The Portland daily press., 1893-01-28
,ost memorable political contests in the

most memorable political contests in the
| history of the country was precipitated.
| The convention met at Chicago in May.
1t contained 757 delegates and 379 were
necessary for q choice. Grants dele
gates were pledged to vote for him first,
| last and all the time, no matter what
| came and they kept their pledge. On
| the first ballot Grant received 3O5, Blaine
| 2S2, Sherman 90, Edmunds 23, Washburn
| % Window 10, Garfield 1. Thirty-five
| ballots followed without any very marked
| change though Grant had gained slightly
and Blaine lost slightly. On the thirty
seventh ballot Blainp's friends went to
| Garfield, the friends of Sherman and
Window having agreed to combine on
him. The combination gave him 800
| votes and nominated him.
| The supporters of Gen. Grant III this
convention, or their leaders the most
conspicuous of whom was Roscoe Conk-
ling, had two objects in view-to defeat
Blaine and nominate Grant. Their hos
tility to Blaine was quite as great as their
love for Grant. Blaine's supporters were
animated by enthusiastic devotion to
their candidate and by firm opposition to
the third term idea, though there was
little sentiment among them of personal
hostility to Grant. The breaking of the
unit rule undoubtedly prevented the
nomination of Grant Had that rule
been sustained several states which split
their vote would have been compelled
to give Grant the whole of it and he would
probably have been nominated early in
the balloting. OF course Windom's sup
porters and Sherman's made common
cause on this point with Blaine's. They
held the balance of power in the conven-
tion butno amount of argument or per-
suasion sufficed to detach them from their
favorites, and it was only after the ballot
ing had proceeded so long that the fear
had taken possession of the convention
that it might be compelled to break up
without a nomination that they wavered.
The remarkable feature of the couven-
ton was the frmness and persistency
with which the supporters of every man
stuck.
Four years later in the same city Mr..
Blaine received the nomination on the
fourth ballot amidst scene of enthusi-
asm rarely equalled. The popular tide
this time was too strong to be checked
by the Vaccinations of his enemies.
The only candidate against him who
had any considerable S rength was
President Arthur. But there was long
lISU Ol CdluludUCS, VI 1uGui VI Iu0
favorite son variety who picked up votes
after three ballots. They were in the
order of their strength, Edmunds, Logan
Sherman, Hawley, Lincoln and w. T..
Sherman. On the first ballot Blaine re-
ceived 3344, Arthur 278, Edmunds 93, Lo-
gan 633, Sherman 30, Hawley 13, Lincoln
4, and w. T.. Sherman 2. On the second
ballot Blaine received $40, Arthur 276
Edmunds IS, Logan 81, Sherman 2S,
Hawley 13, Lincoln and W. T. Sherman
2. On the third ballot Blaine received
sufficient accessions from the forces of
Sherman, Edmunds and Logan to give
him 375 votes. The vote in detail was
Blaine 375, Arthur PA. Edmunds SO, W.
7. Sherman Q; John Sherman 25, Haw-
ley 13, Logan 53 and Lincoln 7. On the
fourth ballot Logan's delegates with the
exception of seven went to Blaine, and
the strength of the two Shermans went
to him also, giving him 541 votes and the
nomination. The vote in detail was as
follows: Blaine SAL, Arthur POI, Edmunds
Al, Hawley Is, Logan Z, Lincoln 2. The
ticket was completed by the selection of
Logan for Vice President.
The approach of the National Republi-
can convention of 1888 found most re-
markable condition existing in the Re-
publican party From the time that the
polls closed on the defeat of November
1884, there had been large body of
Republicans who were enthusiastically
demanding that Mr.. Blaine should make
the race again. AS the time for the con-
vention approached the Blaine move
ment developed such strength as to seem
to render his nomination a foregone con-
clusion. But Mr.. Blaine himself was
abroad; and as subsequent developments
seem to indicate, was probably suffering
even then from the incipient attacks of
his mortal disease. He wrote letter
rom Paris declining to become a candi-
date. The prize was so. nearly within
his grasp that this letter of remuneration
created a great sensation. His condition
of physical health was not generally un-
derstood at that time as every effort was
made then, as has always been made
when his health has been in question, to
keep all knowledge from the public.
But undoubtedly a feeling of physical
incapacity prompted and dictated the
Paris letter. The letter was not accept
ed as final by Mr.. Blaine's most intimate
friends. Senator Sherman Senator Alli-
son, General Alger and General Harrison
all of whom had been holding back in
Difference to the manifest sentiment in
favor of MI. Blaine, came actually into
the field. But the men who had been
enlisted SO long for Mr.. Blaine did not
readily leave the old allegiance. Messrs.
Elkins, Manley, @. E. Smith and others
still cherished the hope that he might be
nominated in spite of the Paris letter
Some of them, perhaps all, worked and
spoke in his favor as if no Paris letter
had been written. The Maine dele
cation II to the Chicago convention
were not instructed for Mr.. Blaine,
but it was the general understand
ing when they were chosen that they
were earnestly desirous of his candidacy,
and would, if occasion should present.
use their influence to bring it about.
When the convention assembled at Chi
cago the name of Blaine was on every
lip; and the influence of his following
was very great. His friends, able poll
ticians like Elkins, of West Virginia,
Raymond and DeYoung OF California,
Clayton of Arkansas, Boutelle and Man
ley, of Maine, .Chas. Emory Smith of
Philadelphia, Conger of Ohio, and King
of Maryland, were hoping and working
for his nomination. Senator John Sher-