New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1844-02-02

1
Ter &, ENQUIRER that clear majority of Clay Del
egates had been chosen-that the NOMINATION Oh
any other man was impossible-and that to adVo-
cate the claims ofany other was preposterous' e'
during the autumn of that year, the unexPec'eo
and sore defeats sustained by the Wing party III
TENNESSEE, in MARYLAND, In GEORGIA, IN WIS
sIsslppI, (all strong Clay States, with WI ~ ,
name at the head of the Wing papers, mac cast q
damn on the spirits of his rejecting friends III
ONO in INDIANA. In MASSACHUSETTS, we had also
heen beaten 5; in NEw-JERsEY, we had held the
Legislature with strong majority against US IN
the popular vote in NV oRK, we had, by
great exertions, saved the State by 4,OOO MAORI
| tv, against 10000 IN '3S and $4,000 IN ~. IN
NORTH CAROLINA, our victory was lndcclslve IN
| PENNSYLVANIA and MAINE we were nowhere
Holding but eight of the twenty-si1 States COM
posing the Union, and some of these eight by a
slender and doubtful grasp, the Delegates OF the
! Wing party assembled In Convention at Harms
burg TO nominate candidate for President.
| During the summer and autumn of that year,
a feeling had grown up in some quarters IN favor
of nominating Gen. ScoTr at that Conventlon-
not as choice, but as an alternative far preferable
to defeat and the perpetuation OF the Sub lreasu-
ry dynasty. Gen. S. though VTglnlan, was
lust then decided favorlte with the Antl-SlaVe-
ry men; he was widely known, especially on our
whole frontier, and had popularity independent
| Of Politics He had been engaged on the North
Eastern Boundary in Crisis OF great peru ana eS-
| element had borne himself nobly and success
! fully. and it was thought that his nomination
would bring to our banners enough votes to carry
the State of Maine. He had personal strength here.
| In Rochester and some other parts OF this State,
he had been nominated by considerable meetings
not composed in the main Of Wings. TWAS
thought by many that his nomination would Sc
cure many who were tired of the ruling dynasty
yet 10th to support their old opponent, Mr.. Clay
| These and similar considerations, grounded on
the obviously forlorn prospect of success with
| Mr.. CLAW. induced the selection OF Delegates IN
| this and two or three neighborlng States, who
went to Harrisburg prepared to cast their first
vote for Gen. Scott. But they went there not
expecting his nomination at once if at ali; they
| would hardly have taken ii if they could but
| thew thought that their vote thus thrown would
| prevent any choice at first, and give time for a
comparison of views resulting finally i'll the Sc
lection of the strongest candidate. They would
have preferred Mr.. Clay; but they desired to
succeed and deemed themselves sent there to sc.
lect fit man who would ensure 1t. II Their
votes could have made the President, Mr.. Clay
would have had twothirds of the New Y ork Del
e A.
ton. But it was obvious thata Statesman might
be the decided choice Of nine-tenths OF the Wing
voters; and yet, failing to command bare hun
dred thousanc votes that another candidate could
get, his nomination might ensure defeat instead
of victory. And it has always been the proud
fortune Of Mr.. Clay that his friends are the
friends Of the Country, enlightened and patriotic,
WI, Wing esr.<iAet~, ~vhno
others could obtain votes on grounds not con-
nected with the great principles to sustain which
| the Wing party is banded. And thus it was
found at Harrisburg, that Gen. HARRISON came
into the Convention with an Unexpectedly great
personal strength--made up of soldiers who had
served under him in various Military expeditions
in the West, and of pioneers who had known and
loved him as an early settler in the West, Cover
nor of Indiana Territory, &c. His friends in the
Convention urged with great force that he had
great personal strength where strength was immi-
nently needed that he had been taken up with
out heart and without faith in 1886, most of our
| leading men and presses sneerlng at or openly
| opposing him at first and scarcely whipped into
| his support by the rank and file at the eleventh
| hour, vet that he came very near beating Van
| Buren, even then; that his lnnumerable personal
friends were confident he could now be elected
and would be alienated if he were refused the
nomination, while they would be reused to super
| human enthusiasm and cxertion by his success,
| &c. &c. 1t wasimpossible for any fair mind to
DENY the force of these suggestions and accord
ingly the ultimate vote of the Scott Delegates,
so called, was given to Gen. Harrison because they
| had been clearly convinced that he would be the
! strongest candidate, and ought TO be nominated
| One half the evidence that Mr.. Clay could be
| elected if nominated would have cast their votes
| on his side.
But we are anticipating The Convention
met, conversed and compared votes informally,
took a ballot per capita, and sound that Mr.. Clay
| had decided plurality, but no candidate clear
majority of the Delegates And now it was, on
motion of Hon. PELEG SPRAGuE Of Mass.
Ordered That the Delegates from each State be requested
assemble Delegation and appoint Committee not
such Delegation and communicate the 10 the assembled
Committees of all the DELEGATIONS De by them respectively
reported 70 their principals aud that ,hereupon the Delegates
from each Stat. be requested assemble Delegation and
ballot for candidates oS the Offices of President aud Vice Pres
dent aud having done to COMM, the ballot designating
the votes OF each candidate aud by whom given Com
mi;tse and eeupou all the Committees shall assemble
the several ballots and the result of the
their several Delegations together with sach facts