Evening star., 1939-08-23
Suggests Dark Horse
For Republican Party
Writer Recounts Successes by
Compromise Nominees
Of the Past

Of the Past
To the Editor Of The Star:
The Republican party has often Sc
lected so-called dark horse" candidates
for President, and in almost every in
stance has elected them.
In 1860, when the Republican party
was in it's infancy, instead of nominat-
ing William H. Seward for its standard
bearer, as nearly every student of politics
of that day felt it would and should
do, the convention, after several ballots,
picked Abraham Lincoln, then little
known outside of his own State of Il
linois, to lead the party to victory. The
convention leaders felt Mr.. Seward was
too radical and outspoken in his views
on State rights and the slavery ques-
tion and that Mr.. Lincoln would serve
better to hold the voters united. They
also felt that Mr.. Lincoln would give
the feared Stephen A. Douglas better
battle in the Midwestern States. What
a fortunate selection Mr. Lincoln proved
to be for the whole country!
Again, in 1868, the Republican Ma
tional Convention chose to head its
ticket the popular General Ulysses S.
Grant, fresh from his victories of the
Civil War, instead of any one of the
outstanding leaders of the party Al
though the party had plenty of promi-
nent statesmen and leaders we'll known
to the whole country, at that time, it
selected a man who had previously
been Democrat. Again the party was
successful and it reelected Grant in
1872. There was strange thing about
the campaign of 1872, former Demo-
crat running on the Republican ticket
against well-known Republican,
Horace Greeley, running as the standard
bearer for the Democratic party.
Again, in 1876, there were three dis
tinct divisions of the Republican party:
the "Stalwarts," backing United States
Senator Morton and Senator Roscoe
Conkling; the so-called Half breeds"
backing the great James G. Blaine, and
the independents" behind the fearless
Bristow. All of these candidates were
very we'll known, but after while they
united on Rutherford B. Hayes of Ohio,
who was the winning candidate.
In 1880, the Republicans again found
themselves badly divided One faction
wanted to put up General Grant again,
While the other stood adamant behind
the leadership of the partys national
chairman, j. D. Cameron. Many
ballots We're taken and finally James
A Garfield was nominated, he having
been known to the convention only as
the campaign manager for Senator
John Sherman. Again the dark horse
led the Republican party to victory.
In 1888, the Republican party, after
a spirited race, finally nominated Ben
lamin Harrison of Indiana. While MIR.
Harrison had not been considered a
great leader of the party, he proved
to be good dark-horse candidate and
brought victory again to the Repub
licans
In 1895, the party again abandoned
Its most outstanding leaders and. as a
result Of the astute guidance of his
manager, Marcus A. Hanna, nominated
william Mckinley. In 1900, President
mckinney had as his running mate.
Theodore Roosevelt of New York. mainly
because the Republican boss of New
YORK, Ihomas Platt wanted to get rid
OF the fiery hero of San Juan Hill. The
tragic assassination of the beloved
President Mckinley automatically moved
Colonel Roosevelt into the White House
Where he remained until he voluntarily
stepped aside to make room for his
Secretary of War, William H. Taft, to
become Chief Executive.
In 1920 the race for the Republican
nomination was very close and bitter
between three outstanding candidates.
Gen Leonard Wood, United States Sena-
tor hiram johnson and Ex-Gov. Frank
LoWoen. The convention appeared
hopelessly deadlocked when a group of
senators under the leadership of Senator
Boise Penrose again reached into the
grab bag of destiny and brought forth
another dark-horse candidate in Senator
Warren G. Harding Again the Re-
publican party was successful on elec-
ton day.
With the death of President Harding
Vice President Calvin Coolidge moved
into the White House and remained there
until he handed out his now famous mes
sage, I do not choose to run The lead
ers OF the party were taken by surprise,
and, before they could get together on
another candidate, Herbert Hoover. who
up to that time had not been considered
an outstanding leader of the party, was
nominated and later elected.
So the history of the G. o. P. has been
replete with successful candidates for
the presidency when the conventions
have gotten behind dark-horse candi-
dates. And seemingly, the dark horses
run better for the party than when the
party in convention assembled has only
one real outstanding entrant. For in
stance, this was true in 1884 when
James G. Blaine went down to defeat.
Again in 1892, when, practically unop-
posed President Benjamin Harrison
bowed to Grover Cleveland; in 1915.
when Chief Justice Hughes was de-
1eated by Woodrow Wilson, and. most
recently, in 1882, when President Hoover,
again unopposed in convention, lost to
Franklin D. Roosevelt. Who knows but
that in 1910 the Ranuh1icap y,ortv ,,,,,,