The National Conventions of 1892.
REPUBLICAN.
The National Republican Convention for 1892 was called to meet at Minneapolis June 7th. The Convention was close at hand before any candidates were named, other than President Harrison. In February Mr. Blaine had written to Mr. Clarkson, Chairman of the National Convention, saying that his name would not be presented as a candidate, and declining in such positive terms that it was accepted as meaning what it said at the time. Later on the opposition to the President’s nomination, led by a syndicate of very strong names—Platt, of New York; Quay, of Pennsylvania; Clarkson, of Iowa; Conger, of Ohio; Kellogg, of Louisiana; Wolcott, of Colorado; Bourne, of Oregon; Filley, of Missouri—agreed to present Mr. Blaine, upon the statement that he would accept if his nomination was plainly for the good of the party. Three days preceding the Convention Mr. Blaine suddenly resigned as Secretary of State, and thus created the impression that he would accept and that he was a candidate. The first effect of the resignation was to enthuse his friends, many of them already assembled at Minneapolis, but when the correspondence was published, and its terseness was traceable entirely to Mr. Blaine’s haste, a great reaction followed in all parts of the country, and groups of businessmen from all prominent towns and cities wired their delegates of the change in sentiment, and as a rule they were asked to re-nominate President Harrison. A feeling affected the Blaine delegates, and many of the leaders began to look for a third man, in the person of Major McKinley, the father of the tariff bill of 1890, since chosen Governor of Ohio. Major McKinley himself voted for Harrison and resisted a proposed stampede in his own behalf, which had been planned to plump Ohio, Oregon and Pennsylvania solidly for McKinley. The plan failed, partly because Harrison had gained largely over estimates after New York had voted, and Pennsylvania cast 19 votes for him at the only moment which could have been at all critical.
The Convention organized at noon on the 7th, with Major McKinley as its President. The first contest was upon the question of the majority and minority reports of the Committee on Contests, the majority being adopted and generally regarded as a victory for the friends of Harrison. The contests were important only in the case of Alabama, where two full sets of delegates disputed for the seats.
Senator Wolcott, of Colorado, presented the name of Mr. Blaine, and it was seconded by ex-Senator Warner Miller, of New York.
Ex-Secretary of the Navy Richard T. Thompson, of Indiana (on that day eighty-three years of age, and a delegate to every previous Republican National Convention), presented the name of President Harrison. It was seconded by Chauncey M. Depew, of New York, in a speech remarkable for its force and eloquence.
The first and only ballot was taken on the morning of June 10th, with the following result:
| THE BALLOT IN DETAIL. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| States. | Harrison. | Blaine. | McKinley. |
| Alabama | 15 | 0 | 7 |
| Arkansas | 15 | 0 | 1 |
| California | 8 | 9 | 1 |
| Colorado | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Connecticut | 4 | 0 | 8 |
| Delaware | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Florida | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Georgia | 26 | 0 | 0 |
| Idaho | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Illinois | 34 | 14 | 0 |
| Indiana | 30 | 0 | 0 |
| Iowa | 20 | 5 | 1 |
| Kansas | 11 | 0 | 9 |
| Kentucky | 22 | 2 | 1 |
| Louisiana | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| Maine | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Maryland | 14 | 0 | 2 |
| Massachusetts | 18 | 1 | 11 |
| Michigan | 7 | 2 | 19 |
| Minnesota | 8 | 9 | 1 |
| Mississippi | 13½ | 4½ | 0 |
| Missouri | 28 | 4 | 2 |
| Montana | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Nebraska | 15 | 0 | 1 |
| Nevada | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| New Hampshire | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| New Jersey | 18 | 2 | 0 |
| New York | 27 | 35 | 10 |
| North Carolina | 17⅔ | 2⅔ | 1 |
| North Dakota | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Ohio | 1 | 0 | 45 |
| Oregon | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| Pennsylvania | 19 | 3 | 42 |
| Rhode Island | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| South Carolina | 13 | 3 | 2 |
| South Dakota | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Tennessee | 17 | 4 | 3 |
| Texas | 22 | 6 | 0 |
| Vermont | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Virginia | 9 | 13 | 2 |
| Washington | 1 | 6 | 1 |
| West Virginia | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Wisconsin | 19 | 2 | 3 |
| Wyoming | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Territories. | |||
| Alaska | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Arizona | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Dist. of Columbia | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Indian Territory | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| New Mexico | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Utah | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 535⅙ | 182⅙ | 182 |
| Absent and not voting, 1⅔. | |||
Reed, of Maine, received 3 votes, and Lincoln, of Illinois, 1.
Major McKinley moved to make the nomination unanimous, and it was adopted with great enthusiasm.
In response to the unanimous request of the New York delegation, Hon. Whitelaw Reid was nominated for Vice-President by acclamation.
[See Book II. for Platform and Comparison of Platforms; Book III. for speech of Hon. Chauncey M. Depew.]
DEMOCRATIC.
