Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1912-11-02

The Tammany contingent finally got
into line by personal appeal from
the vice presidential candidate. Thomas
A. Hendricks. He told Chief John
Kelly that he must mot cut his friend
In order to get at his enemy. and
Kelly relented. resulting in the Tam
many vote in the main being cast for
the presidential candidate that Tam
many hated.
The Republicans expected to see
Conkling come back into the fold vt
the eleventh hour just a. he had done
when Garfield's candidacy was threat
ened with defeat. but Conkling acted
as David B. Hill did when he stayed
close to 'wolfert's Roost'' in the
Bryan campaign. HID Conkling open
ed mouth or raised his finger, Blaine
might have been president and the
whole course Of American politics
changed. But Conkling was not heard
from.
Blaine was intensely popular In the
west, in spite Of the innumerabie
charges that were brought against
him. His swing around the circle
created unprecedented enthusiasm In
the Mississippi valley. But when he
got back to New York it was different.
There the public opinion as to the
propriety Of some Of his financial acts
while in the service Of the govern
ment was decidedly adverse to him. It
was this which led to party Of New
York ministers calling on him to show
that the pulpit had not lost confidence
in him, and Parson Burchard's unfor-
tunate assertion that Blaine was fight
ing rum. Romanism and rebellion.
The opposition took 1t up and made
great political capital Of 1t among the
Catholics in general and the Irish
Catholics in particular.
Tried to Stop Story.
Blaine tried to stop the story. but 1t
stuck. He was not as successful as
his father had been before him. His
father had married a Catholic lady Of
devout qualities, and when he was a
candidate for protonotary the story
was current among the Protestants Of
the community that he himhelf was a
Catholic. He went to his wife's priest
for a certificate. which the padre
gave him. 1t recited that to his
knowledge Blaine was not member
| of any church. and that in his opinion
he was not fit to be. The certificate
! satisfied the Protestant part Of the
! community.
The Mugwump Republicans in the
main supported Cleveland, asserting
| they still were Republicans, but were
supporting Cleveland because he was
better than his party. There were
some, however, who preferred to throw
their votes away on st. John and But
Ter. In New York the detection to the
minor parties was especially great.
| Before the campaign closed it was
generally evident that the election
hinged on New York state, and each
| party moved heaven and earth to make
that big plum fall its way. When the
| returns came in it was found that
| Cleveland had won the state with only
1149 votes to spare. Both sides claim
ed the state and there was preparation
for trouble. But the Republicans found
themselves hoist by their own petard.
! In 1876 they had based their whole
effort to seat Hayes over Tilden upon
the doctrine that the federal govern
ment cannot go behind the returns,
and so, with no means of securing an
outside count of the vote, the Repub-
| licans were forced to concede the cleo
| ton or Cleveland. IL was asserted
that the Butler ballots were counted
for Cleveland in New York City, and
that without them Cleveland never
could have reached the White House
The Conkling Blaine feud was one o:
the worst that has ever marred Amer
lcan politics. Their bitterness was
not of a kind that could fight duel
and be over with; 1t was that intense
hatred which pursues its enemy to the
end. and 1T probably served to hasten
the day Of Blaine's physical death. az
1t certainly was the means of killiag
his high political ambition. Conkling
quarreled with Garfield over Blaine
and then over patronage, and in great
j anger resigned from the senate, expect
ing to be sent back. But he wasn't
me too Tom Platt resigned with
him and afterward came back as the
Easy Boss. But Conkling allowed his
wrath against Blaine to wreck his own
career. as we'll as that OF Blaine.
/ Tomorrow-Presiden Elections
XXIII-The Third Party Movement.
II Tonight.