768 



UNITED STATES. 



it was evident that the popular preference in 

 regard to candidates for President was divided 

 chiefly between President Chester A. Arthur, 

 of New York, and the Hon. James G. Elaine, 

 of Maine, with Senator George F. Edmunds, 

 of Vermont, in favor with the more independ- 

 ent elements of the party, including those en- 

 gaged in the organized Independent movement. 

 The Elaine sentiment was strongest in the West 

 and in the States of Pennsylvania and Maine ; 

 that favorable to Arthur appeared to prevail 

 largely in the South ; Edmunds was strongly 

 supported in Massachusetts and Vermont ; 

 while Senators John Sherman, of Ohio, John 

 A. Logan, of Illinois, and Joseph R. Hawley, 

 of Connecticut, had the support of the party 

 in their respective States. In New York there 

 was a nearly equal division in the State Con- 

 vention between delegates favorable to Arthur 

 and those favorable to Elaine, with those who 

 preferred Edmunds holding the balance of 

 power. (See NEW YOBK, in this volume.) A 

 mass-meeting in favor of Mr. Arthur's nomi- 

 nation was held in the city of New York on 

 the 20th of May, at which there was a large 

 representation of the business community. 

 Delegates to the National Convention, which 

 was to open in Chicago on the 3d of June, 

 began to gather several days in advance of 

 that date. It was evident from the first that 

 Mr. Elaine had the largest and most enthusias- 

 tic support, though less than a majority of the 

 convention, and every effort to make an effect- 

 ive combination against him failed. The se- 

 lection of Powell Clayton, of Arkansas, for 

 temporary chairman by the National Com- 

 mittee in the supposed interest of Mr. Elaine, 

 caused so much dissatisfaction that John K. 

 Lynch, of Mississippi, was presented as an op- 

 posing candidate, and elected by a vote of 427 

 to 385. Gen. John E. Henderson, of Missouri, 

 who was claimed as an Edmunds man, was 

 chosen on the second day as permanent chair- 

 man. On the third day all the. routine com- 

 mittee-work was completed, the report on con- 

 tested seats, which was not important, was 

 unanimously agreed to, the rules were adopted, 

 the platform was reported and accepted with- 

 out opposition, the new National Committee 

 was selected, and speeches were made present- 

 ing candidates for President. An attempt to 

 amend the rules of the organization so as to 

 base representation in future conventions in 

 part on the number of votes cast by the party 

 in the several States, obtained so little favor 

 that it was abandoned without a vote. The 

 platform reported by Mr. William McKinley, 

 Jr., of Ohio, chairman of the Committee on 

 Resolutions, was as follows : 



The Republicans of the United States, in National 

 Convention assembled, renew their allegiance to the 

 principles upon which they have triumphed in six 

 successive presidential elections, and congratulate the 

 American people on the attainment of so many results 

 in legislation and administration by which the Re- 

 publican party has, after saving the Union, done so 

 much to render its institutions just, equal, and benefi- 



centthe safeguard, of liberty and. the embodiment of 

 the best thought and highest purposes of our citizens. 



The Republican party has gained its strength by 

 quick and faithful response to the demands of the 

 people for the freedom and the equality of all men, 

 for a united nation assuring the rights of all citizens, 

 for the elevation of labor, for an honest currency, for 

 purity in legislation, and for integrity and account- 

 ability in all departments of the Government ; and it 

 accepts anew the duty of leading in the work of prog- 

 ress and reform. 



We lament the death of President Garfield, whose 

 sound statesmanship, long conspicuous in Congress, 

 gave promise of a strong and successful administra- 

 tion, a promise fully realized during the short period 

 of his office as President of the United States. His 

 distinguished success in war and in peace haa en- 

 deared him to the hearts of the American people. 



In the Administration of President Arthur we rec- 

 ognize a wise, conservative, and patriotic policy, un- 

 der which the country has been blessed with remark- 

 able prosperity, and we believe his eminent services 

 are entitled to and will receive the hearty approval of 

 every citizen. 



It is the first duty of a good government to protect 

 the rights and promote the interests of its own people. 

 The largest diversity of industry is most productive 

 of general prosperity and of the comfort and inde- 

 pendence of the people. We therefore demand that 

 the imposition of duties on foreign imports shall be 

 made, not for revenue only, but that, in raising the 

 requisite revenues for the Government, such duties 

 shall be so levied as to afford security to our diversi- 

 fied industries and protection to the rights and wages 

 of the laborer, to the end that active and intelligent 

 labor, as well as capital, may have its just reward and 

 the laboring man his full share in the national pros- 

 perity. Against the so-called economic system of the 

 Democratic party, which would degrade our labor to 

 the foreign standard, we enter our earnest protest. 

 The Democratic party has failed completely to relieve 

 the people of the burden of unnecessary taxation by a 

 wise reduction of the surplus. The Republican party 

 pledges itself to correct the inequalities of the tariff 

 and to reduce the surplus, not by the vicious and in- 

 discriminate process of horizontal reduction, but by 

 such methods as will relieve the tax-payer without in- 

 juring the labor or the great productive interests of 

 the country. We recognize the importance of sheep- 

 husbandry" in the United States, the serious depres- 

 sion which it is now experiencing, and the danger 

 threatening its future prosperity ; and we therefore 

 respect the demands of the representatives of this im- 

 portant agricultural interest for a readjustment of 

 duty upon foreign wool, in order that such industry 

 shall have full and adequate protection. 



We have always recommended the best money 

 known to the civilized world, and we urge that an ef- 

 fort be made to unite all commercial nations in the 

 establishment of an international standard which shall 

 fix for all the relative value of gold and silver coin- 

 age. 



The regulation of commerce with foreign nations 

 and between the States is one of the most important 

 prerogatives of the General Government, and the Re- 

 publican party distinctly announces its purpose to 

 support such 'legislation as will fully and efficiently 

 carry out the constitutional power of Congress over 

 interstate commerce. The principle of the public 

 regulation of railway corporations is a wise and salu- 

 tary one for the protection of all classes of the people, 

 and we favor legislation that shall prevent unjust dis- 

 crimination and excessive charges for transportation, 

 and that shall secure to the people and to the rail- 

 ways alike the fair and equal protection of the laws. 



We favor the establishment of a national bureau^of 

 labor, the enforcement of the eight-hour law, a wise 

 and judicious system of general education by adequate 

 appropriation from the national revenues wherever 

 the same is needed. 





