Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-06-23

/ The democratic victory Of 1854 was re-
peated in the congressional elections OF
] 1855, and President Cleveland believed the
! country had given him its mandate to re-
| form the tariff downward. He sent
/ message to Congress toward the end OF
| his first term that set the two parties at
| loggerheads on the tariff issue. and that
would have divided the country into two
| distinct bodies of opinion had it not been
| for the strong cross-current of the cur
rency problem.
| When the time came to make nomina-
! tons in 1883 there was much grumbing
among democratic politicians. who were
displeased with Cleveland's Independent
attitude in the matter of the dispense
| ton of pie, but Grover Cleveland was the
only man the democrats had put in
! the White House since the war, and the
masses of his partisans would not hear
| to any opposition to his denomination.
The democrats met at ST. Louis. and
! Cleveland was promptly nominated by &C
| clamation. an honor that had come to no
man in democratic convention since
/! Martin Van Buren's second nomination in
| 1910. Allen G. Thurman of Ohio 1.-The
old Roman, was given second place on
the ticket. and while there was some
sharp discussion over the tariff plank in
z
| that the party was more nearly united
| than it ever had been since Monroe's
| time.
| The republicans. on The other hand,
were at True. the tariff reform ele-
| ment had been al
Republican Party most eliminated,
In Disputation. anu nri t"e n pay fsyor Sa a.
| protection. but there was no leader to
claim as of right the captaincy of the
| republican hosts. The organization re-
| publicans were for John Sherman-an old
and trusted leader. who had been bid
| ding for the nomination for President
| for many years. The 'mugwump'' ele-
ment was for Walter Q. Gresham Of
| Indiana, who. although d conservative
was also the favorite of the labor lead
ers. Russell y Alser was for Alger.
| Chauncey NJ Depew was for Depew.
| William b. Allison and some others were
! for Allison. Ingalls, of Kansas. Hawley
| of Connecticut Phelps of New Jersey
! and Rusk of Wisconsin were the propri-
! etors of state booms and highly polished
! lightning rods. Benjamin Harrison had
| two ambitions-to gain the nomination
| for himself. if possible. and to keep it
! from going to Gresham, in any event.
Harrison was able, had been mentioned
as possible compromise candidate in
more than one convention heretofore and
/ he was the grandson OF William Henry
! Harrison, the hero of the never-to- be-
| forgotten log cabin and hard cider cam
| paign of 1870.
The pre-convention fight saw Sherman
| we'll in the lead. The Sherman forces
| carefully and extensively bought up the
southern delegations, many of which We're
! then frankly on the bargain counter, only
| to lose them to .il2er, whose men with
| equal care and expense bought them
away from Sherman.
The other factor was James G. Blaine
The defeated favorite in the conventions
/ Of 1876 and
Masses Regarded 1850. and the
Blaine With Favor. nee in 1ss.
Blaine was yet the idol Of the republican
masses and was looked upon as the Henry
Clay of the republican party. Once more
! he wanted the nomination, once more
many of the voters wanted him to have
| it. But he was the only republican can
/ didate since Fremont, who had suffered
defeat at the polls. and the politicians be-
! lieved him TO be unavailable. He never
got more than forty-eight votes in this
! convention. but until he cabled from Eu-
! rope, on the sixth day of the session,
Withdrawing his name. the deadlock
! could not be broken.
| On the first ballot John Sherman led
| with 229 votes. followed by Gresham
with Ill, Depew with ~, -Alger with 81.
/ Harrison with 50. Allison with q. Blaine
with 30 ingalls, with %. Rusk and Phelps
| with - each. Filter of Pennsylvania with
"A Hawley with -. Robert I. Lincoln
with 3 and William Mckinley with >
| On the second and third tests Sherman.
] Gresham and Alger made great gains at
/ the expense of the favorite sons. The
| opposition to Sherman was determined.
| The Harrison-Gresham quarrel was bit
| ter The Alger boom was artificial. ALI
| son gained a few votes on each ballot.
/ and to some observers ii seemed certain
/ that the Iowa man would land the prize.
Mckinley was getting fairly good COM
| plimentary vote, and he was talked of as
| possible dark horse.
But Greshams strength on the third
ballot-he had gone up to l23-so frighten-
ed the strict party
1 Strong Leaders men that leaders
Turn to Harrison. Harr,son as
the SOIullON- OI lne pTODleHi VII the
| fourth ballot Harrison had forged for
ward until he was second in the race
with 2l3 TO his credit. But Allison and
| Alger had also gained and il still
| anybody's race
| Early on the morning of the sixth day
| Blaine's cablegram relieved the tension
| On the seventh ballot Harrison went
! ahead of Sherman and on the next trial
| he won. receiving III votes TO us for
| Sherman. 1Uo for Ager. ~ for Gresham,
| ) for Blaine ard ! for Mckinley
| 1t was the longest and most hotly con-
| end was reached by dickering and deal
| ing Sherman felt that he mad been rob
| bed, Gresham that he had been cheated.
| Indeed, Gresham was indignant that
| he refused to support the nomination of
| Harrison.
| In the election Harrison and Morton
! defeated Cleveland and Thurman, al
! though the democratic ticket won the
| popular majority The vote of New York
| turned me scale against the democrat IS.
/ and il was the enc feature of the election
I that although New York was carried for
| Harrison the democratic candidate for
governor David b. Hill, was successful
/ Four years later the two parties re-
nominated Cleveland and Harrison, the
| first time a twin denomination ever had
been made. But neither Was TO have the
honor without strong opposition. Gov.
| Hill had called an early convention in
| New York, snap convention the Cleve-
self the instructions for New iorks vote
| for President Tammany Hall had al