The Portland daily press., 1888-06-25
Report Of an Appeal to Blaine from
Friends Of the Candidates.
What Was Done at the Sessions on
Saturday
Ending in a Decided Movement Towards
the Maine Man,
Carrying With 1t the Vote Of the Elm.
pire State.

CHICAGO, ILL.,, June 24.-The Presidential
situation is unchanged. Today has brought
only clearer understanding of the condi
tions under which this remarkable contest Il
to be fought out. Gradually it has dawned
upon the convention that certain men, pre-.
tending to represent Mr.. Blaine, have de.
termined to prevent the nomination of any
other candidate in order to make Mr.. Blaine's
nomination possibility. The friends of all
the other candidates are indignant that the
convention should be thus dominated by an
influence which, without an ayowed candi-
date of its own, attempts, first, to push sim
| cere candidates to the front and then defeat
them. So much feeling has developed on
this score that various cablegrams have been
sent to Blaine besides those he is supposed
to have received from Elkins and Phelps. In
these dispatches the actual condition of af.
fairs has been fully described and the bad
feeling and probable decentralization of the
party, If his representatives are permitted to
continue their tactics, carefully pointed out.
There is general belief that some dispatch
from Blaine will be read to the convention
tomorrow, and probably one requesting his
friends to refrain from votingfor him.
Further light was thrown today on the at
tempted coup in Baines interest at o'clock
yesterday afternoon. A plan had been for
muiated to push Blaine's name to the front
on the first or second ballot. Alabama was
to lead the way and be followed by all the
Blaine States in succession, New York Join
ing in with 80 votes and the Blaine men in
Pennsylvania leaving the leadership of
Quay and returning to their first love. Even
Ohio, led by Gov. Foraker, who wants the
Sc ond place on the ticket, was to contribute
20 to 25 votes to the grand column. 1t is not
known why the scheme was abandoned. A
Chicago man, not a. politician, who has been
empowered to speak for Blaine, was called
into the conference of the Blaine leaders
just before the meeting of the convention
He was informed of the plan in hand and
was shown list of 423 sure and reliable
Blaine delegates, an assured majority. He
looked over the list and saw it comprised the
names Of delegates here assembled for other
candidates and at once gave his dictum as
follows:
This thing must come to stop. Blaine
cannot take the nomination by riding over
the rights Of any men now in the field. He
regards them all as his friends and knows
they have entered this contest in good faith.
believing him out, You propose to draw
delegates from the supporters of these men
to undermine them and defeat them. If you
nomin ate him in this way, o cablegram will
be received from him In 20 minutes declining
the nomination. and you will then be in a
worse predicament than ever. This thing
must be stopPed."
Reluctantly Elkins and his colleagues con-
sented to postpone the Blaine coup and the
friends OF tbs candidates, except Harrison.
Joined the Blaine men in forcing an adjourn
ment until Monday morning. The present
situation may be described as follows: In
the convention, all the candidates will stand
hrm. A conference of anti-Blaine men has
agreed not to present any candidates for the
support Of the opposition. Indeed, it is
uni unable to agree. upon candidate.
"sBlaine or Bust programme is not sane
toned by Blaine himself The plan OF the
opposition, therefore, is simply to stand firm
and wait for Blaine himself to speak, or for
his assured representatives to force the is
sue. The feeling is that If Blaine does not
settle the matter, the convention will have
to settle it, and that the convention cannot
go honestly and sincerely about the business
OF choosing leader as long as this Blaine
spectre hannts them. The convention may
tion of the extraordinary difficulties BY which
1t is now surrounded
The Mckinley HoomIet.
The popularity of the Mckinley move
ment is that the men who were doing all in
their power to press him to the front were
Blaine men. 1t was Blaine delegate who
FIRST voted for him, and on succeeding roll
calls other Blaine delegates followed his
example. Furthermore, ih conference Of
the supporters OF the candidates, Blaine in
nuenee has peen exerted in favor adopting
Mckinley as leader of the opposition forces
This effort to induce all the other candidates
to Withdraw and bring Mckinley forward as
Q dark horse is Q Blaine scheme, Just as
s soon as the present ayowed candidates leaves
the iield and dark horse takes their place
Blaine Will be nominated. Blaine cannot in
honor, take the nomination if 1t shall be Sc
cuied by running over the candidates who
entered the field and did the best they could
Ior themselves, but II these candidates vote
to withdraw, and dark horse takes their
place. no obligation rests on Blaine as to the
newcomer. who has not been candidate.
and whose friends have put ont no efforts In
MS Dehalf on the suppostion that Blaine
was out of the way.
Foraker and Others.
An effort has also been made by the Blaine
people to get Foraker to stand as dark
horse. Foraker has been willing enough,
and has posed before the convention with
that purpose, on the distinct understanding
that u the anti-Blaine influence could be in
duced to rally about him, blaine was to
beat him out, the Vice Presidency being his
reward. An effort was also made to play up
Mckinley has been loyal to Sherman. An
enort IS also being made to bring Cullom
forward as dark horse, thus DESTROYING
Gresham and, In due time, similar effort
Will be made to undermine Harrison by
playing upon the ambition of ex-governor
Porter. 'VS
The anti-Blaine leaders are not in ignor-
ance of these adroit tactics. At one moment
Saturday, there was some prospect of the
Mckinley programme succeeding. Sherman
lease from their, obligation to himself and
permission to do what should seem best.
The Blaine men were tanning the Mckinley
blaze as best they could in secret but over.
played the game and were detected. Sher-
man withdrew his withdrawal and his rem
had thought OF retiring from the rnce, and
the Sep3tor himself Is interviewed to the
same effect in Washington,
Another Elkns scheme is TO force the op-
position to unit on Sherman, This Is ON the
theory that Blaine could safely take the
nomination away from Sherman for the rea-
son that the Ohio Senator was candidate
before Blaine's first letter of withdrawal was
written, as witnessed by his demand for
Presidential endorsement of the Ohio State
convention of 1887. Therefore Blaine is un-
der no such obligation to Sherman as the
candidates who entered the field on the be-
lief that Blaine was out, The" situation
therefore is a deadlock with no good feeling
prevailing and powerful pressure being
brought to bear on Blaine by cable to solve
the giant problem In so far as final word Of
his can do so
The understanding Blaines friends have
Is that he wants the nomination If it can be
secured in proper way. In lhe present