The record-union., 1896-05-04
He Comedies Mckinley Less Than
Three Hundred Votes.
Senator Platt Says McKinley's Fol-
lowers Are Hurrahing Before They
Are Out of the Woods and Count
ing Their Chickens Before They
AStOniShed That Vermont Should
Go for r1CKinley.

| WASHINGTON, May 3.-Among Re
publicans in Washington to-day are
Mr. Fessenden of the National Commit
tee from Connecticut and Mr.. Clarkson
of Rhode Island. The gentlemen had
conferences with Senators Quay and
Allison. This evening Mr.. Clarkson was
asked: Has Mckinley a majority of
the delegates already, and what of the
claim that he will be nominated by ac
clamation?
He has not nearly majority yet,
nor Will he, in my judgment" said
Mr.. Clarkson, center the convention
with a majority. Indeed he will be
shorter of a majority on the first ballot
a st. Louis than Blaine was in the emo
tional year of 1876, Grant in 1880 or
Sherman in 1888, when the latter in
| field of fourteen candidates voted for
on the first ballot had 329 votes. He
viii not be nominated by acclamation
because Allison, Quay and Morton will
remain in the contest and so will Reed,
and L judge SO will Bradley and Cul-
| lom. Allison has not the least idea of
Withdrawing, nor Iowa any idea of Civ
ing up the fight. / believe this is true
of the other candidates and their States.
Mckinley will fall from so to 100 votes
short of enough to nominate at the
start, and the field will represent from
80 to 500 votes. By the field 1 mean
Allison, Reed, Quay, Bradley, Morton
and Cullom, already suggested, and
such other available men as Harrison,
Lincoln, Foraker, Hobart, Davis and
General Tracey of New York
Mr.. Clarkson further expressed the
opinion that 1.-The field" would hold
Of tn bi= oil In 70 ,en-
eral Harrison being in the available
field of candidates Mr.. Clarkson said:
I'm one respect Harrison would give
the earliest certainty of any one who
could be nominated, for the day he
| should be nominated the country would
| know exactly what his policy as Pres
| ident would be on the tariff and exactly
what his policy would be on finance
and this would quickly bring confidence
and good times behind it,
| He considers General Grosvenor's ta-
! bles as grossly inaccurate and fur
! ther says: WE result in Illinois has
| been exaggerated to McKinley's benefit
| and Grosvenor claims it as practically
solid, whereas it will take the first bal
| lot at st. Louis to show whether there
will be a majority for Mckinley or
majority against him. Many more mis-
takes could be pointed out, but these are
samples of the rest"
Mr.. Clarkson's approximate table of
the first ballot divided between Nc
Kinley and the field and the unsettled
contests so far as the delegates have
yet been elected, figures up from a total
of 91S delegates, Dos for Mckinley, 4O3
for the field, 81 contested and 136 not
elected. Regarding the contests Mr..
Clarkson remarked: by the rules of
the party all these contests will first be
heard by the National Committee, which
makes up the temporary convention
roll. Each State in the temporary con-
vention elects a member of the Com
mittee on Credentials and the contest
ants are heard again before this COM
mittee. The convention itself will also
hear the contest through the Commit
tee on Credentials. So there will be
three careful examinations of all these
contests insuring the fairest decision
at last
what about the reports as to the
National Committee and how it stands
and how these contests are going to be
decided?"
THE National Committee is made uI'
of good and tried Republicans, the most
of them long in service and all of them
careful of the party's interest and honor
and all representative men in their re-
spective States. While a majority or
the National Committee doubtless pre-
fers some other candidate from personal
choice and party interest, it is safe to
say that they will give as fair hearing
10 every honest contest as will the Com
nittee on Credentials of the convention
itself. Four-fifths of the contests are
represented by Mckinley people who
bolted from the regular State or Dis
trict Conventions of the party. The
convention at st. Louis, which is going
to be a very serious affair, will result
in showing that the sober judgment OF
a majority of the delegates in that body
will from party interest be in favor OF
some other candidate than Mckinney