The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1892-06-08
The Minneapolis Convention.

The delegates to the national republican
convention at Minneapolis were called to
order at noon on Tuesday. Chairman
Clarkson of the national committee an
nounced that that body recommended j.
Sloat Fassett of New York for Temporary
chairman and Mr.. Fassett was elected by
acclamation. The chairman addressed the
delegates, devoting much of his speech
to the injustice OF the denial of a free and
honest ballot to the people of the South by
the democrats. Great applause greeted the
mention of the names of the great party
leaders The names of Harrison and Blaine
were received with tumultuous cheering.
Reference to Tom Reed sent the delegates
into the air, and the great man from Maine
was called to the platform and made
speech. Loud calls were made for McI[in-
ley, the delegates rising to their feet and
cheering the great expounder of protection.
The roll of states was called for the nom-
ination of member of the national COM
mittee. For Vermont, Mason S. Colburn of
Manchester was selected,
AT two o'clock the convention adjourned
till eleven o'clock on Wednesday.
VERMONT DELEGATION.
The Vermont delegates say that as it now
appears the first vote of the delegation will
be for Harrison. Circumstances of the mo-
ment Will determine its course after that.
| There is Blaine sentiment in the delega-
| tion though not very strong one. Judge
Powers, the head of the delegation, is for
Blaine but il it is possible the delegates
wish to act together and with the majority
of the convention.
THE SITUATION.
No statement OF the fact, in words that
Mr.. Blaine is a candidate for the nomina-
! tion could be made that would be stronger
! than the circumstances which indicate that
such is the fact But his declaration of
| February 6, that he was not a candidate
and that his name would not come before
] ha liz hao 10.
recalled or modified by any expression,
written or oral, that has yet come to the
public eye. or the February letter the New
York Tribune of Monday says: "We see
no warrant for the offensive assumption
| that he has not meant what he said now,
just as he was proved to mean what he said
| in his withdrawal in 1888. !" We
! therefore see no reason to change the opin-
ion already expressed that the probabilities
still point to the denomination and the re-
election of President Harrison" By what
form of words or by what course of action
Mr.. Blaine's candidacy could be more en-
phatically declared than by the acts of the
men who are using his name at Minne-
apolis, it would be difficult to discover.
Meantime, Mr.. Blaine makes no sign.
The leaders of the Blaine element at Min
neapols are Tom Platt of New York, Clark
son of Iowa and Quay of Pennsylvania
They are claiming the nomination of Mr.
! Blaine on the first ballot by vote of an
overwhelming majority of the delegates
| The men who are the foremost champions
of President Harrison are Chauncey NJ.
Depew, Governor Mckinley and men of
that rank, Depew, 1t is said, will nominate
Harrison. The Harrison forces are COM
pact body of men, standing firmly by the
president and are not ratified or stampeded
by the Blaine tumult.
The convention numbers 902 delegates.
| The Harrison managers announce that their
chief will receive the votes of $50 delegates
The leaders of both factions are thus claim
ing the victory, each by a decisive majority
One of the most puugent utterances on
the situation is that of the st. Paul Pioneer
Press, the leading republican paper of the
| Northwest: =" In common with many thou
sands of Others, this paper was an earnest
advocate of the nomination of Blaine until
the publication of his letter to Clarksou.
That letter formally took him out of the
field. In common with many thousands of
his friends, the Pioneer Press took him at
his word 1t felt free to advocate the nom
ination of Mr. Harrison, and has committed
itself to his cause with all earnestness and
sincerity. 1t means to stay there. When
he gave the Pioneer Press the solemn assur-
ance that he would not be candidate, he
forfeited all claim to its support in the
event of his breaking faith with it.
"The position of the Pioneer Press is pre-
cisely that of the entire republican party.
The great body OF its voters accepted in
good faith his assurance that he would not
be candidate, and turned TO another
standard bearer, and we believe that when
the surprise and bewilderment which fol-
lowed his last theatrical coup has subsidized
and the delegates come together to consider
calmly and deliberately what is for the best
interest Of the party, they will decide that
the justihable and widespread dissatsfac-
tion which must result from Mr.. Blaine's
great act of selfstultifcation would make
it unwise to nominate him as the republican
standard-bearer in the coming campaign,
or TO permit his name to be used to defeat
the reward of denomination TO which
President Harrison is entitled for his ca
pable, vigorous and honest administration
of the government
The convention to-day will be engaged
largely in routine work, but will probably
reach the nominating speeches and possi-
bly, ballot; but this would come late in
the evening. The newspapers speak of" a
fight to the finish between the president
and Blaine" but II wisdom rules and the
bitterness engendered threatens success at
the polls il either of the leading rivals is
the candidate, compromise may be the
outcome and some man OF national renown,
like John Sherman, nominated.