Omaha daily bee., 1896-03-05
WRITES A LETTER
Has No Hope of Seeing Manderson Nomi-
mated by the Republicans.
SOME LIGHT ON RECENT POLITICAL EVENTS
Advances n Few Reasons Why tho
Republicans OF Nebraska should
Send n Mckinley Dcicgn-
tion to ST. Louis.

ator Thurston makes another contribution
to the presidential controversy in Nebraska
in an address to the voters of his state.
The document is in language following:
! To the Republican Voters OF Nebraska:
| In view of Mr.. Hainer's address to the re-
publicans of my state In advocacy OF Gen.
! eral Manderson as n presidential candidate,
feel II to be my duty to submit some
reasons why Nebraska should send Me-
| Kinley delegation to the national conven-
| tion.
| l have already disclamed any intention
| of rejecting upon the sincerity or good
| faith of General Manderson or Mr.. Hainer,
| and l shall pass over In silence the
| innuendoes contained In Mr. Hainers adj
! dress, which might be construed as having
reSsrence to me did not have Mr. Hainers
personal assurance that they were not 80
| intended.
The question which the republicans OF
| Nebraska must decide is whether their
! delegation shall assist in the nomination
! of Mr.. Mckinley or be used to defeat him.
Mr.. Hainer asserts that in all probability,
there will be deadlock between the now
| leading candidates." and the republicans OF
| Nebraska are asked to cast their votes In
| such manner to assist in producing
| that deadlock.
| 1t is conceded there is no possibility OF a
| nomination of any favorite son until Nc
| Kinley is broken down, and the republicans
| of Nebraska must decide as to whether or
not they are willing to assist In breaking
Mckinley down, in the remote hope that
out of that great republican disaster may
| arise a shadowy possibility of nominating
| Nebraska man.
NO HOPE FOR MANDERSON.
| No one would do more than 1 to bring
| honor to of citizens, and
should any real opportunity ever come to
secure General MandersonS nomination.,
| either for first or second place on the ticket.
l would do anything in my power to bring
about that result. l cannot, however,
bring myself to believe that the republicans
of Nebraska should seek to create poss-
BILE opportunity by first assisting in the de
| feat of Mr. Mckinley. l cannot bring my
| self to believe that any man should ask
| any republicans in Nebraska, who favor Nc
| Kinley, to assist in his defeat, to join the
| combination that confessedly exists in some
| states of the union to break him down
| without offering some reasonable hope that
| such action their part will secure for
| our state n place on the presidential ticket.
| Does any such real hope exist? Is there
| any reason to believe that single delegate
| to the national convention outside of Me-
braska intends to vote for a Nebraska cam
| didate? Is there any reason to believe
| that a majority of republicans in any dis
| trict in the United States outside of Me-
braska now favor declare for or intend to
support Nebraska candidate? l know OF
no such outside support, and have not yet
heard 1t claimed that any such sentiment
! now exists in any state or delegate district
outside of Nebraska as indicates single
vote for q Nebraska candidate.
/ ask in all candor and fairness, has any
one man, however distinguished. any right
to ask those republicans who naturally and
of their own free choice desire the nomina-
ton of William Mckinley, to assist In de-
feating him, until at least some assurance
can be given of some outside support for .
home candidate?
I feel it my duty to review briefly the
events which have led up to what / consider
the present unfortunate complication in Ne
braska. Up to the 14th day of February Of
this year the republicans of our state were
not in any manner advised nor did they
anticipate, that any Nebraskan was. or
would be- a candidate. Before that date
thousands of republicans in Nebraska had
not only formed, but had publicly declared
their presidential preference SO far as L
am concerned, / never attempted in any way
to dictate to the republicans of our state
on the presidential question. l never at
tempted to limit or control their free choice.
/ never assumed leadership or pretended to
promise or pledge any Nebraska votes.
could not help but know the almost over
whelming sentiment of Nebraska republicans
in favor of william Mckinley, and / was
glad to believe that i was one of a great
majority holding the opinion that his nomi-
nation and election would mean more for
the republican party and for American
prosperity than could the nomination and
election of any other man.
CAST HIS LOT WITH MKINLEY.
While at home during the holidays re-
ceived an urgent request from the friends
of Mr. Mckinley to write his presentation to
the country. Before accepting that invita-
| tion / had n very pleasant and satisfactory
interview with General Manderson on the
| general political situation. This was on the
,jo,y nfI la at I ma
without the least idea that Nebraska would
have a presidential candidate, and the same
| day / wired my acceptance OF the invitation
| to write McKinley's presentation. / wrote
| 1t after my return to Washington and 1t
was published In the Cincinnati Commercial
Gazette about the 11th of January. In that
presentation j said that the supreme need
| of the hour could not be met by the nomi-
nation OF any so-called dark horse or favor
| te son. / remained In Washington until
| the 10th of February, when | left for Chi
cago to attend the banquet OF the Marquette
| club For some days prior to my departure
General Nanderson was in Washington,
stopping at my hotel. i had daily and
| friendly conversations with him and neither
| from himself nor from any one else did 1
receive any intimatioD that he expected, or
Intended, to become a candidate.
In response to my toast at the Marquette
| club In Chicago, on the evening of Feb
ruary u. I presented the name OF William
Mckinley as a candidate for the presidency.
| and In my address again SAID: This IL no
| time for dark horses, compromise candidates
| or fayorlte sons" i certainly should not
have made any such statement II had
supposed that II could have any reference
| to the political situation in my own state.
| I referred simply to that general political
| effort so thoroughly understood by the re-
publicans OF the United States. to bring ont
so-calied fayorite sons In states that favored
Mckinley, for the generally accredited pur-
| pose of producing deadlock In the st.
| Louis convention and defeating Mckinley
! as Blaine was defeated In the Cincinnati
| convention OF 1876. then believed. and
stlll believe that the great contest In the
! st. Louis convention will be between the
political bosses and the people. and / hope
and pray that the bosses will not be per-
mitted to defeat the will or the republicans
| of the United States
HAD HEARD or THE BOOM.
arrived In Omaha on the morning of
| February II and during the forenoon OF that
| day was Informed that some scheme was
| on foot to secure the adoption Of resolu-
| ton by the state central committee, p'edg-
inn tho Nobra Ska delegation General