
ne has effectively and resolutely used !
MS influence to prevent anything of
me kind. Instead of putting him
,elf in the hands of his friends, he |
las compelled his friends to stand |
lloof from any interference with the
natural course of political events.
1t is only fair to General Logan |
% add that the weakness. OF his boom |
s due mainly to the fact that the
people are ia no mood to encourage |
he booming of any one, but largely |
llso to the remarkably strong and |
widely current feeling that Robert !
[. Lincoln ought to he the candi-
late for Vice President. This senti-
nent has not been fostered into life |
1y the enemies of General Logan or
he friends of Mr.. Lincoln. 1t rests |
upon its own intrinsic merits. /
Whether the expression of senti-
nent be in favor of Arthur, Blaine,
Sherman, or Edmunds, it is general /
y coupled with the remark that /
Lincoln as second on the ticket
would add strength to it, and that
like at the South, in the doubtful
States, and everywhere else through
,ut the country.-Iater- Ocean.