St. Paul daily globe., 1888-06-17
A NEAT BIT OF POLITICS.
A Mahone-Sherman Combination
That Failed by the Merest

That Failed by the Merest
Chance.
Special to the Globe.
CHICAGO, June 16.-One of the queer
est developments this evening is the
open acknowledgment that the fight to
seat in the convention the additional
sixteen Malone district delegates from
Virginia is in the interest of Senator
John Sherman for the presidency.
The fight is yet undecided, and
promises. unless quickly checked, to
became battle royal into which the
adherentS OF all the various presidential
candidates may be drawn almost inev-
ltably. The followers of several favor
1te sons other than he of Ohio-but
above all the large element who are for
Blaine, come what may-have so far
prevented the full consummation of the
Sherman-MahOne plan of campaigning,
and in consequence largely spoiled for
the time being, at least, what is perhaps
the
NEATEST BIT OF POLITICS
that has come to the surface here since
the main struggle began. When it be-
came known that the subcommittee to
prepare the roll of the convention would
recommend that the Malone and anti
Malone district delegates both be given
seats. but neither faction allowed to
vote, the managers of the Sherman Ma
hone alliance, it is stated, quietly snug
gled into the national committee on
proxy Col. A. &. Thompson, quick
witted, plausible supporter of Sherman,
to see that the report was amended,
killed or delayed. So we'll did
Col. Thompson succeed that it
is probable the entire Malone del
egation would have been seated but
for the determined stand of the out-and-
out Blaine men and others, led by Secre-
tary FesSenden, of Connecticut. The
long and heated discussion, it is under
stood, was almost wholly on technical
lines. with no mention of the presiden-
tial candidates, being devoted chiefly to
the we'll worn unit rule question, but so
skilfully conducted that its bearing
could not be misunderstood by the well
posted, shrewd politicians composing
the national committee. The secret
anti-Blaine circular, said to have been
issued by Gen. Malone, of Virginia,
and the
OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE TREATY
believed to have been entered into be-
tween the forces of Malone and Sher-
| man are the points, it is stated this
evening on which largely the opposition
w NonilollllS w lulI privileges ll6 en-
tire Malone delegation really, though
not ostentiously, stands. The unit rule
question, is, of course, perplexing and
important factor in the situation.
Had the sixteen additional Ma
hone men been given votes by the
national committee, there seems no
doubt from the talk tonight it would
have increased John SheIman's strength
in the temporary organization at all
| events-just sixteen delegates. 1t ap-
pears almost equally certain this even
ing that had the project gone through
the national committee all right, the
gauntlet of the credentials committee
and the convention could have
been run in comparative safety.
To night Col. Hooker, national
committeeman from Vermont, who
was particularly prominent as
champion of Sherman, made
no bones of declaring publicly
that the decision of the committee. al
lowing both the Malone and anti Ma
| hone delegates to sit in the convention.
depriving the Malone men of votes. is
the result of combination of the
| friends of other candidates against the
| Sherman men. 1t seems probable that
the Malone fight will now be carried
| squarely on this issue into the creden-
tials committee, and later, perhaps, into
! the national convention itself.