The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-06-24
HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF.

II Grover Cleveland lives till next Noyem-
Der he will be tie only man who ever ran
three times for President Several party
leaders have thrice or even four tiDles ap-
pealed to conventions for nomination. but
Cleveland is the only mau who was ever
nominated by three conventions in success
sion. TIE fact implies that he possesses
extraordinary claims on the party, or that
it is singularly short OF Presidential timber
Only two New Workers in our history
have been elected to the Presidency
more and Arthur having succeeded to 1t
from the Office Of Nice-President; and be-
tween these two there is a curious parallel.
The whole of the influence Of the admins
tTatiOB-and il was more potent then than 1t
is nOw-was thrown into the scale in favor Of
Martin Van Buren,, then Vice-P President.
He was formally nominated as the candi-
date Of his party eighteen months before the
election, and it was said he was going to
have a walkoyer. lie won in effect an easy
victory, though Webster ran against him,
and all New Eng land rang with the cry,
soon to become threadbare, that Van
Buren, was Northern man with Southern
principles. Cleveland was by 10 means a
forced conclusion when the Democratic
convention met at Chicago on July 8, 1884
Bayard, Mcdonald Of Indiana and Thur
man of Ohio pressed closely on his foot
steps, and it was not till the second ballot
that the Governor Of New York received
the requisite twc-thiIds majority, He was
elected over Blaine by the meTest fraction
of the voting constituency, the adhesion Of
the mugWumps 10 the Democratic standard
being Offset by the detection Of some Of the
Tammsny braves.
In 1910 Y an Buren, went before the Demo-
cratic convention with the handicap of the
financial convulsion Of 1887, for which he
was not responsible. he might, perhaps,
have been nominated IL tie people all over
the country had not felt so poor and miser-
able. But commercial disaster is always
fatal to party in power, and General ".
II. Harrison swept the country, receiving
234 cut Of the 294 electoral votes, and over
80. 0O0 majority Of the popular vote. In
1888 Cleveland was renominated at st. Louis
by reclamation; but number Of causes,
prominent among which was the unrec-
onciled hostility of the New York politicians
and a growing confidence in General Har-
risOn, accomplished bis defeat. Cleveland
only received 16S electoral votes to Har-
ElSOu No1, AUOuSu uo Udu MINORITY OF
1O0,476 Cd the popular vote, made up in the
Southern States.
Again, in 1874, Van Buren, presented him.
self as a candidate, and the convention would
have renomiHated him without difficulty but
for his. attitude on the Texas question, which
was unsatisfactory to the South. He was
beaten by Polk, though he would probably
baye carried off the prize but for the two.
thirds rule, and Polk drove into private life
Henry Clay. The completion of the parallel
was reported in yesterdays CALL. Although
his own State, under the unit rule, voted
solidy against him, Cleveland was nomi-
mated on the first ballot.
There is another difference between the
two men. One of Martin Van Buren's chief
sources Of sire Myth lay in his personal
popularity. All who knew him liked him,
and be could always carry his own State.
Even when he was practically out Of poll
ties and the Barnburner convention nomi-
mated him against his protest in 1s4S he
received more Democratic votes in New
York than the regular candidate, Lewis
Cass. Grover Cleveland has few friends
apparently. holding that public man
should rely upon his principles and not his
popularity for success. lie would not nego-
tate or treat with Hill or Tammany. though
it was in his power to heal the breach in the
party by Cancellation.