The Democratic National Convention assembled at Chicago, June 21st, and its deliberations excited great interest because of the opposition of the New York delegation to the nomination of Cleveland. Under the leadership of Governor Hill, the New York Democracy, in the canvass of 1891, carried the State, electing Flower as Governor, and Hill as U. S. Senator, the latter only after a severe contest and depriving three Republican State Senators of their seats by contests settled before partisan courts. The New York opposition to Cleveland, with the active aid of Tammany, united upon Hill as a Presidential candidate. A “snap” or mid-winter State Convention was called to elect delegates to the National Convention, and 72 Hill men were chosen and instructed. This system of forestalling public sentiment angered the Cleveland Democrats, who signed a protest to the number of 200,000 and three months later elected a contesting delegation, with instructions for Cleveland. Mr. Croker, Tammany’s Chief, and State Chairman Murphy were the Hill leaders at Chicago, and they gave early and public notice, in very bitter language, that if nominated Cleveland could not carry New York. Ex-Secretary of the Navy Whitney was the Cleveland leader, and he readily mustered more than two-thirds of the Convention, and felt so assured of victory that he advised the withdrawal of the contest against Hill’s delegation. Singularly enough the minority desired the repeal of the unit rule, for they had ascertained, after a careful canvass, that Cleveland would lose enough votes to check and possibly prevent his nomination if all of the delegates were permitted to vote separately. The unit rule, however, was carefully re-enacted in the report of the Committee on Rules.
Governor Wm. L. Wilson, of West Virginia, was elected President. Governor Leon Abbett, of New Jersey, presented the name of Grover Cleveland; William C. DeWitt, of New York, that of Senator David B. Hill, and John M. Duncombe, of Iowa, that of Governor Boies. A ballot was reached at 4 o’clock on the morning of the 23d, the Cleveland leaders doing this to prevent combinations by the opposition.
| THE BALLOT IN DETAIL. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| States. | Cleveland. | Hill. | Boies. | Gorman. | Scattering. |
| Alabama | 14 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Arkansas | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| California | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Colorado | 0 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Connecticut | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Delaware | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Florida | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Georgia | 17 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Idaho | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Illinois | 48 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Indiana | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Iowa | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 0 |
| Kansas | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kentucky | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Louisiana | 3 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| Maine | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Maryland | 6 | 0 | 0 | 9½ | 0 |
| Massachusetts | 24 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Michigan | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Minnesota | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mississippi | 8 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Missouri | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Montana | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Nebraska | 15 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Nevada | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| New Hampshire | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| New Jersey | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| New York | 0 | 72 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| North Carolina | 3⅓ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17⅔ |
| North Dakota | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ohio | 14 | 6 | 16 | 5 | 5 |
| Oregon | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pennsylvania | 64 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rhode Island | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| South Carolina | 2 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| South Dakota | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tennessee | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Texas | 23 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Vermont | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Virginia | 12 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Washington | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| West Virginia | 7 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Wisconsin | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wyoming | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Territories | |||||
| Alaska | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Arizona | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Dist. of Columbia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| New Mexico | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Utah | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Indian Territory | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 617⅓ | 115 | 103 | 36½ | 38⅔ |
Number of votes cast, 909½. Necessary to a choice, 607.
Of the scattering votes Campbell got two from Alabama.
Carlisle got 3 from Florida, 6 from Kentucky, 5 from Ohio. Total 14.
Stephenson got 16⅔ from North Carolina.
Pattison got 1 from West Virginia.
Russell got 1 from Massachusetts.
Whitney got 1 from Maine.
Adlai E. Stevenson, of Illinois, former Assistant Postmaster-General, was nominated Vice-President on the first ballot, his chief competitor being Senator Gray, of Indiana.
[See Book II. for Democratic National Platform and Comparison; Book III. for Governor Abbett’s speech nominating Cleveland.]
A notable scene in the Convention was created by Mr. Neal, of Ohio, who moved to substitute a radical free trade plank as a substitute for the somewhat moderate utterances reported by ex-Secretary of the Interior Vilas, who read the report of the Committee on Platform. The substitute denounced the protective tariff as a fraud.
Mr. Neal made an earnest speech in support of his substitute and was ably seconded by Mr. Watterson.
Mr. Vilas replied defending the majority report in a vigorous speech, which was as generously applauded as that which preceded. The debate was animated and made specially interesting by the suggestions and calls from the galleries. The substitute was finally accepted by Chairman Jones on behalf of the committee, but this did not satisfy the friends of the substitute, who persisted in having a roll call upon its adoption.
A synopsis of the platform was submitted to and received the approval of Mr. Cleveland, and it was reported that the Neal substitute was prepared by the anti-Cleveland leaders, and the fact that the roll call was persisted in by the anti-Cleveland men gave color to this report.
There was a great deal of confusion and excitement preceding the roll call, and its progress was watched with as much interest as though its result was to decide the nomination. The States at the head of the roll generally cast their votes according to what was believed to be the feeling of their delegations on the Presidency, but later on the order was more varied, States known to be for Cleveland casting their solid vote for the substitute. New York was loudly cheered when the 72 votes of the State were given for the substitute. It was a most inconsistent vote, as Tammany is not regarded as a free trade organization—rather as one favoring moderate tariffs. A ripple of excitement was occasioned when Chairman Hensel cast the 64 votes of Pennsylvania against the substitute. Mr. Wallace protested that 15 of the delegates favored the substitute, and he demanded that the delegation be polled. A colloquy followed between Hensel and Wallace on the rules of the Convention, and the point raised by the former that Wallace’s motion was not in order under the unit rules was sustained by the Chair.
The result of the vote was 564 for the substitute and 342 against it.
AMERICAN POLITICS.
BOOK II.
POLITICAL PLATFORMS.
THE FIRST POLITICAL PLATFORM ENUNCIATED IN THE UNITED STATES TO COMMAND GENERAL ATTENTION WAS DRAWN BY MR. MADISON IN 1798, WHOSE OBJECT WAS TO PRONOUNCE THE ALIEN AND SEDITION LAWS UNCONSTITUTIONAL, AND TO DEFINE THE RIGHTS OF THE STATES.