The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1896-05-02

Cook County Machine Trying to
Down Mckinley.

Springfield, Ill. April 2S.-The circum-
stances that have brought about the pres
emf remarkable condition of affairs among
the republicans of Illinois. and which has
caused the eyes OF rne party throughout
the country to be directed toward the
state capital today and tomorrow. can be
told in a nutshell. For years the party
in the state has been dominated by Cook
county or Chicago politicians. known as
the machine" and who for the past two
years have so frightened their grip as to
almost hold the party III the state as in
a wise. OF the five people that compose.
the machine, one is an eX-Canadian,
whose naturalization papers are still fresh
and crisp; another an eX-Philadelphian, of
comparatively recent Importation, and the
third a German who Is compelled to do
nine-tenths of his talking in his mother
tongue while the others are Illinois boys
bred and born.
over a year ago, at the very outset of
popular discussion concerning presiden-
TIA possibilities, the machine gave it out
tfai footed that, while ii had no particular
candidate to bolster at that time, yet
IT, was "agin" Mckinley, first, last and
all the time, and in pursuance of this
policy an alliance offensive and defensive
was effected with Dave Martin the king
bee of the Philadelphia combine, and who
at the time imagined that he was big
ger" man in the state of Pennsylvania
than Senator Quay; the understanding be-
ing that the Illinois and Pennsylvania
delegation would work together at the ma
tional convention in the interest of any
candidate outside of Mckinley who would
be prepared to pledge to the two machines
the federal patronage of their respective
states. The first blow to this deal came
in the form of the turning down of Dave
Martin and his cohorts by Senator Quay.
after a fight which is now a part of the
political history of the country. Thus
deprived of its powerful ally. the Cook
county machine a few months ago de-
termined to put up Senator Cullom under
gulse of a favorite son, but in reality as
stalking horse. The republican states
man who is famous for his resemblance
to Abraham Lincoln swallowed the bait
and word went out to the henchmen of
the machine in every congressional dis
trlct that "Cullom for president" was to
/ be the keynote of the campaign. About
the same time State Chairman Captain
| John r. Tanners candidacy for governor
| was announced, and the machine adopted
his boom in the belief that his admitted
strength in the central and lower portions
o. the state would carry the Cullom move
ment on the top wave. SO confident was
the machine that this program would go
| through without hitch or slip that when
/ the Cook county convention to elect dele
| gates to Springfield was held a couple of
months since, the formality of instructing
] o
Just about that time however, the Nc
| Kinley people awoke to the fact that they
were apparently surrendering the state
/ to the machine without a struggle, and
| hostilities were at once inauguratet. The
! first gun was fired in the First congre SIS
ional district, the seat of war of the ma
chine, and which the McKinleyites swept
! by an overwhelming majority. Then came
/ the famous fight in the Seventh district.
also in Chicago, and in which Congress
man Fost and the McKinleyites gained
an overwhelming victory. From that time
en- the battle was waged in every county
| and congressional district without quar-
| ter on either side. Senator Culloms own
home went against him, and the machine
| has been turned down in some of the
most -the-wool republican dis
| tricts of the state. A peculiar feature OF
! the contest has been that most of tine con-
ventions that instructed for Tanner for
| governor also instructed for Mckinley,
and compelled the proposed delegates 10
| stand up in meeting and solemnly pledge
obedience to these instructions. The out
come of the contest throughout the state,
as it was figured down today, and subject
to few unimportant variations, is as
follows: Total number of delegates, 1885;
instructed for Mckinley. 607 instructed
for Cullom, 81; uninstructed, 66l 1t will
| be thus seen that, apart from the com
bined unnstructed and instructed Cullom
delegations, the McKinleyites lack but
81 of majority. A rough canvass Of the
delegates without instructions, however
has, il is claimed, developed the fact that
nearly one-half of the number are for the
Ohioan This would give him in the
neighborhood of 900 votes. while Cos is q
majority of the convention.
Still another set of figures shows the
alleged situation at noon today: Neces
sary to instruct. sos; instructed or indoors
ed for Mckinley. 672 instructed for Cul-
lom 54 uninstructed. SOB. The Mckinley
ties are basing their expectations on this
tabulation while the machine, conced
ing the fact that the Ohio candidate has so
votes pledged, are concentrating their eff
forts to prevent his securing the number
lacking from among the uninstructec
forces.