Show DARK HORSE WITH Pr President Roosevelt reV re- re V V nomination by the Democrats a certainty for a long time and the selection of Governor Landon strongly Indicated for several months before the Republican con con- met this wasn't a year for Cor c dark horses A dark horse is American political slang applied i ito to a man who is not generally mentioned as a candidate previous to a convention but who wins the X nomination when the delegates fail fall to agree on one of the leading leading lead lead- 1 Ing candidates The Thc phrase started as English 2 racing slang originating in hi the practice ce by jockeys of dyeing black the fue hair of fast ast horses in hi or ler er to enter them in m races under another 1 name and then clean up in the betting The first recorded use of the term was v in hi Benjamin Disraeli's Disraeli's lis li's The Young Duke published in hi 1831 In it he speaks of a dark horse which had never been heard of rushing past the grandstand In sweeping triumph Gradually the Ule use of the term was extended to apply to any horse regardless of ot its color which won unexpectedly and similarly it was applied to candidates for public office American political history affords affords af- af j fords fords' a number of examples of ot dark horses capturing the Presidential Presidential nomination but only a very few of them have gone on to occupy occupy py the White House In 1844 James K Polk of Tennessee won von the Democratic Democratic Democratic Dem Dem- nomination at Baltimore when there was Vas a deadlock between be- be between be tween President ex-President Martin Van VanBuren l Buren asking a second term and Lewis Cass of Michigan In the election he defeated ted Henry Clay the Whig candidate and be became ame amethe the first dark horse President Again in 1852 the Democrats assembled assembled assembled as as- hi in Baltimore to choose l their standard-bearer standard and again Lewis Cass was a leading candidate candidate candidate candi candi- of date with James Buchanan Pennsylvania and Stephen A. A j Douglas the Little Giant of Illinois Illinois Illi Iii nois furnishing the principal I J But again there was a deadlock deadlock deadlock dead dead- lock and when at last the tide began to turn toward Brig Gen C CFranklin Franklin Pierce again there was wasa a stampede and this dark horse from New Hampshire was nomi nomi- r In the election he de defeated the Whig candidate Gen Winfield Scott under whom he had served 2 in the Mexican war I f As for the Republicans in 1876 they passed up their strongest man James G. G Blaine of Maine and his principal opponent O. O P. P Morton of Indiana and gave the nomination to Gov R R. R B. B Hayes Ohio's favorite son son who defeated defeat defeat- ed Samuel Tilden tire tte Democratic candidate i In 1880 they fuey turned down Ex Ex- 1 President Grants Grant's bid for a 1 third fj term again passed over Blaine Blame failed to rally to John Sherman of oi A Ohio another strong contender and finally selected another Buckeye Buck Buck- Buck j eye dark horse horse Gen James A. A Garfield The most recent lican dark horse to win the nomination nomination nom nom- and election was still another another another an- an other Ohioan Ohioan Sen Warren Gj Gl Harding who was chosen after alter the fue f Lowden and Wood deadlock at the fue Chicago convention in 1920 G. G O O. O P. P PERHAPS you u never er heard of 01 a aA a. a PERHAPS A 1 young printer named T. T B. B Dowden but buthe he was the fue man than who made G. G O. O P P. P a synonym for the Republican party In 1884 the year that fuat the fue Republicans i cans finally nominated James G Blaine for the Presidency yo young ng rt Dowden applied for work at the Cincinnati Gazette and and got it t About o'clock one morning just before the Gazette went to s press Dowden took from the fue copy hook book a piece of ot copy marked 7 Must go in ten lines He soon ill found himself in difficulty My ty copy ends with willi Grand Old v I f-I Party and I have two words left leftover over at after r Ive I've set the ten lines r he told the foreman of the shop What shall shaU I do i l' l t Throw em away and use your intelligence I exclaimed the foreman foreman foreman fore fore- man impatiently No wait Cut em era short get em in some way Abbreviate em I So Dowden went back to his case and the next morning the Gazette 1 came out with this sentence on s 's i i ithe the front front page The Hon James v G G. Blaine Blame will address the fue meeting J 1 on Achievements of the GOP I r S SAt At the fue m meeting eting that night the Republican candidate was concluding ing lug a two-hour two speech when a voice f f. f floated down from rom the gallery Why V dont don't you tell us something ng t about GOP and what it did f Why my friend retorted x Blaine Ive been talking about A AGOP GOP all nIl evening The word Gop Gap s t contains the initial letters of ot the e Grand Old Party and that is its official of of- tS o and abbreviated name 3 The audience roared with laughter laughter laugh- laugh 3 r. r ter but Blaine didn't crack a smile He Hc little littie realized that fua he ho 1 j had given n currency to o an al expression sion Lion which wot would d become a familiar famil famil- lar trademark to millions a a trade- trade ji i. i mark marlc attached to a major political jj cal party by a hurried young print print- 1 l I cr pr named T. T B. B Dowden O 0 Western Newspaper Union 0 f |