Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1901-03-21

MA.
HARRISON AS PRESIDENT.
Benjamin Harrison was President
of the United States for one term
from 1888 to 1898. He headed the Re-
publican ticket and defeated Grover
Cleveland, Democrat, who was a
candidate for second term in the
Presidential chair. -Four years later
Cleveland and Harrison we're again
nominated by their respective parties.
Cleveland was elected. Harrison then
retired from politics. When General
Harrison's name was put in nOmina-
tion at the Republican National Con-
vention in Chicago In 1888 he was
known as a man in whom there was
an excellent chance to u re the Re-
publican party which hal been di-
vided by the nomination Of James G.
Blaine four years before. In thescon-
vention which was held June l, 1888,
there were fourteen candidates for
whom votes were cast on the first
ballot. Blaine's friends were there,
but they saw the trend Of events, and
Blaine himself sent word that his
name was not to go before the con-
vention. On the first ballot John
Sherman received the highest number
of votes, 225; Walter @. Gresham re-
ceived Ill; Chauncey NJ. Depew, 99
Russell A. Alger, "a, and Benjamin
Harrison, SO. On the eighth ballot,
Sherman received 1lS; Alger, 100;
Harrison, 544; James G. Blaine, 5, and
William Mckinley, 4. General Harri-
son thus became the party's candidate
for President, and was elected in the
November following. He carried
every Northern state except New
Jersey and Connecticut and received
233 electoral votes to l6S for Mr..
Cleveland. He had the solid support
of his own state and Chauncey Depew
early threw his support to him. His
nomination over two such men as
Blaine and Sherman caused great
surprise, for he was comparat vely un-
known.
When Gen. Harrison was nominated
he had not a brilliant political record.
He had, however, clean one. He
had just finished six years in the
United States Senate. He had been
state Supreme Court reporter and
had been nominated for Governor Of
Indiana, and was defeated by Thos.
A. Hendricks who was the giant of
the Democrats of Indiana politics, He
has a good Civil war record, but no
better than many other men Of the
North.
In his own state Harrison was aifec-
tionately called "Little Ben,n al
though in speaking of his nomination
over Blaine the expression that 'The
Man of Ice had defeated the Magnetic
Needle" was often used. On the day
of the nomination a large delegation
from Hendricks county, Ind, went to
indianapolis and visited the Harrison
home. Delegations from surrounding
states kept going there during the
whole campaign. Mr.. Harrison de-
livered series of speeches to these
delegations, which, by their APP
proprlateness, variety, force and ele-
gance of style, won the approval of
the literary critics Of the country, as
well as that of the voters In the
ninety-four of these speeches he made
no slip and said not a word that need
ed explanation from his political
friends. These speeches were printed
and distributed throughout the
country, but they gave no opening for
unfriendly criticism.
1t was assumed that with Mr..
Blaine in the cabinet Mr.. Harrison
would be an ineonspicuous and lm-
important person in the administra-
tion. The President, after his
Inauguration, insisted upon knowing
and supervising everything that
occurred in the various departments
Of the government and the work of
the Secretary Of State deyolved upon
him, owing to Mr.. Blaine's failing
health. Mr.. Blaine was eventually
succeeded by John W. Foster.
At the Republican national con-
yention of 1892, which was held at
Minneapolis, Gen. Harrison was again