Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1896-06-15

GtlGsN
 GAyEI. TO BE USED AT THE REPUBLICAN CON
 VENTIoN.
 could see heads bobbing excitedly, and it was plain the information was there before him. Yet there was no telegraph wire over which it could have reached the lobby soon- CT than he brought it from that special wire in the room up stairs. And the buzz ing that went on in the lobby, and the huzzaing on the street, and the general up- roar all over the city which followed the announcement-thatw was something worth remembering. Itwas the spirit of the cam paign of 1884 revived and the chant of Blaine, Blaine, James G. Blaine" was heard eehoing all through Minneapolis.
 But this, as l haye said, was before the convention. Itwas not a convention scene in the strictest sense, and yet it was q scene incident to the convention and one that might have had n very important bearing on it's results If the campaigning of Mir. Harrison had not been done with such consummate skill.
 But the scene that will live in history as memorable ill the proceedings of the Re- publican national convention of 1892 was stlsGone that accompanied the casting of the vote of the state of Ohio when the bal I0t WAS being taken. That scene had a diff fefsn6 significance for different people. To some it was the remuneration of the pres idcncy' by that fayorite son of Ohio, Major William Mckinley, Jr. To others it was betrayal by Major Mckinley of the faith he had pledged not to be a'candidate be- fore the convention. There is exaggeration in both these views, for whatever Major Mckinley had done there is not the least likelihood he could have had the nomina- tion, and whether he did all that could be done to prevent the vote of Ohio being cast for him 1t is certain he did great deal But for the time there seemed to hinge on him the result of the ballot.
 Major Mckinley Took Part.
 Major Mckinley had come to Minneap- oils an announced supporter of President Harrison He arrived at night and re- mained in his private car till morning. Then he went to the hotel where he estab- lisked himself in his headquarters and gave emphatic denial to the reports that he was to be q candidate Mr. Blaine's friends saw already che futility of pressing their candidate in the hope of beating Harrison, and they were looking around for some compromise man who would demand the Blaine strength and at the same time draw from Harrison some of the votes pledged to him. They had hit on Major Mckinley as the most likely candidate. The Harri- son men, who organized the convention, put Major Mckinley in the chair of the permanent presiding officer probably with a view to clinching his allegiance.
 On the 1fth of June the ballot for the nomination for president was taken. A test vote had been taken on the admission of the delegates from Alabama, where there was a contest and the Harrison men cast 461 votes against 423 cast by their op- ponents. But when the balloting began votes were cast by Alabama, the first state on the roll, for William Mckinley, Jr. Then followed Arkansas with l vote for Mckinley, California with 1, Connecticut with s, Iowa with 1, Kansas with Q, and so 1t went until New York was reached, and her delegation cast only 10 votes for Mckinley There was sigh of relief from the Harrison men, but stiii the casting Of Ohio's vote was awaited with intense in terest. When the clerk called the state of Ohio, the convention sat silent in deep ex- pectancy whi9c William Hahn, the chair man of the delegation, took the floor. MT. Hahn said hesitatingly, Tn the clouded state of mind in which I am at present
 
 William Mckinley, Jr.. and 9 for liar rison. J
 Then there was cheering all over the hall and through the galleries. Banners waved, and men sprang on their chairs and waved their hats above their heads. But the chairman stood there, his mouth tightly drawn, his white face q little chalkier than usual sGentlemen of the convention" he said, when the gavel had brought something like order out of the chaos of sound, II challenge the correct ness of that announcement.
 In moment Foraker of Ohio was on his feet No friend of Mckinley he, but an earnest foe of the administration II understood you had left the delegation for a higher place and had substituted an al ternate," he cried
 1T am a member of the Ohio delegation, said Major Mckinley firmly
 You havo retired from it, and your all ternate has taken your place. Foraker per sisted. We do not know you in the dele gation."
 At this there were laughter and some cheering through the hall But the gayel brought orGer again, and the chairman said, The chair overrules the point ofzor- der and asks the secretary to call the roll
 And then, in the hushed silence of lis tening thousands, the names of the Ohio delegates were called. s'McKinley'' was the answer of each and every one of them, with the exception of Major Mckinley himself and a man named Cooper They answered Harrison, and when McKin- ley's vote was cast the convention hall shook with the cheers of the Harrison men. 1.-Two votes for Harrison and A for Will liam Mckinley, .Jr., '' was the announce ment of the secretary. Then Cooper changed his vote for Mckinley, making the number 45. And then the calling of the roll of states proceeded.
 And after this very interesting bit of by play the roll call showed 525 1-6 votes for Harrison, 182 5-6 for Blaine and lS2 for Mckinley.
 Mckinley was never in the race; that was plain Harrison was nominated before the roll call began.
 But it looked for a minute, when the vote of Ohio was announced, as though there might be q stampede to the Ohio candidate.