The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-06-19
(By the Associated Prcss.)

Philadelphia, June 1S.-Tomorrow, on
on which General John c. Fremont was
nominated by the first Republican Con-
vention held at Musical Fund Hall, on
Locust street. in this city, the National
Republican Convention will assemble in
the great export exposition building in
West Philadelphia. Here, amid the
swelling memories of half a century and
in the presence of men who saw the blood
stained clouds lie across the sunrise of
the party, the Republicans will meet in
the high tide of their glory to name
their national candidates and enuncate
the platform for the coming campaign.
The cymbals of conquering army never
clGshed with more vgor than they do
here tonight. Amid the thousands of
warriors there is but one choice for lead
er.
/ Mckinley again will lead the grey
boards and the young men in the No
vembcr battle. Banners are dipped be-
fore his portrait and the mention of his
, name arouses enthusiasm. When Sena-
tor Foraker concludes his peroration in
the convention on Wednesday a storm
wild and tempestuous will shake the
great hall.
, But that outburst of enthusiasm will
be only the forerunner of the pandemOn-
, ium that will reign if Roosevelt should
be named 10 stand beside him in the
coming battle. The stampede in his fa-
vor, started yesterday. threw the town
into deirium. 1t swept through the
delegations, who had come here with
favorite sons to present, like a prairie
, fire. Like an immense tidal wave it bore
down everything before it. The booms
of the other candidates collapsed like
| egg-shels when it struck them. The
secret was not hard to find. Not Platt
and Quay, whose object was to humiliate
/ Hanna, could claim the victory. They
might congratulate themselves that il
was their work. But they welded nc
/ magician wand. The secret lay deep down
| in the hearts of the Republicans of the
country. Roosevelt's name, unlike that
of ether candidates, instantly struck
a responsive chord in the popular breast
1t cheered the heart of the convention
1t matted nothing to the rank ana file
that Hanna and Allison and Grosvenor
and Thurston and others felt chagrined
and strained every nerve to stamp out
the fire. 1t mattered not that even
Roosevelt and his friends poured water
upon it. Their efforts were as futile as
hand grenades against a conflagration,
| The people would hear of no one else
| They wore his pictures, they shouted his
name They considered him today as
already nominated. The town was Roose-
| welt mad.
The Governor himself was sincerely
anxious to avoid the nomination.
He appealed to his friends to stem the
tide and they did what they could, re-
enforced at every point by Hanna and
his lieutenants General Greene, in his
behalf even called upon delegations and
in his name asked them not to support
him.
Human nature has its limits, so at A
o'clock this afternon, after a day of ter
rife pressure fpom both sides, Roose-
volt issued statement. Though it thrust
aside the crown in words, it is regarded
as a virtual surrender to the will of the
convention.
Every sort of story was afioat. 1t was
said that Hanna served notice that Roose-
velts candidacy, although it would have
been eminently acceptable at first, but
IoTWdIueu DIS II WdS ny lHG SHclulSo vi
the Administration. did not meet now
with approval and the fight would be car
ried to the last ditc-~oV Roosevelt was
said to have been told 10y his friends
that to yield would be to stand in his
own light as a candidate for President
| four years hence that the vice-presi-
dcncy was political graveyard from
| which he could never be rescued. His
J place, they urged. was at the head OF
the ticket in New York again this fall. In
the last proposition Roosevelt concurred
On the other hand it was said Platt ennis
saries argued that TO turn his back on
the manifest wish of the Republicans
of the country would be to forfeit his
| right to the future support of the New
| York organization and the Republicans
of that State might look elsewhere for
candidate for Governor OF course
there are those who are always unchari-
table enough to attribute sinister mo-
tives to Platt. They intimated that he
desired to kill two birds with one stone
eliminate Roosevelt from New York
! politics and humiliate Hanna for his un-
| complimentary criticism of Woodruff
Gossip among New Workers even went
! SO far as to suggest that with ROose-
welt transferred to the National ticket
Woodruff was already agreed upon as the
candidate for Governor of New York.
: Roosevelt had also other advisers who in
/ sisted that it would be suicide to de-
cline the nomination. AS the situation
/ now exists Notwithstanding Roosevelt's
. virtually declaration, that if nominated he
cannot decline. he may not he nominated
! after all. All day long Hanna's efforts
/ have, been directed to the rebuilding
/ of the booms wrecked yesterday in the
! Roosevelt tornado. All the favorite sons
J have been encouraged to remain in the
race and not without some successes.
The nomination for vice-president is
! three days away. Much can be accom-
! plished in that time by shrewd, hard
! headed political leaders The delegates
; are all desirous of carrying out the Pres