Evening journal., 1912-09-13
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The PreCOnventiOn Work
That Defeated Blaine in 1876
BY Holland.

"The common impression on the
part of politicians and of the country
just after the nomination by the Re
publicans of Governor Rutherford B
Hayes of Ohio, for President in 1876,
was that the nomination was due en-
tirely to a sudden concentration of
the votes Of all the opponents of the
nomination of James G. Blaine
upon Governor Hayes" SO said
ex-Postmaster General Thomas l..
James, at tthat tome postmaster Of
New York, to me one afternoon when
he was speaking Of his political ex-
periences.
81 have always been convinced, how
ever, by something that ! learned at
Cincinnati at the time Of the conven-
ton that the nomination of Governor
Hayes for President was not due to
any sudden concentration upon him
at the last moment in a desperate at
tempt to beat Blaine, but was instead
the result of as brilliantly played poll
tics as the history of the Presidential
nominations has ever known.
81 went to Cincinnati with the New
York delegation as an onlooker. All
my friends in that delegation we're
warmly supporting the nomination Of
Roscoe Conkling for President.
myself favored Conkling's nomina-
tion. 7 had good reason for suspecting
that General Grant, although he kept
his hands of, nevertheless earnest
ly hoped that Conkling would be nom
mated.
con the afternoon before the con-
vention was organized / was stand
ing in the lobby of my hotel when
! saw I'm the distance a man upon
/ crutches who was waving his hand at
me At first I did not recognize him,
/ but as he approached me ] saw the
| greeting came from Ex-Governor Ed
win r. Noyes of Ohio. / had for some
years been in pleasant and very
friendly relations with Governor
Noyes
"'Are you very busy just now?"
Governor Noyes said to me. And when
| told him that ! was simply looking
around, hoping | could renew old ac-
! quaintances, as / had with him, he
asked me 80 go with him into re-
tired place.
Il did so; we sat side by side upon
a sofa Governor Noyes said to me
I suppose you think that there is a
chance for the nomination of Roscoe
Conkling: but there isn't any
mo, / replied. 4 feel now as
though the nomination of Blaine were
assured
James, he said to me, I will tell
you something in confidence, because
feel certain that you will not betray
it. Blaine will not be nominated
have had charge of Governor Hayes's
interests l have been working in
his interests for the past three
months. l cannot tell you without
violating condolences what the secret
/ agreements are, but will tell you
this much--it is our plan to lei
Blaine have full swing at first in the
convention after that you will find
that gradually Hayes will receive
scattered support That is a part Of
the plan.
Now, I want you to mark my pre-
diction; it is not based upon guess.
work but upon what I know. Not
later than the sixth ballot practically
all OF the delegates who have sup.
/ HNlAtu OlAti ludM hldlHt
will swing to Hayes in response to q
private signal that has been agreed
upon. and when the vote is counted
you will find that he has beatef
Blaine at least thirty votes. He MAJ
beat him by as many as fifty
81 was certain that Governor Noyei
was not trying deliberately to imposl
upon me. But did think that he wat
stating as fact what had no other ex
istence than in his own hope.
However. the result turned on
exactly as Governor Noyes had pre-
dicted-to me. For that reason I an
satisfied that the friends of Haye
outwitted, in preconvention politics
the friends of Blaine and had goo
reason for their conviction that no
James G. Blaine but Rutherford r
Hayes would be the Republican can
didate for President"
Copyright. 1912 by r. J. Edwards
All rights reserved.)