Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-06-25

4
the nomination and you will be in q worse
predicament than ever. rais thing must be
stopped Reluctantly Blaine and his COL
coup. and the friends of all the candidates
except Harrison's joined the Blaine men in
forcing an adjournment until Monday morn
ing. The present situation may be described
as follows In the convention tomorrow. all
| the candidates will stand firm. confer
ence of the anti Blaine men was held and
agreed not TO present any candidate for the
support of the opposition. Indeed it is una
Bile to agree upon any candidate.
| There is a deep feeling on all sides that
the Blaine or bust program is not sanctioned
by Blaine himself. The opposition therefore
is simply to stand firm and wait for Blaine
himself to speak or for his assumed repre-
| seentatives to force the issue. The feeling
is that if Blaine doesn't settle the matter, the
| convention will have TO settle it, and that the
| convention cannot go honestly and sincerely
about the business of choosing a leader as
long as this Blaine spectre hangs ever it.
The convention may sit for several days with
out reaching a solution of the extraordinary
difficulties by which it sits now surrounded.
The popularity of the Mckinley move
ment is that the men who were doing all in
Blaine men, and it was a Blaine delegate
who first voted for him, and s.cceeding the
rolls the Blaine delegates followed their ex-
ample. Furthermore. in the conference of
candidates the Blaine influence had been
exerted in favor of and adopted Mckinley
as the leader Of the opposition forces. This
effort to induce all other candidates to with
draw and bring Mckinley forward as dark
horse is Blaine's scheme. just as soon as
abe present avowed candidates leave the
field and the dark horse takes the place
Blaine will be nominated. Blaine cannot
in honor take the nomination If it shall be
secured by running over candidates who en-
tered the field and did the best they could for
themselves. But if these men voluntarily
withdraw and the dark horses take their
places, there is no obligation on Blaine as
to the new conner who has not been a candi-
date and whose friends have put no efforts in
his behalf on the supposition that Blaine
was out of the way. An effort was also
made by the Blaine people to get Foraker to
stand as dark horse. Foraker has been
willing enough. He has posed before the
committee with that purpose, on the distinct
understanding that if the anti Blaine influ-
ence could be induced to rally about him and
Blaine was to beat him out, the vice presi
dency would be his reward. An effort was
also made to play upon the ambition of Me
klnley but without success. Mckinley has
been loyal to Sherman. An effort is being
made TO bring Cullom forward as a dark
horse and thus destroy Gresham, and in due
time similar effort will be made to under
mine Harrison by playing upon the ambition
of ex-Gov. Porter The anti Blaine leaders
are not in ignorance of the adroit tactics. At
one time Saturday there was some prospect of
the Mckinley program succeeding. Sherman
had really given the Ohio delegation release
from its obligation TO him and permission to
do what seems best, The Blaine men were
tanning the Mckinley blaze as best they
could in secret, but overplayed the game and
were detected. Sherman withdrew his with
drawal. His representatives have positively
denied that he had thought of retiring from
the race, and the senator himself is inter-
viewed to the same effect in Washington
Another Elkins scheme is to force the oppo-
siton to unite on Sherman. This is on the
theory that Blaine could safely take the nom
ination away from Sherman, for the reason
that the Ohio senator was II candidate before
Baine's first letter of withdrawal was written,
as witnessed by his demand for the presiden-
tial endorsement of the Ohio State convention
of 1897.
Therefore Blaine is under no such obliga-
ton to Sherman as to the candidates who
entered the field on the supposition that
Blaine was out. The situation therefore is
a deadlock with no good feeling and pow
erful pressure is being brought to bear on
Blade by cable to solve the question in so
far as final word from him can do SO. The
understanding that Blaine's friends have had
is that he wants the nomination if secured in
proper way. In the present temper of the
9upporters of the various candidates his nom
nation by consent or as the result of a gen
eral withdrawal is an impossibility. The
Blaine programme is to deadlock the con-
vention and kill off the other candidates and
weary their supporters and the opposition
have adopted the same tactics.