UNITED STATES. 



tee, and James B. Chaffee, of Colorado, chair- 

 man of the Executive Committee thereof. The 

 headquarters were established in New York. 

 The significant portions of Mr. Blame's letter of 

 acceptance are given on page 87. 



The nominations caused much dissatisfaction 

 and excited the opposition of the Independent 

 Republicans, among whom were a number of 

 persons who had been prominent in the 

 party. 



At a conference in New York on the 16th, 

 called by the Independent Committee, and par- 

 ticipated in by prominent representatives from 

 several States, the following resolutions, offered 

 by Mr. Carl Schurz, were adopted : 



Whereas, We are met in conference as ^Republicans 

 and Independents to take action in opposition to the 

 nominations of James G. Elaine for President and 

 John A. Logan for Vice-President of the United 

 States ; and 



Whereas, These candidates were named in absolute 

 disregard of the reform sentiment of the nation, and 

 representing political methods and principles to which 

 we are unalterably opposed : 



Resolved, That it is our conviction that the country 

 will be better served by opposing these nominations 

 than by supporting them. 



JSesolved, That we look with solicitude to the com- 

 ing nominations by the Democratic party ; they have 

 the proper men, we hope they will put them before 

 the people for election. 



fiesolved, That a committee of twenty-five members 

 be appointed, whose duty it shall be, in co-operation 

 with similar committees to be appointed elsewhere, to 

 take without delay suitable measures for rallying and 



Xnizing the Republicans and Independents dissat- 

 :lwith the nominations of Elaine and Logan, with 

 a view to the holding, at as early a day as possible, of 

 a general representative conference for the purpose of 

 concerting such further steps a? may be found advis- 

 able for the expression and effective enforcement of 

 our views of public interest. 



The chairman of this meeting, and of the 

 committee which subsequently acted under its 

 authority, was George William Curtis, of New 

 York. There was an anti-Blaine Republican 

 meeting at New Haven, Conn., June 23, at 

 which a committee was chosen to co-operate 

 with others having a similar purpose. 



Democratic Convention. The Democratic Na- 

 tional Committee, at a meeting held in Wash- 

 ington on the 22d of February, decided upon 

 Chicago as the place, and July 8 as the time, of 

 meeting of the National Convention. In the 

 call, " all Democratic conservative citizens of 

 the United States, irrespective of past political 

 associations and differences, who can unite 

 with us in the effort for pure, economical, and 

 constitutional government," were "cordially 

 invited" to join in sending delegates to the 

 convention. In the preliminary canvass in the 

 several States preferences were developed in 

 various quarters in favor of Samuel J. Tilden, 

 of New York, Thomas F. Bayard, of Dela- 

 ware, Joseph E. McDonald and Thomas A. 

 Hendricks, of Indiana, Samuel J. Randall, of 

 Pennsylvania, Allen G. Thurman, of Ohio, 

 John G. Carlisle, of Kentucky, and Gov. Gro- 

 ver Cleveland, of New York, as the candidate 

 <br tbe presidency, a number of State conven- 



tions giving formal expression to their prefer- 

 ences. 



While the Democratic party in the State of 

 New York was not altogether harmonious in 

 support of Gov. Cleveland for the candidacy, a 

 majority of the delegates chosen at the State 

 Convention were favorable to it, and the dele- 

 gation was instructed to vote as a unit. The 

 opposition came chiefly from the Tammany 

 faction of New York city, and was carried into 

 the National Convention, notwithstanding the 

 imposition of the unit rule by 'the State Conven- 

 tion. Mr. Cleveland's advocates were greatly 

 strengthened by the assurance that, if nomi- 

 nated, he would receive the support of the 

 Independent Republicans, who had declared 

 against Elaine. In the convention the Tam- 

 many delegates made a vigorous contest against 

 the " unit rule," but an amendment to the rules, 

 providing that the votes of delegates, in case 

 of difference, should be recorded in accord- 

 ance with their individual preferences, was 

 voted down, 332 to 463. 



Gov. Richard B. Hubbard, of Texas, was the 

 temporary, and William F. Vilas, of Wisconsin, 

 permanent chairman 1 of the convention. On 

 the second day, after the permanent organiza- 

 tion was effected, on a motion to lay on the 

 table a proposition to proceed to the nomina- 

 tion of candidates, Mr. Manning, chairman of 

 the New York delegation, announced its vote 

 as " 72 no," whereupon a Tammany delegate 

 vigorously protested that it should be "49 no, 

 19 yes, and 4 absent," but it was recorded as 

 announced by the chairman. The presentation 

 of candidates was then begun and continued 

 the next day. The name of Mr. Bayard was 

 presented by Attorney-General Gray, of Dela- 

 ware; that of Mr. McDonald by Mr. Hen- 

 dricks, of Indiana ; that of Mr. Thurman by 

 John W. Breckenridge, of California; that of 

 Mr. Carlisle by J. A. McKenzie, of Kentucky ; 

 that of Gov. Cleveland by Daniel S.Lockwood, 

 of New York; the Tammany delegates oppos- 

 ing him through Mr. Thomas F. Grady, who 

 declared that the Irishmen, the Roman Catho- 

 lics, and the laboring-men of New York were 

 against him ; that of Gov. Hoadley, of Ohio, 

 on the third day of the convention, by Thomas 



E. Powell ; Mr. Randall's, by ex-Senator Wal- 

 lace. A number of speeches were made sec- 

 onding the nominations, and on the evening of 

 the third day the platform was presented. 

 This occasioned a new contest, led by Gen. B. 



F. Butler, of Massachusetts. The platform, as 

 reported by William R. Morrison, of Illinois, 

 chairman of the committee, was as follows: 



The Democratic party of the Union, through its 

 representatives in National Convention assembled, 

 recognizes that, as the nation grows older, new issues 

 are born of time and progress and old issues perish. 

 But the fundamental principles of the Democracy, ap- 

 proved by the united voice of the people, remain and 

 will ever remain as the best and only security for the 

 continuance of free government. The preservation <">f 

 personal rights, the equality of all citizens before the 

 law, the reserved rights of the States, and the suprem- 



