The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-29
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MKINLEY'S STRENGTH ANALYZED,
Penn" in Philadelphia Bulletin.

rem, III ouiielhi'
II William Mckinley shall be nominated
at st. Louis unanimously. as is now com,
ing within the range of possibility, II VIII
be one of the very few examples of such a
nomination in our political history. Since
the time when the Whig party unanimous
have been but three candidates who have
been named for the presidency without OPP
position in the conventions. Lincoln and
Grant are the only Republicans who have
Van Buren,, Cleveland. when he came up
for the second term in 1888. has been the
only Democrat to receive presidential
nomination without dissenting voice:
canvass with more than one candidate in
the field when the result has been SO near
ly foreshadowed at a corresponding stage
of the proceedings In advance OF the con-
Kinley. In every such instance in the past
the result of the contest has been involved
in doubt up to the eve Of the convention
The nearest approach to an exception was
in 1876, when Samuel j. Tilden, with pop
ular Democratic movement behind him
at that time, not unlike that for Mckinley
today among the Republicans, had OBJ.
tained clear majority of the st. Louis
convention and was opposed by John Kel-
ly with his Tammany followers in the east
and by Thomas A. Hendricks and paper
money crowd in the west with the re-
remote hope that they would prevent him
landing under tue two-thirds rule.
iii
The nomination of Mckinley will be one
more example of the ever growing power
of the west. The west in tho Republican
parry today has the same boundless am
bition that the south had in the palmy
days of the Democratic party. Since tho
time Of Fremont all the presidential can
didates of the Republicans have been west
ern men with the single exception of
Blaine. 1t Is remarkable fact that the
n hA N N "a hon
fined to the three states Immediately north
of the Ohio river-four in Illinois. two in
Indiana, and, with Mckinley, three in
Ohio. It is hardly less remarkable that
tier of states, usually the banner state Of
Republicanism in recent years and al-
ways In former years the one state whose
October verdict was the fngerboard Of
presidential campaign, has yet TO name a
candidate whom the party or the country
would take seriously. But throughout the
east. from Stewart down to Tom Reed, IN
cluding a long lirs OF possibilities. like
Edmunds Hawlcy, Phelps and Depew,
Blaine was the only Republican who came
out Of national convention in triumph
At every quadrennial gathering of the par
ty the power of the west increases with the
census or the admission of new states. On
the sunrise side of the Alleghenies it is no
longer possible to form combination cf
politicians that can control the rest of the
country.
iii
1t is becoming more difficult moreover
for syndicates Of trained politicians 10
hold sway over national conventions. Up
to 1892 they had never succeeded in either
party In forcing a candidate Of their own
upon 1t against the popular drift, but they
had often prevailed in heading-ofr other
candidates. The downfall Of the Hill
Gorman- -Brice syndicate at, Chicago in
1892. and of the Quay-Platt- -Clarkson syn
AIjnnp1nnliS hnr y.-ifh : ba
impending failure of the same concern this
year scarves In part to show that parties
are becoming too big and diversified for
cliques OF professional party leaders to
dominate, especially when. az in all three
cases. there Is no lever of federal patron
age TO fall back upon. Quay, especially
has been s!ngularly unlucky in every pres
idential canvass in which he has ever
taken q hand so far as picking out the
winner Is concerned. He went down with
Grant for Il third term, with John Sher.
man in 'SS and with Blaine in 49, and his
own boon this year has not been an object
or very serious contemplation anywhere
outside Of Pennsylvania. as he himself
never supposed 1t would be. There is no
reason to believe, however that he has
gone into the anti MCKINLEY movement
so far that he may not he able to beat q
retreat before the opening OF the st. Louis
convention without loss Of self-respect.
Personally II Is not known that there has
ever existed between him and Mckinley
--:li:--
Probably the primary cause of the op-
position to Mckinley on the part OF east
crn politicians was the instructive fca.
from the start that they would be donli-
mated by the Ohio influence and be obliged
to go through an experience similar TO that
which overlook thep under Haves and
Garfield They have been insisting ever
since the canvass opened that Mckinley
as president would disappoint those who
expect great era of prosperity to result
from his protection policy, and that the
factions and feuds which he ana Forak ar
have nursed in Ohio will break out again
and split the party throughout the country
after the fashion of the s.alwarts and the
half-breeds. These forehodings are half
wrong and. half right. They are probably
wrong so far az they predict failure TO
realize the popular hope OF prosperity. It
is far more likely that with the presidential
election ended It will be McKinley's luck
to witness an industrial reaction that will
make the closing years of the century the
most prosperous that the United States
has ever seen. But so far as holding to-
gether the Republican party Is concerned
1t will be a. miracle II no shall be able to
prevent It from breaking OF Its own enor.