The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-02-28

WHEN BLAINE LOST.

A "Fav0rite SON" Game Much Like That
Of TOday-B the Party Was Then Just
Recovering from Defeat, While Now 1t
Is Confident OF Victory.
Washington. Feb. o7.-The appear
| ance OF the favorite son movement In
the present national campaign recalls
| the fact that just twenty years ago
similar movement developed. and, as
many politicians believe. came very
| near to wrecking the Republican party.
| The strong men were all defeated in
| convention and a man with only local
reputation was nominated. The result
was so close a shave at the polls In
November that the services of an cleo
toral commission were necessary to de-
termine the result.
When the Cincinnati convention met
| in 1876. Mr.. Blaine had a strong lead for
the nomination. The masses of his
party We're with him. But the man
aging politicians We're against him. The
friends of General Grant. particularly,
held aloof from him, or else openly OPP
posed him. So. to deprive Mr.. Blaine
of as much strength as possible on the
opening ballots. and thus pave the
way for combinations by making the
choice difficult, the opposition brought
out u number of faVOrite sons In differ
ents parts of the country. Marshall
Jewell stood for Connecticut, Governor
Ilartranft for Pennsylvania. Mr.. Conk-
ling for New York, and SO on.
The scheme as planned was well cal
culated to prove troublesome to Mr..
Blaine 1t drew away from his support
which was anxious to come to him. ana
which had he been able to command 1t
at the start would have sufficed with
what he had to nominate him. Some
of the New Workers were ardent Blaine
men, and inasmlWh as he was native
of PENNSYLVANIA his managers counted
ON many delegates from that state. But
in the one path stood MIR. Conkling.
claiming New York's vote and deaf to
all overtures from the Blaine camp,
while in the other path stood Governor
Hartranft. with Don Cameron at his
side, holding the Pennsylvanians in
check. Neither Mr.. Conkling nor Gov
ernor Hartranft was a possibility be
fore the convention. but both We're bent
on Mr.. Blaines defeat
The game was won. after a stubborn
battle. Mr.. Blaine, Mr.. Sherman, Mr.,
Morton. of Indiana, and Mir. Bristow,
all serious candidates with substantial
fOlOwings went down, and Governor
Hayes was chosen. A good deal of
lukewarmness followed. The leaders of
the party were all disappointed. The
campaign plainly showed this. There
was no palpable Sinking on anybody's
part. but neither did any body attain in
the canvass the high-water mark OF
zeal and effectiveness. Too many
wounds had been inflicted in conven-
ton, and they We're too slow in heal
ing, to enable any of the leaders to
appear at his best on the stump.
But there are differences between the
situation of 1876 and the situation of
today. In the spring of that year the
Republican party was on the ragged
edge. The Democracy had swept the
country at the congress elections of
1874. and was united and full of fight.
The feeling in Republican circles was
that the party could afford no prank
ing or revenges in the work of its ma
tiOnal convention. and yet all of the
savage scores of ten years We're taken
there and settled.
The Republican party of today Is the
party of supreme confidence. 1t does
not doubt its ability to win this year
with anybody ii may decide to put up.
1t almost riots in glorious expectations.
And yet there are conservative men
here and there who think that another
such slaughter of avowed and serious
candidates as occurred in 1876 would
imperil Republican success even this
year. They concede, Of course. that II
is within the province of any man to
aspire to the presidency. but they are
rather mistrustful of the effect on the
party of the play of those aspirants
who appear to have no other purpose
but to keep somebody else out of the
nominal tiOn.