The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-05-02
M,KINLEY. ELAINE AND CLAY.

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M'KINLEY, BLAINE AND CLAY.
McKinley's unexpected success in
Vermont and his victory in Illinois
over Cullom practically ends the fight
for the Republican nomination for
president.
The contest from now on will lose in
terest. The next thing is the platform,
and nearly as much depends upon that
as upon the man who is to stand up
on it.
McKinley's success has come clearly
through enthusiasm. 1t has been en-
thusiasm versus cold politics, and en-
thuSiasm has won.
1t has long been known that enthuS-
iasm is a deceptive element. The noise
it makes is out Of all proportion to its
aid. The people of the United States
have two illustrious examples of this
the defeat of Henry Clay and James G.
Blaine.
The Wings carried the country for
the first time in 1910. when the earlier
Harrison was elected president. In
1914 there was no opposition in the
nominating convention to the choice Of
Clay as the candidate. A motion TO
nominate him by reclamation "was car
ried with great shout that shook the
building in which the convention met"
The enthusiasm was unbOunded, and
the ratification of the conventions &C
ton by the people was taken for grant
ed by the delegates. But long before
election day the outlook had entirely
changed. Clay's shutting course re
garding the question of anneXing Tex
as and allowing it to come into the
Union with slavery, aroused first dis
trust and then opposition among thou
sands of men whose support had been
taken for granted. While a large ma
iority OF the anti-slavery Wings re
manned with the party, "they felt them
selves reduced TO an embarrassed de-
fensive," to quote from Schurz's bio
graphy of Clay. ''Iheir enthusiasm
wa chilled. and their ability TO make
converts gone" number left the
party. and supported Birney. the Free
Soil candidate. AS Horace Greeley ex-
pressed it, ''the previous hold of Clay'S
advocates on the moral convictions Of
the more considerable and conscientious
voters OF the free states was irretriev-
ably gone" The result was that in
Massachusetts,, which had given Harrl-
IN,
only Gals in 1914. despite the growth
in population; while New York. then.
as repeatedly since, "the pivotal state"
which had been carried for Harrison by
1920 over Van Buren,. gave Polk, the
dark horse" 5.106 more than the most
popular man of his generation, and
turned the scales against Clay.
Forty years later the lnesl successor
of the Wing party nominated a later
Clay for the presidency. There had
been great enthusiasm for Blaine in /
many Republican states in the cSu-
vaSS for the conventions of 1876 and |
1880. but the wise leaders, who could |
see beyond the walls of the convention !
party each year. In 1S4. however. the |
enthusiasm could no longer be represS-
ed. and the SheuterS had their way. AT |
last they nominated the man who was |
variously described by "the blind ora
tor Of Ohio" as ''the Ajax lebanon of |
our party" aud "cur Henry of Ma
Varre.' whose candidacy would cause |
the camp-fires and beacon lights TO IL |
Illuminate the continent from the Golden |
Gate TO Cleopara'S Needle" and fer /
whom 1.-The millions who are now in
waiting VIII rally to-sweIl the column
Of victory that is sweeping on
That was only dozen years ago. but
a dozen years are enough to dim for
most people the memory of how. in
state after state that Lincoln and Grant
had carried each time they ran. the
vote fell of from the f.
ureS of 1880, and Democratic plural
tiles were rolled up for a man who had
never been heard of by the country in
1870. Garfield in 1880 and Harrison in
1888 polled the votes of those who be
heved in Republican principles and
found nothing in the candidate for pres
ident 70 make them hesitate: between
them came the Ajax lebanon" and
Henry of Navarro" who aroused en-
thuSlasm as did no other man Of his
day. The cold figures from four states.
which We append. showing The RepubH
can vote III the three successive cleo
items. tell the story Of arrested parrv
growth and actual party loss in 1881 |
better than any words: