The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-01-08
ABOUT CANDIDATES..
You Cannot Tell What Nominating
Conventions Will Do.

Dark Horses Have Often Won the Presi-
Dental Prize-Men of Great Wealth
Feared-This Is Nominating Year,
and Here Are Pertinent Facts.
| Especial Correspondence
NEW YORK, Jan. Tit may be as we'll
said of presidential conventions as it has
been said of juries that no one can pre-
] dict accurately what they will do. With
the exception of the great soldiers who
have been nominated and whose selec-
ton was indicated unerringly before the
conventions which nominated them met,
and with the exception also of two
cases where the denomination of presi-
dent has been inevitable. it may be said
that ever since the national caucus sys-
tenn was adopted, some sixty years ago,
the action of the conventions of all the
parties has been in the nature of sur
prise. 1t is the unexpected which ap-
pears to be most likely to happen with
national conventions. Nobody, for in
stance, expected that James K. Polk
would be nominated in 1874 He was
almost unknown. Martin Van Buren,
was regarded as the certain candidate.
and he did have in fact a majority in
the convention, but curiously enough, a
rule which he had himself devised to
secure his nomination in 1885, which
provided that two-thirds vote must be
secured before any candidate should be
declared nominated, prevented his re-
ceiying the honor in 1874.
In 184S it was thought for a time that
General Scott or possibly Daniel Web
ster would be chosen by the party they
represented, but single remark by
Zachary Taylor, uttered in the heat of
battle in Mexico. as well as certain
Vaccinations OF the politicians, brought
him of sudden to the front and he cap
tured the prize, leaving such great men
of his party as Scott and Clay and Dam
lei Webster behind in the race for the
honor.
Perhaps the most striking case of sur
prise occurred in 1859. The convention
OF the Democratic party seemed then un-
able to agree upon anybody. The
strength of al the leading men in the
Democratic party was tested. The lit
tie giant of the west, Stephen A. Doug
las, then barely forty years of age was
unable to secure the vote of the conven-
ton, although he was immensely popu-
lar with his party, and in despair the
managers turned to the little delegation
from the state of New Hampshire and
said to them, Name your man and we
VV1l Nd i
that person so obscure that most of
his party had never heard of him. Frank
lin Pierce. became president of the
United States.
In 1875 the result of the Republican
convention was surprise to the country
Blaine had run noble race; Morton,
Conkling and Bristow were splendid
competitors, and yet the man who took
the prize was so inconspicuous at the
beginning Of the balloting that his name
attracted but little attention. The nomi-
nation of General Garfield in 1880 and
that OF Benjamin Harrison in 1883 were
signal illustrations of the tendency of
conventions to do those things which are
surprising.
Thurlow Weed used to say that in the
race for the presidency the dark horse
has the best chance, and he always felt
that William ii. Seward would have re-
ceived the nomination for president in
1860 had he been as obscure as Abraham
Lincoln was
National conventions have always
been afraid Of men of great wealth
.;1ba
as he was the first. The two Adamses
and Madison had very small property
jefferson was dependent upon his salary,
left the White House in debt and was
obliged to borrow money and sell some
OF his books to support himself in his
old age Martin Van Buren, was worth
about 100000 when elected, and he ac-
cumulated property after he left the
presidency. William Henry Harrison
was SO poor that he was dependent upon
his trifiing earnings as clerk of little
court in Ohio for his support while the
presidential canvass was progressing.
Henry Clay might have earned large
fortune by practice at the bar, but he
was an improvident man. He had con-
SAhuoA1y w Oo1AOW diOuOy Ou HUGS, dLu
he was in some pecuniary embarrass-
ment, it is said, when he became the
candidate in 1874. General Pierce had
a small property, Buchanan an income
of some $4,000 and General Scott was
absolutely dependent upon his salary as
general in the United States army
when he was nominated.
Lincoln was very poor. In the win
ter of 1860, some three months before he
was nominated, he was in New York
city, and he there met friend whom
he had known in Illinois.
Said Lincoln to this friend, "Well,
how are you getting on in worldly
goods since you left Qlinois?'
'Oh, suppose I'm worth 100000"
was his friends reply.
We'll, that ought to be enough to
keep you handsomely the rest of your
ife," said Lincoln. 81 haven't done so
well. have $4,000 in money and my
house in Springfield, which is worth
about $4,000" Then he added with a
merry twinkle in his eye: "Some of my
GxrS< de-, L. L.