El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-06-13

l States assumed that condition that old
time politicians with tender reminis-
cence call normal" That is. the bal
ance between the Republican and Dem
Ocratic parties was so nicely adjusted
| that every election was in doubt, that
every doubtful state was a battle
ground. and that every victory was a
close one This era continued from
1876 until 1895, and in the national
conventions held during that period
! more was heard Of men than of meas
ures; more of availability than Of ad-
VOcdcys more of politics than Of prin-
Ciple. Consequently, those same ma
UOnal conventions were the fields OF
epic character.
Third Term Talk For Grant.
The Republican national convention
of 1876 met in Cincinnati on June If.
I Gen Grants second term was drawing
I to a close and the air was filled with
! third term talk-gOssip of a possibility
There was even talk that If the Re
pubhcans didn't nominate Grant, the
Democrats would, but of course that
" as mere talk.
Blaine 2 FavOrite.
The popular favOrite was James g.
Blaine, but the opposition to Blaine
was determined COnkling, the AFRO
CANT and able New FORK leader, was
the implacable enemy OF the man from
Maine. The charges made against
Blaine in connection with the Fort
smith railroad case were fresh in the
pubic mind Blaine was the great in
yestigated," and the field was against
him, except when BristO " Of Ken
lucky, the leader Of the reform ele-
menL was advanced As was said at
the time, Blaine will fight Conkling,
Morton viii fight both, while all three
VIII fight BristOw."
Was Historic Time.
wa fr, 70
win the presidency. This was the ac-
cepted hour for Oliver P Morton, the
war governor Of Indiana. This was the
time TO nominate BristOw of Kentucky
and reunite the sections. And it was
the time for Blaine TO step into the
white house.
But these things were not to be- Two
uncons1dered and almost unnOticed IA
vOrite sons" were TO be the heroes OF
this cOnTenuou-JOhn i. Hartrauft Of
Pennsylvania and Rutherford 3. Hayes
or ohio One was to be the unwilling
cause Of the destruction Of the unit
rule in Republican conventions. the
other was to be the choice for presi-
dent
Blaine Sunstricken.
On Sunday before the convention met
on Wednesday, Mr. Blaine suffered q
sunstrOke just as he was entering the
door Of a church in Washington, and
his serious illness then perhaps may
have cost him the nomination. But had
he been the nominee. with the Fort
smith charges hanging over him, per
haps Tilden would have been president
and our whole history would have been
Whole Day Of Speeches.
The convention was the first in
which a whole day was given over TO
nominating speeches. the first in
which the nOminatOrs were carefully
selected champions, and the first in
which convention OratOry' played a
part.
Ingersom NOminates Blaine.
When the name of Illinois was called
ROBERT O. Ingersoll arose and began
that famous GRAFTON which has lived by
the sheer glory Of its rhetoric and will
live as long as Americans read their
political history Period after period
IelI rom his rich lips. and men who
were there felt the audience repress-
ing by a supreme effort OF its collec-
tive viii, the cheers that demanded
utterance. Then came this:
Like an armed warrior, like
plumed knight. James g. Blaine
marched down the halls OF the Ameri-
can congress and threw his shining
forehead OF every defamer Of his coun-
try and maligner Of its honor"
me pentup emotions burst through l
the bonds Of restraint and the COnven-
ton went wild. The anti-Blaine dele
gates were frightened and demanded
that the chairman call f'time" and end /
the speech But after awhile he was
permitted to 20 on and ended with: I
llamentarians, that leader Of leaders.
James c. Blaine OF Maine" That was
the high tide Of sentiment and emo |
ton, and Il seemed then as If the
newly christened Plumed Knight must /
surely triumph over his adversaries-
Cameron For COnkling.
But national conventions are not al !
ways controIed Dy emotion and senu- /
ment. This one was not. Don Cam 1
eron, OF Pennsylvania, was for COnk- /
ling, but a great many Of the Pennsyl- !
Vania delegates were for Blaine Cam /
eron fought hard to have the unit rule /
adopted. but succeeded only by con-
senting to a compromise that II should /
be abrogated when 20 Of the 5S dele /
pennsylvania vote should go on the /
first ballots TO governor Hartranft the !
Keystone 'favOrite SON.
Fight Over. Pennsylvania Vote.
The Blaine forces succeeded in Sc
lecting as permanent chairman Edward /
Mcpherson, OF Pennsylvania, Blaine /
man and an enemy of Cameron. Wnen ]
the voting for president began, the JS 4
by Mr.. Cameron as for governor Hart !
rant J. Smith Suthey arose and |
protested, saying that he and his coll
leagues from the sixth district desired !
TO vote for James c. Blaine, had so in /
structed the chairman Of the delega- /
ton, and that the vote as announced I
was incorrect.
Chairman Mcpherson without hesita-
ton ruled that the prOtestor was with
in his rights. that every delegate in
the convention had the right to vote
as he pleased. without regard to rules
or instructions. Instant appeal was
taken from the ruling. but the chair i
was sustained by a viva Voce vote. Il
Some OF the Pennsylvania delegates /
claimed. the vote was taken without |
giving them a chance TO be heard, and /
an acrimonious exchange OF persOnali-
ties between the chair and the dele
gates almost caused a riot
The vote sustaining the decision OF |
the chair was recOnsidered. and a long
debate was INDUCED in, during which
the anti Blaine men stood out for the |
unit rule and for the binding charac- |
ter of instructions, while the Blaine |
men fought for the right OF each dele
gate TO cast his own vote in his own I
way Eugene Hale, Of Maine. led the /
fight recalling that in 1850 Thaddeus !
Stevens had voted for Mclean at Chi /
cagO when his state was instructed for I
Simon Cameron; that Don CamerOn>and
four others had refused in 1858 TO /
vote for governor Curtin for vice presi-
dent. although bound by instructions |
A vote was taken and the unit rule |
was rejected ana the chair upheld by
395 to 354.
Hays Nominated.
R1asDa led with 2S5 votes AThrtor 1