Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-07-31
POLITICAL.
DEMOCRATIC HARMONY

! cleveland the Candidate of the Mach
inc. and Nominated Under the Unit
| Rule.
The following communications ad-
| dressed to the editor of the Sun, and
EDITORIAL entitled ga Fatal Submissiop.' -
! from the pen of Charles A. Dana, throw
interesting light on tn? Democratic
situation:
To the editor of the Sun-Sir: was a
close Obs rver of the proceedings of the
! late Democratic convention, and of its
controlling inside movements.
Machine rule dominated it from be-
ginning to Gnd. I learned from many
delegates from the South and West tina {
the Cleveland men ia New York had
employed agents, whose business for
many months had been the organiza-
ton of C1:velan. bOom5 and tho selec-
ton of Cleveland delegates. These
Cleveland men in New York knew posi-
lively that Tilden would not be can
didate. They knew it six months ago
as we'll as they do now Their plan
was TO keep this fact out of sight. to
use Tilden's name to send delegates for
him IS first choice, an9 then use them
for Cleveland as second choice. Tilden's
letter Of withdrawal, though long pre-.
pared. was held back by the machine
from publication until what they deem
ed the proper moment.
This was just before the Saratoga CEN
ventioD. The letter was published in
one column of the Albany Argus, and
in the next column Cleveland was
was named as the heir and successor.
The delegates fron4 other States were
honestly and sincerely anxious TO
nominate a candidate who could carry
New York.
The assertions of the Albany machine
that Cleveland would be such a candi-
date, misled sufficient number to NOM
mate him on the second ballot, though
it was generally admitted that unless
nominated then he would not be at ALL
These assurances of the machine as to
Clevcland's availability were made in
the face of the facts:
l. That he was not the choice of the
democracy of New York, as Was made
clear at the Saratoga convention, and
that he would not receive their full
vote.
2. That tho republican vote which
gave Cleveland his abnormal maioritv
in 1882 was the vote of the Blaine wing
of the party, and would now go to its
favorite leader.
3. That Cleveland had incurred the
antagonism of the labor and anti-mon-
OpOly organizations, which are SO large
ly democratic and that they will under
no circumstances support him. This
vote is represented variously from $4,000
10 $780, 900.
4. To these add the candidacy of But
Ter and his (Batler's) concentration Oh
himself of the dissffected votes
Against all this the Cleveland machine
can only offset the desertion of the ia
dependents from the republican party
which, at the best, is an unknown and
uncertain quantity, and which, if we
reason from our observation and expert
ence in the past. will amount to but lit
tie.
From this standpoint what a heavy
responsibility the machine has incurred
by pressing with their full force Cieve-
land's nomination.
The unit rule, though not rejected at
tj'I5 convention, received its death
blow.
The nomination of Cleveland was the
result solely of it's operations. He
could not have been nominated without
l..
The New York delegation was SO
equally divided for and against him
that the eight votes of Kings County
(Which county had been against him
at Saratoga h:ld the balance of power.
The Kings County delegation were di-
videu, but they vote as unit, and a
ma ority determines this unit. So that
practically one man, in reality in this
case two men, determined the Kings
County vote should be cast as unit,
and thus made ma Ority for C'eve
land in the delegation, which, in turn
aud under the operation Of the unit
ru' e. cast - votes for hins.
But for the votes of those two men
from Brooklyn Cleveland's name could
not have been before the convention as
a candidate. What a comment these
facts furnish on the absurdities a. nd in
justice of the unit rule!
Is it not rather dangerous, in these
times Of free thought and free speech
and independ Mt action, to force candi-
dacy through such agencies, and then
call on all men to rally to its support:
An OLD JACKSON MAN
Chicago, July Is.
A FATAL SUBMISSION.
Is the democratic party SO insignif-
CAM, so ulNeStcu VI ILC Iut<tO IIIdU tOI
erly Inspired it and carried it safely
through such trials and disasters rs
only a endowed with immortal princi
pies could survive, that our valuea
democratic contemporary from the gal
liant State of Kentucky, the Courier
Journal, should thus comment upon the
nomination of the democratic candl-
date?
''The nomination of Grover Cleve-
land is due not so much to the prefer
ence of his party as to the general de-
mand Of the country for candidacy
which stands for precisely the qualities
and services which are associated with
bis name"
Mr.. Cleveland was nominated, then,
not because he was the choice of the
democrats, but because lot of dis
tinguished republicans, having been
driven from the ranks of their own
organization by the nomination of
blaine. cried for a candidate whom thew