The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-06-13
BY RODNEY BUTCHER
NEA Service Writer


&fcopyright 1892, NEA Service Inc.)
81 Washington. Hanna. one
OF the most powerful and effective
of American political bosses. de.
<cided that his friend, william u
MCKINLEY, must not be left at the
mercy Of a group Of machine poll.
&icians conniving In smoke-hiied
motel room. %
= So he went personally through
1the country, with plenty OF money
and plenty of promises, and signed
saip enough little bosses and dele
kates to insure McKinley's NOM
4nation by the republicans In 1896.
Then he decided that election
Gcafnpaigns should be put on
business basis. He raised millions
ebf dollars. chiefly from corpora
lions who felt McKinley's election
was their best bet. AS a result nc
elected Mckinley over Bryan.
Il II was ono OF the most amaZ-
dng single handed performances
ever seen. Hanna had retired IN
1924 from his business In coal and
Iron to engage in politics with the
seole aim of eiecting Mckinley.
(which was exactly what he did.
Me had been inspired both by.
love for Mckinley and a desire
dor a high protective tariff, which
ne felt was tho best thing for the
Eountry.
n He has been pictured as ruth
Less plutocrat who lustcd for pow
1r and deDauched politics. Yet he
avasi honest and generous and, for
dis time, enlightened. He believed
4hat political parties must be cut
10 ut an Industrial civilization. He
but efficiency and business methods
Into political management. And II
he did not have Mckinley under
bis thumb, he did, during his Pc
Mod as republican national chair
Anan from 1895 until his death In
d904, exert complete control over
the party.
Hanna had been a business man
who was always active in public
affairs, serving first on various po-
diticaI committees in Ohio and
cleveland.
y TIc learned about hotel room
nominations and dark horses"
who beat favorites In the two dec
AIDES before he nominated McKin-
James q. Blaine had twice as
many delegates as anyone else IN
1915, but It was known that ne
Snouhn't win iG his enemies could
combine the favorite sons against
6ipai The New York and Penn
Eyiyania bosses were sworn to de-
feat him.
Z Secretary OF War Cameron head
ia q Pennsylvania delegation IN
3tructed for Hartranft, but the
delegates we're itching to vote for
Blaine. At a conference In Cam
81
Rrrded to stay WITH Hartranft as
IONS as he gained. 70 some south
trn delegates were bought up and
y few tossed to Hartranft on each
Ballot.
z The gas in the convention han
WAS turned off just as bailotns
MAS about to begin and the con-
BENTON was rugged overnight.
n Nv the time the voting was over
blaine had the votes of a major
aty. but never on the same ballot.
Bob Ingersoil nearly made
president with his famous "Plumed
knight" speech, but the break
game when Roscoe Conklin, the
Dompous administration leader and
boss of New York, threw his
hates 81 to Rutherford b. Hayes,
who was nominated In a seventh
ballot stampede.
" Hanna had gone az a delegate
Yor Senator John Sherman of ONO
In 1884 and 1888. James A. Car
neld had been Shernans man
@ger in 1880, when the leading
candidates were Grant and Blaine,
NTH a deadlock certain. Conkling,
H9ain first of all anti-Blane, led
The Grant forces and Garfield be-
game floor manager Of the anti
Grant forces.
Z Such powerful eastern bosses as
G'om Plat of New York and Matt
quay of Pennsylvania also were
Among the Grant forces. which
dried and failed to have the unit
Tule adopted.
Garfield made such a. good i'm
preasion that after IS ballots the
Blaine forces began to swing to