Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-05-02


George A. Knight offered the following
Gentlemen OF the Conrention: ! present the fol
lowing minority report on platform:
That while the Republican party eontain
many men who by their recognized ability dne
devotion 10 the principles of the party have
proved themselves worth of public support ano
confidence and capability of filling hoDorably
the highest g1ft of the people, the Republican
party recognizes in the Hon. James G.. Blaine al
eminently able and tried exponent of the prin.
clples OF protection TO our hoEne industries, OF
large experience in public life, of the purest
public andlprivate character, and possessing in q
marked degree:those personal Qualities which
would do honor to The Office of President OF the
United States, but leave our delegates unple dyed
and unembarrassedby instructions, and free to
act for the best interests of the country.
l.. B. Miner, of Solano, said
/ desire to say to you and the gentlemen of
the Convention, that the Committee on Platform
and Resolutions, at least consider this minority
report oiscourteous aud unfair. II was dis
cussed III the committee fully and fairly for
some two hours and the resolution with which
the majority report ended embodies practically
tie ideas OF the minority report; and it can be
Tor nothing else. gentlemen of the Convention,
than firebrand thrown into this Convention
a disposition to be conspicuous at the expense
OF James 6. Blame. In what par ocular, VIII
ask, if the Secretary will read the last resolu-
ton, does it differ from that of the minority re-
port, except that the majority report IS more
concise, i'll better English and in better taste?
A. P. Williams, of San Francisco, said !:
Dir President, and Gef,aenei, Of the Conreatioa ::
The irSt Convention that l ever attended in
my 1fe, or the first Convention that James G.
Blaine ever attended, we attended as young
men with seats eide by side when we nomi-
mated that Old patriot who is now alive, the
Honorable Hannibal Hamlin for Governor of
Maine. iApplause] From that day to this |
have known that man as well as any man IN
California can know him. l have as high Ie-
gard for him, and there is no man thai would
go further to secure his nomination or election
than | would. | do not allow any man to be
more loyal to the interests of James q. Blaine
tnan what am. want to say to YOU sir, Mr.
Chairman. and the gentlemen of this Conven-
tion, that the resolution as reported by the ma
Joriiy of this committee is satisfactory to me,
and 1t should be satisfactory TO every true friend
of James G. Blaine.
George A. Knight said it was the first
time that whenever delegate was entitled
to stand upon the floor he was called dis
courteous, and that he was making himself
conspicuous by mentioning the names of
men who were indorsed in 1876 This reso-
luton is copy of one introduced at the
Republican Convention in that wear. The
resolution does not go far enough, and
does not express the sentiments of this
people toward James G. Blaine. The plat
form, as read, he claimed retired James G..
Blaine. He claimed that Blaine had been
before the people for twelve wears.
and it was no time now to say man was
trying TO throw fire brand into the Con-
vention by mentioning his name. God
knows that if the name of James G. Blaine
is fire brand that can light the people of
the United States, then this is the kind of a
fire brand that we want. He said his voice
was not raised against the platform as a
whole. Not one word of his would be
raised against 1t, but he claim the right 10
submit the praise of James c. Blaine to
which he is entitled. and let it stand side
by side with the merited praise that they
have given our most honored Senator
Leland Stanford.
I. G. Phelps, of San Mateo said
Ar. Chairman ana Gentlemen Of the ConrentioR
| want to say one word that induced the com
mittee to make the report as they did. Nv
friend knight from san Francisco tells you that
in 1876 the Convention of Republicans in Cali
fofnia indorsed J. e. Blaine in precisely the
Language that he has used IN his RI solution
am aware that they also indoIsed Blaine four
years ago with the united approval of ali the
Republicans in California. 1 believe there was
not a single individual appointed upon
this Committee of Platform and RESOLUTIONS
who was not favorable 20 the candidacy Of
Blaine Tor President this year If he can be
made so with a fair prospect of success
We must not forget that we stand to-day. SO far
as that candidate is concerned in far different
condition to whatwe did four or eight or twelve
years ago when he was an Acknowledged can
didate for President. He is away in foreign
lands, and has sent letter stating that he
would not be candidate. What his reason for
that was, no man knows.
Mr.. Phelps spoke for some time, defend.
ing the action of the majority of the COM
mittee. While | am for Mr. Blaine. first,
last and all the time, other considerations
being equal, | have one candidate, Mr..
Chairman, that 1 prefer even to
Blaine, and that is the candidate
who can win this fight and save
the country from the Democratic party. |
would rather We had apparently accepted
Blaines letter of resignation than to have
had anything TO say about him | accepted
this last resolution in our platform as a
compromise in that committee, and / GER
tainly understood that my friend Mr..
knight accepted it in the same way and in
the same spirit"
A delegate from Placer county introduced
resolutions rejecting upon the Republi-
canism of Leland Stanford, and criticising
his Senatorial acts. They were promptly
voted down.
Frank McGowan. of Humboldt, made a
speech in favor of the minority report.
Hon. Grove L. Johnson, of Sacramento,
said:
Mr.. President: 1 should not have said any
thing upon this quesi ion but should have con
tented myself with having presented my views
in the resolutions which were presented to you
by your Committee on Platform and Resolutions
and with the able and eloquent remarks that
have been made by our friend and our fellow
standard-bearer Mr. Phelps of San Mateo: but
as citizen OF Sacramento, as q resident of the
place where Leland Stanford laid the founda-
tion of character that towers so far above and
beyond the assaults that have been made
upon him. as resident of the city where he in
augurated the greatest enterprise of the nine
teenth century, as resident of the State of Cal
fornia-proud of the man. proud of his record
as public officer, as m@mber of the Repub-
lican party, l would be doing violence to
my sense of right it did not raise my voice in
favor of the resolutions and in favor of the man
and the public officer, Leland Stanford, of Cali
fornia: lApplause.I 1t ought to be the feeling
of pride animating the veins and stirring the
pulse of any man in California, that a man
and station, to be named for the Office of Presi-
dent Of the United States, when he was a resi-
dent of California. If there were any Democrat
in tlis State of sufficient prominence to be
named for that position, would honor and re-
spect him. If there were any Republican of
sufficient honor and sufficient prominence to be
named for that position would honor and es-
TEEN him. Governor Stanford is not a candi-
date for President, but he has been named
for that position, and the mere
fact that he has been so named has
been of incalculable benefit to the State of Cali
fornia in presenting her claims to the people of
the nation. The work that he has done for
this State will live when he shall be gathered to
that undiscovered country from whose bourne
no traveller returns. When his dust shall have
been laid with his fellow-dust and the people of
California and the people the nation go to those
bui .dings at Palo Alto, reared with his money
and dedicated by him to the cause ofeducation,
they will wonder how to-day one man could
arise in State Convention and denounce
man so good, so philanthropic and so liberal
with his fortune. lApplause.l And when the
time comes. as come it will, that the children of
this State shall leave that institution, given
education as they ought to be given it,
to become honored citizens of this State and
nation. then they will say "We owe this to the
benefcence and to the grand phiianthropical
ideas of Leland Stanford, who was abused in
Republican Convention unnecessarily" Why
this? Why this attack upon him in this man
ner? | do not know that l have aided him or
his cause or his friends in these remarks. He
has no cause. He stands upon a rock built by
his own good conduct. He stands upon foun-
dation built by the clean public and the clean
private life that those who traduce and condemn
him may well be proud if they can even imagine
it will be theirs. l ask that these resolu ions be