New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-05-22
LAST WEEK AT CHICAGO.

tUHNtHliOu IN ~e'"'N 49,
personal "reminiscences of that struggle may SUN
possess shade of interest; 30 l shall brave inc
charge of egotism by narrating them.
Nv mind had been long before deliberately made
IN that denomination Gov. Sewardior President
was unadvisable and unsafe; yet had resolved to
avoid this Convention, for obvious reasons. But
when some four or FIVE weeks since, received let
tiers from Oregon apprsing me that of the SIX dele
gates appointed and fully expecting to attend from
that State but two would be able to do so, on ac-
count of the very brief they had OF the change
of time of holding the Convention, and that Mr..
Leander Holmes. one of those who had been
appointed, and clothed with full power OF subStl-
tuition, had appointed and requested me to act IN
HE stead, did not feel at liberty to refuse the
duty thus imposed on me. OF the four letters that
simultaneously reached me-one from Mr.. Holmes,
another from Mr.. Corbitt, Chairman of the Repub-
lican State Committee, third from the editor of
leading Republican journal, and the fourth from
an eminent ex-editOr-at least three indicated
Judge Bates as the decided choice OF Oregon for
President. and the man who would be most likely
to carry it-a very natural preference, since large
proportion ofthe people of Oregon emgratcd from
Missouri One of them suggested Mr.. Lincoln as
also fayorite-many Illinoians being now settled
in Oregon.
| went to Chicago TO do my best to nominate
Judge Bates, unless facts there developed should
clearly render another choice advisable. deemed
Judge Bates the very man to satisfy and attract
the great body of conservative and quiet voters
who have hitherto stood aloof from the Republican
organization not because they dissent from our
principles, but because they have been taught to
distrust and hate us on other grounds. deemed
him the man whose election would, while securing
the devotion of the Territories to Free Labor con-
ciliate and calm the Slave States in view of a Re-
publican asceDdancy But, more than oil, felt
that the nomination of Judge Bates would have
given basis and an impetus to the Emancipation
cause in Missouri, which would never more have been
arrested And now, when all the world is raining
bouquets on the successful nominee, so that II he
were not very tall man, he might stand chance
to be smothered under them, when thousands are
rushing 10 bore him out of house and home, and
showing himwh with letters, and trying to plas-
Ter lllu OftI VIII Pi"'""", -
who knew and esteemed him tenyears ago, reiterate
that think Judge Bates, to whom never spoke
nor wrote, would have been the wiser choice L
say this, knowing well that his nomination would
have fallen like wet blanket on nearly the whole
party, that thousands would have sworn never to
support it, and that counter nominations would
have been got up or seriously threatened. But
kept my eye steadily on the fact that the
first and only Summer election that Is to
be- held in a State that We could IN
any event hope 10 carry is that of Missouri, where
the Republicans all earnestly desired the selection
of their loved and honored fellow-citizen, and
where thousands not Republicans were ready and
eager to cooperate with them in ease Of his nomi-
nation. | 90 not know that they could have car
red their State in August; but they confidently
thought they could and would at all events have
made a desperate effort. And that effort, even
though defeated, would have shown result most
inspiJiting to Republicans everywhere, and es-
pecially proptious to the Free-LabOr cause in Mis-
sogr. There is no truer, more faithful, more
deserving Republican than Abraham Lincolni
probably 40 nomination could have been made
more conducive to certain trlumph; and yet l
feel that the selection of Edward Bates would
have been more far-sighted, more courageous,
more maqnaDimous ! do not Jmprehend the
notion that any man who IS a man can be |" sacrl-
" feed by failure TO nominate him for par
ticular ofiice but see how great cause may be
imperiled or thrown back by the defeat of one of
its noblest champions; and shall receive with Il
sore heart the tdngs that one result of the noni-
nation at Chicago is the crushing out of Congress
of the leader of the Missouri EmaDcipationsts,
heroic Frank Blair.
Mr.. Bates lost the nomination primarily because
the Indiana delegation, which was friendly to him
when chosen, went over, early in the canvass at
Chicago, to Lincoln; and Pennsylvania, by vote
of 90 for Lincoln to As for Bates, after indi
Gated the former as her ultimate choice. Thence
forward, the only hope of Judge Bates's nomina-
ton was in the chance that the Seward men, if
beaten, would prefer Bates to Lincoln. The
rapidity of the ballotings and the suddenness of
the decision left no opportunity to realize this
hope.
The Seward column was led throughout the
struggle by Mr.. Thurlow Weed whose energy,
suayity fertility of resource, and ndomtabe will,
were never more eminently displayed. He was
supported by Gov Morgan and other of our State
officers Messrs. NJ. III. Grnnell, S. Draper, Batch
ford, Isaac Sherman and other eminent citizens of
this State, backed by the unbroken Delegation
from New York, led by Vim. NJ. Evarts; that from
Michigan, marshaled by Austin Blair; that from
Wisconsin following the lead of Carl Schirz; and
that of Minnesota, whose master-spirit seemed to