The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-03-21
NATIONAL CONVENTIONS.


rotary of War Taft will go to the national Repub
lican convention with whoop and hurrah ana
enough delegates to secure the nomination. Ii al
depends however, whether he can get enough
votes pledged to his support TO wind up the conVeh
ton on the first ballot at least on nearly the
first Failing in this, the action of the convention
il is impossible to foretell One of the favorlte
sons may land the plum; dark horse may come
first under the wire; the denomination OF Roosevelt
may result. To attempt to prophesy what Will be
done in the event that Taft cannot win very early
in the baloting is to place ones reputation as
political prophet in jeopardy. The result of former
conventions should deter one from even the hazard
of guess.
Take. for instance the Republican national con-
vention of 1860. At the time of that convention
Seward was the recognized leader of the Repubn-
can party. while Lincoln had hardly been consid-
cred as a formidable candidate Seward delegates
we're plentiful and noisy. Indeed, the first bal
lot Seward had lead, just it is likely Taft Will
have in Chicago But on subsequent ballots Sew
ards strength deserted him and Lincoln became
the standard bearer of the Republican party. In
the convention of 1864, Lincoln nominated on
first ballot Grant also, in 1868 and 1872. was
mated on first ballot.
In the Cincinnati convention of 1876 when
Colonel Robert G. Ingersoll made the famous
'plumed knight speech for James g. Blaine, it was
considered practically certain that Blaine would
be the candidate He led the field on first ballot
with 2S5 votes But it was Blaine against the
field and Hayes, who had only 81 votes at the start,
finally mustered sufficient strength to make him the
nominee. Four years later the real leaders of the
party were again unable to control enough votes to
land the nomination. Grant had 304 votes from
first to last, unable to win more and unwilling to
lose any. Blaine once more had 26J devoted fol-
lowers. In party affairs, the United States has
never had battle equal to this one Garfield. who
was not an active candidate, but who had the sup
port of one two delegates ON each ballot.
finally selected as a compromise candidate and was
elected to the presidency.
A very similar condition existed in the Chicago
convention of 1888. Harrison had the delegation
from Indiana behind him. and no other votes while
John Sherman had voting strength of 227. Har-
rison at the time of his nomination was so little
known as national character that one of the in
fuential Democratic newspapers facetiously asked,
"Who is Harrison, anyway" The answer was gy-
EN- in November. The second nomination of Har-
rison was on first ballot but the manimity of the
convention not endorsed by the people at large
On the morning after the election the Indianapolis
Journal in whose editorial rooms it is said the
scheme to make Harrison president was talked over
IN the sos the leading editorial was a single para
graph, which said: "Of all sad words of tongue or
pen. the saddest these it might have been Ben"
Mckinley both times was nominated ON first bal
lot. He had had experience earlier in his career
successful compromise candidate, however,
when he was first sent to congress. Roosevelt also
was first ballot nominee
From the experience of the past, it would seem
that being the leading candidate unless absolutely
IN control is fatal to success No doubt all the fa-
vorite sons, Mr.. Taft, and the other presidential
possibilities have pretty good knowledge of events
they transpired at former conventions of the Re
publican party They must all know that if Mr..
Taft does not win in the first round the battle NAV
go to any of the others And Mr.. Taft as the lead
Ell of the field, must realize his almost homeless
leadership unless he have it in more than name
only. For this reason, the Taft campaign must be
fought out in the primaries enough delegates must
be instructed for the secretary of war to insure his
nomination on first ballot or his chances seem all
but hopeless. And it is the doubt which surrounds
the questondoubt at least until the various states
have spoken-which lights up the pathway of those
aspirants who know that the geographical position
of their homes is rghtthat is, in doubtful or semi
doubtful states. The fact that Ohio is pretty
sure Republican state is the strongest argument
which the wise politicians can make against the
nomination of Taft.
To Judge John j. Riley of Lexington, KY, is
due the honor Of disnn,rnrir,n