Semi=weekly graphic., 1896-06-17

tsHSal tIldiSla
 GAVEL TO BE USED AT THE REPUBLICAN, CON-
 MENTION.
 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 haye reached the lobby soon- CT than he brought it from that special wire in tho room np sttrs And uhe buzz ing that went on in tho lobby, and the huzzaing on the street, and the general up roar all over the city which followed the announcement--thatw was something worth rcmemhering Itwas the spirit of the cam palgn of 1881 revived, and the chant of Blaine, Blaine, James G. Blaine' was heard eehoing all through Minneapolis.
 Bll6 this, as l have said, was before the convention ltwas not convention scene ln the stricfest sense, and yet it was a scene incident to tho convention and one that might have had very important bearing on it's results if the campaigning of Mir Harrison had net been done with such consummate skill
 But the scene that will live in history as memorable in tho proceedings of the Re- publican national convention of 1899 was the one that accompanied the casting of the vote of thc state of Ohio when the bal twas being taken. That scene had . diff fefent significance for different people To some it was the renunciation of the pres idency by that favorite son of Ohio, Major William Mckinley, Jr. To others 1t was a betrayal by Major Mckinley of tho faith he had pledged not to be 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 nonnina- tion, and whether he did all that could bo done to prevent the vote Of Ohio being cast for him it 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 ne estab- llshed himself in his headquarters and gave emphatic denial to the reports that he was to be a candidate. Mir Blaine's friends saw already the futility of pressing thelr candidate i'll 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 q view to clinching his allegiance
 On the 1lth 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 46l votes against 428 cast by their ops 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 l. Kansas with g, and so it went until New York was reached and her delegation cast only 10 votes for Mckinley. TE.are was a sigh of relief from the Harrison men, but still the casting of Ohio's vote was awaited with intense ip- terest. When the clerk called the state of Ohio, the convention sat silent in deep ex- pectancy while William Hahn, the chair man of tho delegation, took the floor Mir. Hahn said hesitatingly, In the clouded state of mind in which I am at present can only state that Ohio gives Al votes for William Mckinley Jr., and ? for Har- rison.
 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 chalrman stood there, his mouth tightly drawn, his white face a little ehalkier than usual '.Genticmen of the convention, he said when the gavel had brought something like order out of the chaos of sound, sI challenge the correct ness of that announcement"
 In a moment Foraker of Ohio was on his feet. No friend of Mckinley he, but an earnest foe of the administration. T understood you had left the delegation for q higher place and had substituted an al- tcrnate, /" he cried
 lam member of the Ohio delegation, said Major Mckinley firmly.
 You hago retired from it, and your al- ternate has taken your place Forakerper- sisted. We do not know you in the dele gation. '
 At this there were laughter and some cheering through the hall. But the gavel brought orcer again, and the chairman said, The chair overrules the point of or der and asks the secretary to call the roll ' And then, ill the hushed silence of lis tening thousands, the names of the Ohio
 
 the answerof each and every one of them. with tho exception of Nlajor Mckinley himself and q man named Cooper. They answered Harrison" and when McKin- ley's vote YRS cast the convention hell shook with the cheers of the Harrison men. Two votes for Harrison end Al for Will liam Mckinley Jr., D was the announce ment of the secretary. Then Cooper changed his vote for Mckinley, making she number 45. And tecn the calling of the roll of states proceeded.
 And after this very interesting bite by play the roll call showed 525 1-6 votes for Harrison. 1S2 5-6 for Blaine and l82 for Mckinley.
 Mckinley was never in the race that was plain. Harrison was nominated before the roll call began.
 But 1t looked for q minute, when the vote of Ohio was announced, as though there might be u stampede to the Ohio candidate. Did McKinley's protest stop the stampedes ~ 1S iloe iinvl,, tttiu ID IS l,s'ssittt-
 GEORGE GRANTHAM BAIN