Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-06-16


Harrison was renominated for President
by combination of oflice-holders, prom
ises of patronage, bribery of colored dele
gates, and over and above all, a predomi-
mating feeling among conservative Repub-
cans that both justice and policy demanded
his candidacy. He could not have won
without the aid of both the 130 office
holders in the convention and the thous-
and or more in and about the West Hotel
He could not have won without pledges by
his representatives of favors to come. He
could not have won without the southern
vote.
But the strongest of all influences ex-
erted on President Harrison's behalf was
distrust of Blaine and the men who
managed his campaign.
A majority of the delegates might have
swallowed their resentment against their
former idol, but they would not brook the
domination of Plat, Clarkson and Quay.
The foes of the administration lost be-
cause they never were sincere in their ad-
vocaey Of Blaine. They did not want to
nominate Blaine, and now they say that
Blaine did not want the nomination.
They only aimed TO defeat Harrison with
any man they could make available They
merely used the once magical name Of
Blaine to conjure with
1t turns out that under the circumstances
his was the worst name they could have
| taken up. Blaine having written the
| Clarkson letter, many of his friends found
| themselves tied to Harrison when Blaine
reconsidered his determination not to be a
| candidate.
The anti-administration people arrayed a
| combination against the President, and
| yesterday they dropped the man from
| Maine as an impossibility. They centred
| their hopes on Mckinley. M
This morning they were compelled TO
again accept Blaine. because they found
| the opposition would not crystalline around
| the author of the Mckinley law. All at
tempts to break down the Presidents
strength were unavailing. The solid wall
of votes set up by the ofiice-holders and
| the instructed delegates not only did not
break, but kept growing. All possible ex-
| pedients were tried, but the expected and
| promised stampede on the first ballot did
| not come.
Plat and Miller kept New York just as
| it came here. New Jersey remained firm,
Michigan deserted Alger, and then Ohio,
under the leadership OF Foraker, gave the
first alarm to the Presidents managers.
| Foraker showed his power by carrying
his delegation almost solidly TO Mckinley
| against the earnest protest of the tariff
maker. Had the arch plotter, Quay,
showed the strength in Pennsylvania
| which Foraker had in Ohio, there might
| have been d different story 10 write.
Quny was outgeneralled By his former
| disciple, the young and clever Magcc who
| stole 10 inen from the Blaine forces and
| transferred them to the Harrison column.
| Even then the anti-llarrison mon might
have won, but the delegates from the other
states, seeing where victory perchcd, clam
| bered into the ice wagon with Harrison.
| When the vote of Tennessee was reached
il was seen that Harrison WAS nominated.
| but his angry and relentless opponents
| were bent on making his road to victory us
l .faF,isk 1G In rnf IL
usual compliment OF making his nomina
ton unanimous. This honor was withheld
| until the vote of every state had been for
mally recorded.
PLANS FOR THE LAST BATTLE.
l For As hours the Blaine mon had not
unbuckled their armor, nor did they lay
aside their arms. Revenge was still to be
wrealsed. There seemed to yet he time.
| Angry but not sullen, brave TO the last, and
desperate, the chieftains met for cnnsnlta-
ton in the room of the still hopeful VOL
colt and discussed the plan of battle that
must soon decide al. There were Platt
and Quay and Foraker and ClarksOn and
Fassett and many other lesser gem
erals, in u frame OF mind To die
band of 306 at Chicago. rather than
see Benjamin Harrison renOminated. The
vote on the committees report had been
such n fair test of the comparative strength
of Harrison and Blaine that it was per-
feetly clear that Mr. Blaine could not he
placed in nomination. Reluctantly each
of the generals admitted that this was the
fact. Charge after charge had been made
on the solid southern delegations, but it
had been impossible to scale the breitst-
works of Federal patronage, behind which
the colored troops were made to fight
There had been desertions too, OF priyates
in northern and western Blaine delega-
.,f
and the gay uniform of public service.
UNITED or MKiNLEY.
The only hope was III the success of a
plan advanced by Platt and Quay, hazard-
Gus in the extreme and born OF the direst
necessity. II was agreed to place McKin-
lev in the field in the forlorn hope that
there would be attracted under his banner
4 sufficient number or Harrison men to
prevent the denomination of the President
on the first ballot Skilfully managed,
this move might possibly snatch the gar
land of victory from Harrison and place it
upon the brow of the famous codilier of
the party's idea. Blaine was still to remain
the candidate, for there were votes that
could not be kept from him and men who
preferred defeat with him than victory
with a conqueror OF Harrison. Once
having decided, the Blanc generals set to
work. The remaining hours OF the night
aud those of the day until the convention
met were devoted in securing support for
the younglSapoleon Of Ohio.
The great game of politics was on and
was played with an intensity of purpose
and ceaseess persistcncy rarely equalled at
Il national convention. BY the time tho
convention met hope had robbed the faces
Of the anti-Harrison men of the despair
that had characterized them in the early
mornmg. They had pledged To Mckinley
and 10 Blaine over half the votes of the
convention, and while knowing that some
men would desert them thay felt fairl Y