Evening journal., 1910-12-06
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The One Vote That Became
a Majority
By "HOIland."

"Mr. Quay, you would put me under
a great obligation If you would give
me information respecting the person
ality and purpose of that vociferous
delegate from your state who is cast
ing the solitary vote reported by the
secretary of this convention for James
A. Garfield" said Roscoe Conkling at
the Chicago Republican convention of
1888, to Matthew Stanley Quay. the
leader of the Pennsylvania delegation.
81 can't explain, Senator" Mr. Quay
replied. HE is a delegate from the
Hazelton district, which commanded
him to vote for the nomination Of
General Grant. Why he is voting for
Garfield / don't know But 1t is only
one vote. and that doesn't mean any
thing"
Sometimes one vote becomes ma
iority vote" Senator Conkling an
swered, grimly.
And so, curiously enough, it hap
pened in this case. The lone delegate
from the anthracite coal region of the
keystone state cast his vote with
such unvarying regularity for James
| A. Garfield that at last attention be-
/ came fixed upon the delegate and the
man he was voting for, and, by one of
those curious psychological moods
! that often descend upon a crowd, the
name of James A. Garfield fired the
Imagination Of the delegates and the
majority vote of the convention was
cast for him after the balloting had
been much prolonged in a vain attempt
to decide upon one of the prominent
candidates
The name of this original Garfield
man. i'm the real meaning Of that term
was Alexander Greer, a banker OF
Luzerne, Pa, a man of high character
who, when he was elected a delegate
to the national convention. was pre-
sumed to be in full accord with the
sentiment of his district, which fav'
ored the nomination of General Grant
for third term. So when his soil
tary insistence upon Garfield had al
last turned the convention In that d.
rection. the report was sent broad
cast that Mr.. Greer had been induced
TO vote for Garfield with this tempta
ton before his eyes: that, in the even
of Garfields election, Mr.. Greer wOulC
be appointed to an important position
in the Treasury Department. "Tha
is to be Greer's reward" was the com
mon saying; and following Gartieldi
triumph at the polls, this opinion
seemed to be justified when It wai
learned that the new president ha'
offered Mr.. Greer the post OF Assist
ant Secretary of the Treasury. Blu
instead OF accepting the offer. as
was commonly believed he would, Mr.
Greer declined the appointment, ant
when asked for the reason replied:
Il do not want any political Office
I could not afford to accept any ap
pointment / could not afford to Civ
up my business or my association
with my bank"
Then II is not true that you wen
to the Chicago convention determines
to support Garfield because you hal
an ambition for an Office in the Treas
ury?"
General Garfield did not know me
/ had never seen him until the Chi
cago convention was organized" wa
the reply II went to the convention
expecting fully TO obey the instruc
tions Of my district convention an
vote for General Grant for president
But when General Garfield made hi
sreech placing John Sherman in nomi
nation for president ] was so tremeu
dously IMPRESSED by the personality
the magnificent physiauo. the suDsr
voice and the wonderful rhetoric an
eloouence of Garfield that / said I
myself This man. in nv oninion, 1
the man who should he nominated 70
: president of the United States by th