The Portland daily press., 1892-05-20
READS LIKE ROMANCE.
The Secret History Of National Nom.
mating Conventions.

Ehe Results Are Known OF All Men, but
the Plots, the Intrigues. the Treacheries
Often Remain Observation-Disclosures
Interest of This. Peculiar Institution.
Especial Correspondencel
WASHINGTON, May 12.-We are near
ing the national nominating conven-
tions of the two great parties. The con-
yentions! There is nothing else like
them anywhere. fancy the death of
sovereign in other parts of the world is
the nearest they get to lin monarchical
lands, for that is an event which ushers
in new ruler. But how tame and
commonplace the dropping out Of one
crowned head and the accession of an
other in this manner compared with the
choosing of a president at one Of our
national conventionsi
In monarchies succession is by one Of
the most common casualties of life.
The change comes silently, not often un-
expectealy. The name OF the successor
is not mystery. AS well known, as
much studied, as thoroughly canvassed
as the rising and the setting sun. In
monarchy, the death chamber, the
muffied sounds, the weeping of kin, the
awful hush and son or daughter ris-
ing from the bedside to receive crown.
That is all. Nature, chance, disease,
control on the one hand; the accident Of
birth ON the other.
In this republic, myriad OF caucusea
In all the ha1nlets, wards and townships
of vast eoun4ry; county gatherings.
next i'm the scsAe, m thousands of coun-
ties; taaen district conventions, more
preaentious and important; state con-
ventions follow, accommodating the spirit,
the essence, the strongest, the various
movements Of all that have preceded,
and finally the great national assem-
baage, composed of nearly Thousand of
the participants or products of the lesser
gatherings. This is the work of brain,
of Drawn, of genius, of ife-not Of
death. Man rules, not nature. Through
all these preEiminaries run certain eur
rents Of ambition. of Conference, Of di-
rection, meeting almost everywhere in
keen rivalry, and pregnant always Of
kesner rivalries to coene.
The seemingly trivial contest between
two handfuls Of corm1trymen, by the
light Of three or four Oil lamps In the
backwcods school house, finds its echo in
the grand, the spectacular, the inspir-
ing, the iadescribable clash of human
forces-the battle Of peace which
eclipses most of the battles of WARM
some gigantic auditorium toward whose
walls the ears Of an entire nation are
inclined.
A national convention makes history,
but the history of national convention
was never written. Chroniclers by the
hundred, and the keenest and brightest
in all the land are there. They appear
ubiquitous, they never sleep, they tire.
though stop not. They load the wires
with hundreds of thousands of words,
day after day and then the story is only
half told. The midnight conferences,
the secret plots, the congpiracies, the in
trigues, the treachery are often buried
in oblivion, never to see the light of
print. The true and full history of any
national convention would read like q
romance.
Sometimes a conventions action is
materially affected by a trivial incident
occurring many miles away. In 1888
the national Republican convention was
held at Chicago. There were many
candidates. But over them all hung
peculiar spell, q cloud, a charm, which
paralyzed progress, prevented crystalli-
zation. It was the name Of Blaine.
MIR. Blaine was in Europe, whence he
had sent letter declaring that he was
not candidate. Some Of his friends
accepted this as final, but more did not.
1t finally appeared that there was plot
to nominate Blaine, notwithstanding his
letter. The men who were engaged in
it had difficult, delicate task before
them. It would not do to make the ef-
fort and fail. Nor would it be wise,
considering that it is always desired to
have election follow nomination. to ride
rough shod over the other candidates, the
avowed candidates, whose friends had
brought them forward in good faith on
the assumption that Blaine was out.
Therefore these naen who had deter
mined to nominate Blaine moved with
caution and tact.
Their plan was to give each of the
principal avowed candidates a try at the
prize. Each in turn was to be put for
ward with seemingly powerful assist
ance, and when all had made their run
ming and failed to reach the goal Blaine
was to be brought out as the only man
who could attract to himself the dis
cordant elements, as the only possible
solution Of the problem. Thus noni-
mated, argued the manipulators, Blaine
would have to accept, and under such
circumstances there could lie no charge
Of bad faith or sharp practice.
This plan made satisfactory progress.
Monday morning came, and no nomina-
ton had been made, though the conven-
ton had been in session five days. This
candidate and that had had his chance
and failed. The convention was at sea.
Choice seemed impossible, and the
friends Of all the aspirants were becom-