Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1901-07-24
ate conkling, Il YOU thInk heat. !,

nate Conkling, II you think best |
was not premeditated expression an,
had no occult purpose, but was elicite,
by an unexpected suggestion. II ther,
was any mental reservation, no mai
can ever know 1t. Mr.. Blaine wal
frank, open and magnanimous in ma
ture, and he spoke on his impulse. Mr.
Blair related what had taken place Il
General Thomas L. James, then post
master of New York City, afterwart
Postmaster-General in the Garfield
Cabinet "A true and staunch fried of Mr.
Conkling, man of sound Judgment
| great abilities and the most attractiv,
qualities. General James In turn com
municated 1t to Mr.. Conkling and II
a letter he describes the effect: "Wher
l told Senator Conkling what had oc.
Cured between Senator Blair and my.
self, he seemed greatly surprised, got
UP and walked up and down the post.
masters office in this city, and finally
came back to me and said: This sur
prises me. What Senator Blaine says
is worthy of consideration At the
same time he expressed his irrevocable
purpose to secure the nomination OF
Grant, if that could be done, and he was
certain that 1t could be done"
This was not the only event which
showed at least a recognition of each
others positions on the part of the two
hostile leaders. There had been trou-
bles on the Mexican border, and Sena-
tor Conkling offered a resolution for
a committee of investigation. Under
the parliamentary practice he was en-
titled to De named aS ckHilman, but :.
is known TO his friends that he sig.
gested that the chairInaDship should be
given to Mr.. Blaine, who had at an eac-
lier stage manifested an intel est and
taken action on the same subject. Mr..
Blaine dec!ined on the ground that The
position was rightly Mr.. Conkling's
and the later was appointed But the
incident, which occur. ell months be-
fore the contest of 1880, indicated q
measure of common Difference.
The convention of 1889 was the most
picturesque, the most absorbing and
the most notable since that which nom
mated Lincoln in 1860. 1t was con-
vention of great figures, stormy scenes
and intense struggle. Among the dele
gates were such national leaders as
William P. Frye, Eugene Hale, John A.
Logan, Benjamin Harrison. Don Cam
eron, and George f. Hoar, who presid-
ed. But towering above all others in
the contentious and in the oratory Of
that tumultuous assemblage were
James A. Garfield and Roscoe Conk-
ling. From the first hour Mr.. Conk-
ling took absolute command of the
Grant column, and he fought the long
and arduous battle with a steadfast-
ness, an intrepidity and consummate
mastery of all parliamentary weapons
which secured the admiration even of
his bitter foes. There was note of
challenge and almost of defiance in his
very opening words. No point in the
struggle escaped him. His rich,
dauntless spirit, his caustic irony, his
sardonic humor. his rich and copious
diction, his rotund eloquence, fascinat
ed the crowd. His bold and fearless
leadership was of the quality which
banded his followers with links of steel
without winning any converts.
The intellectual duel between Gar
fled and Conkling, which was the feat
ure of the convention, vividly illustrat-
ed two distinct types. Conkling was
the more incisive and Garfield the more
persuasive. Conkling was statuosquc
and Garfield was flexible. Conkling
made you feel his power and Garfield
made you feel his reason. When Gar
field after winning the sympathy of the
convention by his effective plea for free
conscience and independent judgment
in the issue over the West Virginia del
egatcs followed with his dexterious
speech for Sherman he impressed the
vast throng with his breadth and sobrie-
ty and that finally nominated him.
When Conkling showed his practiced
art by leaving the platform and mount
ing one of the reporters tables thirty
feet away, so as to be eye to eye with
his jury and then made his wonderful
speech for Grant, so exuberant. so in
genious, so singing at points, he in
spired the same feeling as a gladiator
in the arena. Garfield filled you with
a sense of his cause and Conkling with
a sense of his own tremendous individ-
uality and force.
And so the climax approached. On
the fifth day the convention began bal
loting. The first ballot resulted as fol-
lows: Ulysses S. Grant 304. James G.
Blaine 2S4, John Sherman 90, George