Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-05-26

| then unanimously nominated
The selection OF Fremont was due 20
his previous nomination by the seced-
| Ing Know Nothings The Republican
| platform denounced slavery and de-
manded that Kansas be admitted as a
| free State.
Perhaps the greatest surprise ever
| sprung on a Rebuplican convention
was the discovery OF Lincoln Up 70
within a few months OF the convention
/ Il was a foregone conclusion that Sew
ard would be the nominee There was
some talk Of Lincoln for second place.
Then the Rail Splitter was invited
| 10 30 east and make an address 70 the
New York Republicans.
Even before Seward made his an
nounccment of the coming conflict Lin
coin had declared I'm speech that this
nation could not exist half slave, half
free
~ do not expect TO see the Union dis
solved" said he, but I do expect that
Il viii become in the end either all
slave or all free"
And In this homely sentence he had
conveyed TO his party In the west more
fOrcibly perhaps than Seward had the
same truth which was In the mind OF
each.
Strange and uncouth looked this man
OF the prairles 10 the cultured people
OF New York, but they listened 10 his
inspired words and were won over
When the convention met IN Chicago
May l6, 1860, the delegates We're very
much split up. with Seward IN the lead
AS the ballotlng progressed, however,
the States swung into line for Lincoln.
Occasionally a political convention
furnishes a stirring and dramatic scene
which Is long remembered IL is not
often that they are entirely dull The
coming gathering In Philadelphia prom
ises nothing like the battle royal which
was seen az Cincinnati IN 1876, when
Blaine and Conkling faced each other
on the platform as they had often faced
each other on the floor Of Congress
Never We're more brilliant nominat-
ing speeches made. That OF niger.
soil. In which he named the Plumed
knight Of Maine, Is counted among the
political classics. 1t was at this con-
yention that the Cameron forces were
held 80 strongly together that when
Indiana gave her vote 70 Hayes at the
fifth ballot the stampede Of delegates
followed and the dark horse came un-
der the wire.
The Republican convention Of 1900
will be more apt to reproduce some
thing Of the scene at Chicago when In
1868 Grant was first nominated The
Grant convention was full Of the en-
thusasm that must inevitably associ-
ate with the name OF the victorious
general OF a great war. There was no
contest and the spectacle was rather a
mass OF the Union and the end Of the
- Ha q
than a convention Of a political party.
For hours the vast assembly did lit
tie but stand on its feet and cheer and
sing patriotic songs. Old Jesse Grant
father OF the general. stood near the
front OF the stage, the tears coursing
down his checks, witnessing the glori-
tication Of his son.
Only once I'm the history OF Bepub-
lican conventions has that scene been
equaled. and that was In Minneapolis
In 1892 when more than 10000 people
cheered for q full half hour as they
chanted. with a pretty woman stand
ing on a chair and beating time that
familiar slogan Of
Blaine Blaine
James G. Blaine!
And the delegates, after they had
shouted themselves into an exhausted
condition In repeating the name Of
Blaine. voted FOR Harrison when the
time came
This year there will be more than
unusual interest In the contest for Sec
ond place on the ticket. We are con-
stantlv told that the Vice President Is
a mere figurehead, and that the Senate
rostrum Is the top shelf Of political
oblivion, Yet there IS never a lack OF
aspirants for this discredited post As
matter Of fact. there are few men
whose political ambitions are so lofty |
that they would scorn the Vice Presi- |
dency. so we may except a lively |
scramble for the place.
There Is also certain 10 be a lively |
interest m the building OF the platform ]
No party was ever so wholly united |
that varying ideas as 10 party policy |
have been eliminated. There are al
ways radicals and conservatives So |
at Philadelphia there is bound to be
much talk about the planks which go
20 make up the platform.
What win be the nature Of the dra-
matte scene which will make this con-
yentlon unlike all others? No one can
tell. For this reason the country at
large waits with interest the turning
OF that leaf Of the future on which we
may read the story.