survived that act. All others soon passed into political oblivion;
although several of them subsequently identified themselves with the
Democratic party. While it may be said that Senator Henderson survived
the act, it is true that his election as a delegate to the National
Republican Convention of 1884 and his selection as the permanent
chairman thereof are the only prominent illustrations of that fact.

During the deliberations of the Convention Mr. Bishop, one of the
delegates from Massachusetts, introduced a resolution to change the
basis of representation in future National Conventions of the party. His
plan was to make the number of Republican votes cast, counted, certified
and returned at the last preceding National election, the basis of
representation in succeeding National Conventions.

Hon. W.O. Bradley, of Kentucky, led off in a very able, eloquent, and
convincing speech in opposition to the resolution. The colored delegates
from the South selected me to present their side of the question. For
that purpose I was recognized by the chair, and spoke against the
resolution. In the first place I called attention to the fact that if
elections were fair, and the official count honest in every State, the
probabilities were that there would be no occasion for the proposed
change. That the change proposed would result in a material reduction in
the representation in future conventions chiefly from Southern States
was because the greater part of the Republican votes in some of said
States were suppressed by violence or nullified by fraud. The effect of
the change proposed would be simply to make such questionable methods
the basis of representation in future Republican National Conventions.
This, I claimed, the Republican party could not afford to do. At the
conclusion of my remarks the resolution was withdrawn by its author, Mr.
Bishop, who came over to my seat, and congratulated me upon the way in
which I had presented the case; stating at the same time that my speech
had convinced him that his proposition was a mistake.

After a hotly contested fight Mr. Blaine was finally nominated. Senator
John A. Logan, of Illinois, was named as the candidate for
Vice-President. It looked as if the time had at last come when the
brilliant statesman from Maine would have the acme of his ambition
completely realized.

I was honored by the delegation from my State with being made a member
of the National Committee, and also a mem