The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-10-09

graceful because of the scandal
mongering and mud-slinging. excit-
ing because Of the intense partis-
anship displayed. and because it
was SO close, the campaign Of 1884
stands as one of the most interest
ing of our history. It resulted In
the elevation of Grover Cleveland
to the presidential ONCE, the first
Democrat to be elected after the
Civil war, whose two terms of Of
fee we're the only Interruptions in
81 years of Republican ascendancy.
Long before the campaign was
over It was realized that the candi-
date who carried New York would
be elected. Cleveland carried the
state by only 1,149 plurality over
Blaine. A change of 600 voters in
New York would have made Blaine
president. The narrow margin re-
suited in a thousand "ifs" and it is
by some of these Ifs" that the
campaign will be remembered long
est.
The aggressive action on the part
Of the Democrats began with the
election of 1882. Garfield had alien
ated Conkling by making Blaine
secretary Of state. Then followed
the appointment of Robertson to be
collector 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 Plat
were sorely disappointed in that
they we're not triumphantly re-
elected.
The assassination Of Garfield did
not end the fractional disputes in
the party. President Arthur was
Conkling's friend, but he soon
broke with the imperious New
Yorker. Blaine was the popular
leader and the idol of the masses
of the Republican voters. 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 according
ly. In 1882 the Democrats swept
the country and elected majority
of the house of representatives.
I Cleyeland's Nomination.
More than that they carried the
pivotal state of New York by ma
jority of almost 100000 witt
Grover Cleveland as the nominee
for governor. Cleveland's career
as Mayor of Buffalo and his veto o
extravagant appropriations hat
brought him into notice in New
York. His great victory, contrib
uted to by Republican factionism
caused the whole country to look t.
him. When the Democratic nation
al convention met in 1884 he wal
easily nominated on the second bal
lot, receiving the necessary two
thirds vote despite the violent ant
even disorderly protests Of Tam
many hall, then led by John Kelly
The administration oppose'
Blaine with all its force. and at
tempted to win the nomination o
President Arthur. But Blaine wa
the leader from the beginning ant
received the nomination on tn
fourth ballot. The powerful influ
ence which had defeated him in tn
conventions of 1876 and 1880 wer
still at work, but their force wa
expended and Blaine was nominal
ed-for slaughter.
Again there was a third part,
factor in the problem. The Green
hackers reappeared as the anti
Monopoly party and nominated TO
president no less a parsonage tina
General Benjamin F. Butler Q
Massachusetts,, the premier aero
batic clown of the political circu.
Six weeks after taking the anti
Monopoly nomination, Butler az
peared as a delegate in the Demo
cratic convention actually trying t
get the Democratic nomination an
bidding for southern support by Of
fering a plank favoring federal pen
sions for confederate soldiers!
Scandals affecting Blaine's intes
rity had been afloat for years, an
, had been used against him in tw
) national conventions. The Demo
cratic press hailed his nominatio
!, with the Credit Mobilier scand;
and the Mulligan letters. TIL
!, charge was reiterated that Blain
as speaker of the house of repr,
sentatives, had been Influenced
his rulings by financial consider
!. atoms.
The Usual Mud Battle.
. When the campaign was fairl
started, a scandal about Mr.. Clev,
lands earlier life was unearthed-
the Halpin affair. The Blair
forces made fatal mistake in len,
ing official countenance to IL
spread of the scandal. When Il
Democratic committee considers
publishing the Blaine scand
broadcast, Mr.. Cleveland vetoed IL
proposition. That did not proven
OF course, the individual Democra
from taking up and repeating Il
old charges against Blaine viii,
had been current for eight year