Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-10-26
PRESIDENTIAL
CAMPAIGNS
By FREDERIC J. HASKIN
XVI. THE CLEVELAND
BLAINE RACE OF 1884
TASHINGTON, D. c., Oct. g.
NA Disgraceful because of the
WV SCandal-mongering and mud

w TASHINGTON, D. c., Oct. s.
Nj Disgraceful because of the
w mountaineering and mud
Singing, exciting because of
the intense partisanship displayed
and because it was so close, the cam
pa1gn of 1884 stands as one of the
most interesting of our history. 1t re-
suited in the elevation of Grover
Cleveland to the presidential office,
the hrst Democrat to be elected after
the Civil war, whose two terms of
office were the only Interruptions in
hfty-two years of Republican ascen-
dancy.
Long before the campaign was over
1t was realized that the candidate
who carried New York would be
elected. Cleveland carried the state
by only 1,149 plurality over Blaine.
change of 500 voters in New York
would have made Blaine president.
Ihe narrow margin resulted in a
thousand "ifs' and it is by some Of
be remembered longest.
The aggressive action on the part
Of the Democrats began with the
election of 1882. Garfield had alien
ated Conkling by making. Blaine. sec
ra OF state; Then followed the
lector. of the port of New York.
Conkling was so furious that he re-
signed his seat in the senate, being
Initiated by Thomas c. Platt, his
junior colleague, who thereby gained
for himself the sobriquet of Me
TOO, Conkling and Platt were sore
not triumphantly reelected.
The assassination of Garfield did
not end the fractional disputes in the
party. President Arthur was Conk-
ling's friend, but he soon broke with
the imperious New Yorker. Blaine
a loo Il Ill
of the masses of the Republican vot-
ers. Yet his enemies were many and
powerful, both within and without
the party. The Democrats looked
upon him as the next nominee for
president and trimmed their sails ac-
swept the country and elected a ma
5ority of the house of representa-
tives.
C1eve1and's Nomination
More than that, they carried the
pivotal state of New York by ma
jority of almost 100000 with Grover
Cleveland as the nominee for gov
of Buffalo and his veto of extrava-
giant appropriations had brought him
into notice in New York His great
victory, contributed to by Republi-
can fact1onism, caused the whole
country to look to him. When the
|CHiOS' a liz JIdILOIdl convention met
in 1884 he was easily nominated on
the second ballot, receiving the nee
eSSary tWo-thlrds vote despite the
violent and even disorderly protests
Of Tammany Hall, then led by John
The administration opposed Blaine
with all its force, and attempted to
win the domination for President
Arthur: But Blaine was the leader
from the beginning and received the
nomination on the fourth ballot. The
powerful influences which had de-
feated him in the conventions of 1876
and 1880 were still at work, but
their force was expended and Blaine
was nominated-for slaughter
Again there was a third part fac
tor ir the problem. The Green
hackers reappeared as the anti-mon-
opoly party and nominated for presi-
dent no less q parsonage than Cen
eral Benjamin F. Butler, of Massa-
chusetts, the premier acrobatic clown
of the political circus. Six weeks
after taking the anti-monopoly nom
nation, Butler appeared as a dele
gate In the Democratic convention
cratic nomination and bidding for
southern support by Offering a plank
favoring federal pensions for Con
federate soldiers!
Scandals affecting Blaine's in
tegr1ty had been afloat for years, and
NJ Pee been used against him 1i in two
cratic. press hailed his nomination
with the Credit Mobilier scandal and
the Mulligan letters. The charge was
reiterated that Blaine, as speaker of
the house of representatives, had been
influenced in his rulings by financial
considera tions.
Tho usual Mud Battle
When the campaign was fairly
started, a scandal about Mr.. CIeve-
lands earlfer, life was unearthed-
made fatal mistake in lending Of
fetal countenance to the spread of
the scandal. When the Democratic
committee considered publishing the
Blaine scandal broadcast, Mr.. Cleve-
dd not ef nreIe1 the Of Tho T That
vidual Democrats from taking up and
repeating the old charges against
Blaine which had been current for
eight years. The result was a bit
ter, nasty; mud singing campaign.
rs the pivotal state. There Mr.. Cleve-
land and Mr.. Blaine both labored un-
der great difficulties. Mr.. Blaine
had the implacable hatred of Roscoe
Conkling. That, alone cost him the
Conkling men in Oneida county who
hand, Cleveland had the enmity Of
Tammany hall and the intense hatred
of Charles A. Dana, editor of the
N Hs zGnk Se a amf TIE ha aO san 0 %a
hen a straightout Tammany organ.
Mr.. Dana had a personal grievance
against Mr.. Cleveland. He inspired
the Tammany opposition to Cleve
land, and after, the nomination he
Dana and the SIM sunnorted Gem
eral Butler, the third party candi-
date, and always had a good word
FOR the Prohibitionist candidate, Gov
ernor John P. St John, of Kansas.
fiasco, and the Suns following voted
straight for Blaine when election day
came around.
Blaine made stumping tour of
the middle west and was welcomed
as few men have ever been. There
was no doubt in the minds of either
or Democrats that he
1ad made many votes for himself, and
that he had swung the tide in his
favor On his way back east he
in Indiana to visit his sister,
man Catholic convent. This called
attention to the fact that his mother
and sisters were devout Catholics,
and was liable to Meet religious
issue into the campaign. -,
home in Maine. Mr.. Blaine stopped
over in New York. City and thereby
a fatal blunder. He dined
with Jay Gould. a fact which the
Democrats seized upon to show, his
intimacy with the Napoleons of fl
nance in Wall street. That dinner
cost Blaine many votes
But the climax was reached in
the Buchard incident. Mr.. Blaine had E'
been accused of so many horrible
things that it was thought wise to
have a delegation of prominent
call on him to. show the
that the Protestant ministers
IF New York trusted him. Mr..
Blaine received the delegatioq 4, g on
he grand stairway at the old Fifth
Avenue hotel. The address on the
oart Of the delegation was delivered
~ Or. Burchard, an aged Br9oklyn
orea cher. At it's close came the IA
,al phrase in describing the evils
gninst which Blaine stood: Rum
and Rehellion"
"Rum. Romanism and Rebe!lion!"
rbo nauocrats took it I'D on the in