Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-02-15
WEDNESDAY. FEBRUARY Is, 1885
Mr.. Blame.

There Is but one contingency IN when
Nir. BLAINE could become the nominee
of TIE next Republican National Con-
vention for President of the United
States. and that is the one mentioned on
Monday by Mr. O'FERRALL. 1t is Of
course q scrub race that is now about TO
begin for the Republican nomina-
ton. Nobody can foresee the ont
come. SHERMAN starts off ahead and on
the inside track, but be is handicapped
not TO say hamstrung. He will
be far behind when the race is won. He
has to carry the weight of an unpardona-
bic crime. 1t is useless for his friends
10 protest, as his leading organ does day
after day, that the presidency was never
stolen and therefore it is impossible that
he could have stolen it. Let them ask
Mr.. HAYES, who was made President in
1877 as a result of what SHERMAN and
others did in Louisiana. Florida, and
South Carolina. whether he has ever en-
joyed for one moment the salts
faction Of feeling that the people
of tho United States recognized
him as to their rightful President ? He
was President dc .fac'o. He was elected
under the forms Of law, and soft became
the bounden duty of all good men to re-
cognize his title TO the Office as good in
law. But where is the man who can
than the receiver that is as bad as the
thief? Perhaps he does not deserve thus
to be classed. Indeed, We must admit
that he does not seeing that his refusal
to accept the Office would not have
turned the presidency over to Mr.. TIL
DEN, whose title had been destroyed I'M
der the forms of law by the men who
found that a majority of the electoral
votes had been cast for HAYES.
Mr.. SHERMAN being counted out,
rs he aided in counting ont Mr.. TrLDEN,
the nomination of almost anybody else
is possible. General SHERIDAN has
more clements of strength than
any other man whose name is
mentioned in this connection. General
SHERMAN is a stronger man, and wonld
be hard to beat but he is devoted to
his brother JOIN, and would not, so he
has declared, accept the office of Presi-
dent if he were elected to it. We look,
therefore, for Little Phil. to loom up
in the early future asa prospective nomi-
nee.
Mr.. HARRISON, of Indiana, is a man
likely to grow in strength. He is
grandson of President HARRISON, and a
man of high character, good abilities,
and a considerable personal following.
Mr.. HAwLEY, of Connecticut, is a man
OF the same sort. HARRISON and HAw-
LEY, or HAwLEY and HARRISON, may be
the ticket. FORAKER is an intriguer,
but his tricks will be "vain." CoNK-
LING is Objectionable to the Blaineites.
EvARTs, GRESHAM, DEPEw, HIscoCK,
EDMUNDs, all are so nearly upon an
equality that nobody can foretell who
Will come out ahead in the race for the
nomination.
All this it was necessary to say in order
to bring out clearly the single contingency
in which Mr.. BLAINE may become the
next Republican candidate for President.
He has at present no intention Of run
ming. He does not desire to run. He is
not even willing to run. But, as Mr..
O'FERRALL says, he may be constrained
to run i'll order TO reunite the factions
which are about to begin a war
upon one another, and which may
keep up the deadly strife until the nomi-
nation of Mr.. BLAINE shall be the only
possible solution of the problem-the
only thing that can prevent the Repubh-
can nominee from being distanced.
But these are all mere possibilities
Practically Mr.. BLAINE is ont OF the field.