Evening star., 1924-07-06
UNIT RULE AIDS BOSS
AND TIES DELEGATES
Lack of Freedom in Choice Of Political
Candidates May Doom
System.

'>e" 1Orh Win the nrm convection
that this unit rule must forever here
after be abolished in Democratic con-
ventions-just as the Republicans
discarded it forty-four years ago.
The conditions then were analogous.
In the fall of 1879 Grant had returned
from tour of the world. He was
then probably the best known and
most popular man in the world He
had been received and feted by kings
and rulers. He was not only a great
military figure but d man of honor
all around the world. When he
landed in San Francisco he was given
a wonderful reception, and his
progress across the continent was a.
triumphal procession
Then the old soldiers of the Grand
Army began booming Grant for
President. Grant himself became
more silent than ever, never said he
would run. and retired to his old
home in Galena and stayed there
With this tremendous popularity and
with the hue and cry raised by the
Grand Army some Republican leaders
saw an opportunity-notably Senator's
Roscoe Conkling of New York, James D.
Cameron of Pennsylvania then chair
man of the Republican national COM
mittee, and John A. Logan of Illinois.
Here was big triumvirate that took
foid of the campaign to make Grant
President for a third term
Several of the big newspapers AID
editors who had bolted Grant in 1S7.
and SoHe off in the liberal move
ment were back in the Republican
fold-such men as Whitelaw Reid,
Joseph Medill, Murat Halstead and
Samuel Bowles-and they led the op-
position to Grant.
Big Fight ON Unit Rule.
Under the unit rule Grant would
have been nominated, because the op-
position to him was centered princi-
pally in New York. Pennsylvania and
Illinois, and the Grant people con-
trclled the machinery. But the first
thing the convention did was to have
big fight on that proposition
James A. Garfield, who made the
nominating speech for Sherman and
who was a wonderful orator, became
position.
Grants situation was much the
same as developed in New York. He
had 3o6 delegates who stood un-.
swervingly with him for thirty-five
ballots. He had a plurality, but not
a majority. The Blaine following, to-
gether with the groups who clung to
other candida tes-Edrunds of Yer
mont; Sherman, Ohio; Washburn.
Illinois, and others, who were as
strong against Blaine as against
Grant were sufficient to prevent
Grant from making the grade. 1t was
in this convention that Senator Conk-
ling, nominating Grant, INDUCED in
masterpiece of e1oquence, beginning
with Miles O'Reillys famous couplet:
IF asked what state he halls from,
our sole reply will be
He comes from Appomattox and its
famous apple tree"
Garfield Backs sherman.
Garfield in an equally striking
speech nominated Sherman, but it was
then WhiSpered-and the whisper has
never since been silenced-that Gar
fields speech was so drafted as to be
one word for Sherman and two for
Garfield himself With a fine pres
encc, commanding eloquence and
flushed by victory in leading the fight
for abolition of the unit rule. Gar
field caught and held the attention of
the delegates.
AS leader of the opposition to Grant
he naturally got the votes of the anti
Grant factions. as they saw all hopes
fade of naming their own candidate.
Thus Garfield became the nominee on
the thirty-sixth ballot
Conkling was asked if he cared to
name the Vice President, and he de-
clined. Then Chester A. Arthur, Conk-
ling's lieutenant was chosen in an
attempt to appease New>York
Since that time the Republican ma
tional conventions have been made up
of district delegates chosen in sepa-
rate district conventions or primaries
to avoid boss control and leave them
free to represent the people of their
districts.
The Democrats have come to real
ize that they have had enough of the
endurance test under the unit rule for
state votes and the two-thirds rule
to capture the nomination.
This is expected to be the last
long-dtstance nominating convention.
\ Tc no.,,~