The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-04-28
M'KINLEY OR CULL0M
Bitter Strife Promised in the Illinois
State Convention.
BAD POLITICS IN THE BATTLE
Friends of the Ohio Candidate Will At
tempt to Organize thc Convention
and Change the Order Of Busi.
ncss-Jhcy May Foil.

ncss-Thcy May Foil.
Washington. April 21.--A special to
the Post from Springfield, H., says:
Major William Mckinley expects TO be
nominated for president I'm this town
next Wednesday. Senator Shelby NJ.
Cu'lom says he wants the nomination
himself. There is this differences in
their plan of campaigning: Mckinley
wants to have the delegates -at large
instructed for him. believing that II this
Is done the opposition will melt away by
the time the st. Louis convention meets.
cull0m is modest and does not seek in
StructiOns In his own stat. He merely
asks an uniEstructed Ge.ee alton, so that
Illinois will be free to pass on his claims
along with thise OF Mckinley. Rec |, Al
ls"n and Morton when the national
convention meets. In the selection ot
district delegates Mckinley thus far
has shade the best OF it. So the dele
large may determine the con-
trni OF the Illinois delegation when 1t
comes to selecting a member of the
{, ,mmittee on crcdentiai ut st. Louis.
Though the convention does not meet
till Wednesday, both sides are already
illly lySeprcsented at Springfield. Both
sides claim to he absolutely sure or
mapOrity of the delegates. while they
ar" nj reality nervous and apprahen-
Sive. The exact situation Is such that
neither the friends nor the opponents Of
Md jor Mckinley are justified in making
claims. Their lack of real confidence IL
Iierely a foreshadowirg of the uncer-
tainty which surrounds the action of
til" convention. The wisdom which
comes from roll calls is not yet mani
fest.
MAJORITY FOR OHIO MAN.
The convention will he made up ot
$50 delegates. Major McKinley's mama
gers claim that more than 500 of the
delegates are either instructed or
pledged in favor of instructinG the dele
gates-at large for him. f this were true.
there would be no doubt over the out
come and they would not be under the
necessity of adopting extraordinary
means to force the presidential issue to
the trout They could afford to await
the test of confidence at whatever stage
III the proceedings 1t would come Ac-
tually about 900 delegates have either
been instructed for Mckinley or in
dorsed his candidacy, but good many
of the delegates whose conventions
have indorsed Mckinley interpret this
as meaning that the policy of instruc-
tions is by implication condemned.
They take the ground that the conve;-
tions knew the difference between IN
dorsement and instructions, and they
propose to act accordingly. They do
not assume that Cullom Is favored.
The combined Cullom, and anti-Mc-
Kinley forces assert that an actual ma
jority of the delegates having been
elected without instructions their
course will govern in the convention.
but in their hearts they know that a
portion of these uninstructed delegates
will float with the Mckinley tide. In
private they express the belief that
they may be able to hold the convention
from instructing for Mckinley. This is
the limit of their ability. 1t is all they
ask, and they are making tremendous
fight.
MKINLEY'S FOOLISl. FRIENDS.
Major McKinley's managers have
mapped out a scheme which will force
good many supporters of Mckinley
I'm antagOnism in the preliminary
skirmishing. They prop 'st to capture
the organization of the convention for
the alleged purpose of securing fair
play and preventing m-chine methods
from sitting the voice Of the people.
They announce that they will take the
organization out of the hands of John
X. Tanner and his friends, instruct the
delegate es- -at-large, elect their own men
for those places and theI let the con-
vention attend to whatever business it
pleases.
This plan is bad political tactics. The
convention Is called for the primary
purpose of nominating a state ticket.
Custom and the official call put this
ahead Of the choice f delegates at
large. The candidates for the various
state offices wan: their own fate set
tied before going into national affairs.
While they extremely dislike doing any
thing that seems to run counter to the
Mckinley sentiment, self-preservation
IL the first law with them. and their
influence will be thrown against pro-
jecting the presidential question into
| the foreground,
The attempted organization is taken
by John X. Tanner as an open attack
| on himself. He is justified in this posi-
| tion. because some of the Mckinley
! readers derfHre he Is oDD0sIns MCKin-
| ley. and they propose IA take nc
| chances. This is in a measure true
| Tanner Is with the Chicago organiZa-
tion and the party leaders OF the state
| in opposing instructions on general
principles. Then every consideration OF
political friendship makes him favo,
Cullom. And " Collum can't be nom.
| mated, he is for Allison. Again, If II
should come down to Il choice between
Reed and Mckinley he would he likeI,
to turn to Reed. While his position or
the presidential question has heay
nretty we'll understood n has not bon,
him from gathering in the 1eleyat a..
We has fully OOO nrohah,v moro Nnth.
inp can heat his nomina tiH,, ''o'''
T.nne, h.s nassed tha ,,,,a ,,,,,o
,ha I,na that be wants Nv, mU,u ,,, a,ont
tins fnl,owed tho candida.o" uS%a, far pat =,
ntBcars non,inated and tha n,as;,.s.t., aJt s,aa'
,ss,,e taken nm in ;ts nrpna, n,noa
Morao,ar he obia,tu ps;,i',,,, p',,.e
! tuoieo'ei' "S 'pJ..'s poSitlNeis ANT