The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1908-11-11

lhat tremendous victory which swept
over the states that had never elected
a Democrat to any office. disheartened
the Republicans. and gave courage to
the Democratic hosts. Then came the
great fight for the nominations.
Harrison was renominated at Min
neapolis by an overwhelming vote.
The federal office holders machinery
was loyal to him and the party was
divided. Blaine had made the great
blunder of resigning his position az
secretary of state to make the race. 1t
was as hopeless as was Clay's candi-
dacy for the whis nomination in 1s4s.
William Mckinley was made perma-
nent chairman OF the convention and
at the last moment the wavering op-
position settled on him. But Harrison
was named on the first ballot, Blaine's
and McKinley's vote being equal. The
blow was too much for Blaine, and he
died soon. broken In heart and spirit.
Cleveland's third nomination was
accomplished only after one Of the
hardest ante-convention fights ever
known. He was opposed by the solid
New York delegation. Governor Hill
and the Albany machine joining hands
with Tammany to stay their common
enemy. Hill had held q convention
very early In the year. "snap" con-
vention as It was called. and 1t had
instructed the New York delegation
for him.
In the convention Bourke Cochran
ieaped into fame a. an orator by his
famous speech denouncing Cleveland,
General Bragg. OF Winconsin. voiced
the sentiments Of the Democratic vo-
ters with his shout: I'VE love him for
the enemies he has made!" The
matchless skill Of that arch political,
William c. Whitney. accomplished the
apparently impossible. and Cleveland
was named as the Democratic stand
ard bearer for the third time. When
the convention adjourned there were
knives In the boot legs Of a majority
Of Democratic leaders and 1t seemed
that Republican success was absolute
ly assured.
Both parties had "straddled" the
money question. The silver issue was
becoming more and more persistent,
but as both parties were divided on II,
neither had the courage to take either
side OF the controversy. It was exact
ly as In the ante-bellum days when
was the only real Issue. but
when neither Wings nor Democrats
dared to touch the question.
So the Peoples Party. soon given
the name OF Populist. was born. The
Populists said everything they be-
lieved and said more. A series OF
meetings Of western and southern rad
!cals. captained by old Greenbackers
and young mn Of new generation,
In the formation OF new
party and the nomination CT James B.
Weaver, OF Iowa. for president. He
has the distinction Of being the only
third-party candidate who has re-
ceived a vote I'm the electoral colleges
since the civil war.
In the Democratic southern states
the Populists fused with the Republi-
cans to overcome the Democratic ma
jorities; and i'm the Republican west
ern states they fused with the Demo-
Gratis. The result was that Weaver
received 22 electoral votes, being the
entire votes OF Colorado. Idaho, Ken
sas and Nevada. and one vote each
from North Dakota and Oregon. These
fusions helped Cleveland greatly and
took away from Harrison five of the
twenty votes the Republicans planned
TO receive from the new western states.
For the third time In the history
OF the country. a presidential cleo
tors pledge was broken. The first in
stance was when a New Hampshire
elector In 1920 voted against Presi-
dent Monroe. declaring that he had
done so that Monroe's election might
not be unanimous. and that he would
not. therefore stand In history by the
side Of George Washington The Sec
ond instance was In 1924 when three
Clay electors chosen by the New York
legislature voted for Adams and Craw-
ford. The third was in 1892 when
one OF the Cleveland electors In North
Dakota voted for Harrison so that the
hrst electoral vote cast by that state
would be counted: For Cleveland /.
for Harrison 1. for Weaver 1.
The tide OF the election turned from
Harrison to Cleveland after the great