New-York tribune., 1920-06-06

vehtion, reassured the wavering by
saying bluntly that the convention
couldn't be stampeded-that Harri
son had majority of the delegates
and that they would stick to the
finish.
Wouldn't Stampede
New was right. Blaine came into
the fight too late. Had he resigned
in February, 1892, he might have
beaten Harrison. AS it was, the
anti-Harrison forces had majority
in the Republican states. But they
were greatly outnumbered in the
Democratic states. In the preced-
Ing winter and spring Louis T.
Michener, formerly Attorney Cen
cral Of Indiana, had modified the
Administrations following in the
South. He was the Frank H. Hitch
cock Of his day. But his task was
somewhat different from Hitchcock's.
In 1892 the Southern states were
grossly over-represented in Repub-
lican conventions. But there were
still more or less active party or
carnations in many of them, with
leaders who had the respect of their
Northern colleagues and who still
looked at party questions nationally.
Among these were men like Powell
Clayton, of Arkansas; John R.
Lynch, of Mississippi; General Will
lam Malone and Edmund Waddill.
of Virginia; A. E. Buck, of Georgia;
William Pitt Kellogg, Of Louisiana;
N. W. Quincy, Of Texas, and W. D.
Crum, Of South Carolina. There
was little Of the feeling against the
Southern delegates as "rotten bor-
ough" element, clogging the opera
tion Of the principle Of majority rule
in the party, which developed later,
when Southern contests multiplied
and Southern representation became
a farce. There were relatively few
Southern contests at Minneapolis,
and they were settled, in the main.
on their merits. But the power of
Federal patronage controlled in that
section. 1t was a barren field for
the antl-Harrlson proselyters.
Curious Line-ups
In the North curious cleavages
occurred. New England showed a
majority for Harrison. In New
York Thomas G.. Platt and Warner
Miller, with majority Of the delega-
ton, were against him, and Chaun-
cey M. Depew and Senator Hitch
cock, with minority, were for him.
Pennsylvania, under Quay's leader
ship, was largely anti-Harrison. New
Jersey, under General Sewall's
leadership, was Harrison. Ohio
and Michigan were anti; Illinois and
Wisconsin were pro. Joseph G.
Cannon was the head of the former
delegation, and John C. Spooner of
the latter. Iowa, Kansas and Ne
braska stood by the Administration
Minnesota and most of the noun
tain and Pacific states were against
it.
In the end the South made the
nomination. In the states which
Harrison had carried in 1888 the
vote was 235 for the President and
263 against him. In the states ad-
mitted since 1888-the two Dako-
tas, Montana, Washington, Idaho
and Wyoming-it was a tie, 20 to
20. Harrison got the territorial
vote-14 to q. In the states which
he lost, in 1888, including the South
and New Jersey and Connecticut,
the Harrison vote was 266 1-6 and
the anti-Harrison only 80 1-6.
Harrison Ranks Unbroken
The failure of the Blaine diver
sion became apparent evene before
James H. Gowdy and Chauncey M.
Depew conceived the idea of round
ing up the Harrison delegates in
Market Hall, counting them, ticket
ing them and then demonstrating
majority. Blaine couldn't break the
Harrison ranks. Was there an ad-
ditional candidate who could help to
break them, the two cooperating to
prevent Harrison's nomination on
the first ballot?
Here was a situat tion which was
quickly taken advantage Of by
shrewd minds which were already
planning to make William McKin-
ley the Republican Presidential
nominee in 1896. The latter was
himself Harrison delegate and the
leader of a considerable Harrison
element in the Ohio delegation. But
the sudden reaction against Harri-
son offered the Mckinley publicity
agents gorgeous opportunity. The
way they rose to it furnished the