St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-05-14
CONVENTION MEEK.


The presidential nominations will be
virtually decided this week. 1t is con-
vention week, not only in Minnesota,
but in most of the other states where
delegates have not already been Sc
lected, and one or the other of the sets
of delegates chosen this week will have
the naming Of the next president.
1t is apparently foregOne conclusion
that Mr.. CLEVELAND will be the noml
nee of the st. Louis convention, al
though there have been instances where
candidates slipped up on nomination
when the matter seemed to have been
settled in advance as conclusively as it
now appears in Nh. CLEyELAND's case.
FRANKLIN PIERCE was notable in
stance when he went before Democratic
convention for a denomination. Before
the convention was held everything
seemed to point to Mr.. PIERCE's re-
nomination without opposition. State
conventions all over the country
either instructed for PIERCE OF
passed resolutions indorsing his admin
istration and left the delegates unin-
structed, just as they are doing for
CLEVELAND. When the convention
met Mr.. PIERCE had a large majority,
composed of positive following, but
number of complimentary ballots were
cast for other candidates, which left
him without the necessary two-thirds.
Then the scattering vote, which was
more than one-third, began to cOncen-
trate, and it was soon developed that
this scattering vote was anti-PIERCE
and capable under the tW0-thirdS rule
of preventing his nominations; and
it did. After prolonged con-
test JAMES BUCHANAN was nominal
ted. There is no reason to suppose that
affairs will take the same turn at ST.
Louis with respect to Mr.. CLEYELAND's
denomination, yet it is an open secret
that if the RANDALL wing of the party
could muster force strong enough to
deadlock the convention under the two
thirds rule, they would undertake to
defeat Mr.. CLEVELAND just as FRANK
LIN PIERCE was knitted. In looking
over the list of delegates who have been
appointed by the various Democratic
state conventions, the reader will now
and then stumble on a name which has
been so Intimately identified with mo-
nopoly interests i'll the past, that it is
hardly possible that the delegate is
going to st. Louis because of any love
that he has for Mr.. CLEVELAND.
1t is in the Chicago convention, how
ever. that the music is expected. The
band has begun to play already. The
strong BLAINE movement that has de-
deloped in the East within the last two
weeks has had the effect of arousing the
GreShamiteS to renewed activity.
Judge GRESHAM 5 friends are not only
at work now, but they are working with
an energy which indicates that they
realize the strength of the BLAINE
movement. 1t is now apparent that the
purpose is to concentrate the anti
BLAINE elements on GRESHAM. The
trouble with the Greshamites is that
they slept too long on their oars. They
permitted the BLAINE leaders to cheat
them out of Indiana and to block their
game in Wisconsin by pushing RUsK to
the front. The most that is left for
GRESHAM's friends to do is to make a
sure thing of it in Illinois and Mime
sofa.
The general situation, as outlined
above. invests the two conventions that
are to be held in this city this week
with unusual interest. 1t goes without
saying that the Democratic convention
Thursday will appoint CLEVELAND del
egates, but in view of a possibility that
the RANDALL wing may want to steal
march on CLEVELAND, it is not i'm
probable that Minnesota Democrats
will emphasize their preference for Mr..
CLEVELAND by inStructing for him. 1t
is in the Republican convention, which
meets Wednesday. that the sharp con-
test will occur. The probabilities are
that the Republicans will not instruct
their delegates, yet it is absolutely GER
tain that the friends of Mr.. BLAINE and
Judge GRESHAM respectively will lock
horns in fight for the delegation. 1t
is now apparent that the partisans of
each will be strong enough to make it
interesting for the other. Up to date
sixty counties in the state have appoint
ed delegates to Wednesdays conven-
ton. Preferences have been expressed
OF instructions have been given with
the following result: BLAINE, 25:
GRESHAM, IA; SHERMAN, 2; uninstruct-
ed. 49, The effort will be made by both
the BLAINE and GRESHAM factions to
capture the uninStructed delegates, and
if there isn't fun ahead then the signs
of the times count for nothing.