Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1896-04-15
The M.Kinley prairie Fire.

|
lying low and permitting McKin-
ley to concentrate the opposition
of the field upon himself have
rather overdone the trick. A can
didate who is only moderately in
the lead may he at a disadvantage
by reason of combinations against
him, but one who has gone so far
ahead that all his rivals combined
cannot match his strength finds
no danger in the leading position.
The Mckinley boom has been
allowed to reach such proportions
now that to all appearance moth
ing can stop it. 1t is a prairie
fire, that ticks up everything in
its way. The New York ''World"
has received reports of the condi-
ton of Republican sentiment in
twenty. nine States from the Off
GERS of the respective State Cen
trail Committees. In New Eng
land every vote as far as heard
from is for Reed, but outside of
that Mckinley has everything ex-
cept Minnesota, which is for
Davis; South Dakota, which is for
Allison; Montana, which is for
Cameron, and Colorado, which is
dissatisfied with everybody.
Among the States not included
in these reports are Maine and
New Hampshire, which of course
will vote for Reed, and Iowa,
New York and Ohio, which are
certain for Allison, Morton and
Mckinley, respectively.
If we foot up the votes repre-
scented by the published responses
we find that Mckinley has 46S,
Reed so, Allison 8, Davis 1S and
Cameron 6. In that list alone
there are enough votes to give
Mckinley the nominotion, there
being 904 votes in the convention,
of which 453 are necessary to a
choice. But when we add Ohio,
Iowa, Maine, New Hampshire and
New York the Mckinley strength
runs up to 5l4, against II for
Reed, 81 for Allison, ~ for Nor
ton. Is for Davis and 6 for Came
ron. 1t is hard to see what a
combination of the field against
the leader could accomplish here.
The weak point in this calcula-
ton is Pennsylvania, whose GA
votes are counted for Mckinley
on the authority of Chris Magee,
although as a matter of fact they
will be in the market, with Quay
as their nominal choice. Ii they
be deducted Mckinley is left with
$50 votes, or three less than a
majority of the convention. But
as California, Delaware, Idaho,
Kentucky, Michigan, Nebraska,
Nevada, New Jersey, South Caro-
lima, Utah, Washington, Wye
ming and all the Territories haye
been left out of account, the author
of the Tariff of Anominations
has no cause to worry about that
trifing deficiency. Unless the
situation change to an extraordi'
nary degree within the next three
months the vote for Mckinley al
st. Louis will be so nearly unani-
nous that most of the other can
didates may think it their best
policy to refuse to allow their
names togo before the convention
The Democrats could wish fol-
nothing better. The very things
that make Mr.. Mckinley strong
as a candidate for a nomination
make him weak as candidate fol
election. Aside from the use OF
money in the selection of delegates
his hold upon the Republican
party is due to his Identification
with the most extreme Republican
views on the tariff. This natural,
ly creates great enthusiasm among
those who think the same way
1t makes Mr.. Mckinley appear
to them the ideal candidate. But
the same qualities that attract
radical Republicans repel the con
servative Republican minority
all the independents and all the
Democrats. Although the radical
Republicans may control the Re
publican machinery and even
constitute large majority of the
party, they are in a minority in
the country; and hence the can.
didate that suits is by that very
fact weak candidate before the
people at large. Henry Clay was
the idol of the Wing mssses, but
they could not elect him Pres,
ident, although they elected