Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1868-09-16
COL. BROWNS DISCLOSURES.
why Chase did rot Receive the NomiRa.
tion at the New York Convention.

Not long ago one Col William Brown
Kentucky Democrat, and delegate to
the New York Convention delivered a
speech at Frankfort, KY, giving the
secret history of the Chase movement,
starting out with the distinct avowal that
he should say nothing but what Judge
Chase himself was willing to have known
everywhere and by everybody. He stat
ed that the progressive members of the
party seeing the hopelessness Of going in
to the campaign on pro-slayery and
anti-war platform, and conscious, perhaps,
of the fatal consequences which must en-
sue should such principles triumph, ia
vored an entire change of front, the aban-
donment of the issues lost at Gettysburg
and on the Appomattox, and the adoption
of an entirely new platform in accordance
with the advance Of the times. On this
platform it was proposed to present to the
country as candidate for the Presidency
Chief Justice Chase. The thing was, to
use political slang, 'set-up," the New
York delegation being charged with the
duty of leading off for Chase after few
complimentary and skirmishing votes
Mr.. Seymour had IN has pocket aorttte,l
speech conagratulating the convention on
the visdono Of ITS choice, and III every way
the programme was complete. With
the high sense of honor which has be-
come historically characteristic of the
Democrats, the New Workers bolted,
broke faith, and nominated Horatio Sey-
mour, the acknowledged leader of the dis
loyal and malignant Democracy. The
gentleman, either yielding ANONYMOUSLY,
or false from the start, either weak or
wicked, after few piteous deprecations
about his honor, accepted, and the rebel
yell went up, shaking the once honored
walls of Tammany.
The New York World, upon reading
these damaging revelations, pitches into
Brown. affects to consider him a nobody
or an impostor, and declares that he knows
nothing about the Chase movement. To
this Col Brown replies, through the Gin
cinnati Commercial, referring to Gov.
Stevenson and the Democratic members
of Congress from Kentucky as to his per-
sona.ity and responsibility. He says:
The World says "Of course Brown
is ignorant of the inside Of the Chase
movement, and of course he malgns
Governor Seymour" AS to my ignor-
ance of the movement" [ beg leave to
refer him for information, first, to the
Chief ustice himself; secondly, to Gen.
j. S. Whitney, of Boston; Hon. Alex
ander Long, Of Cincinnati; Hon. Hamil-
ton Smith, of Connection, Indiana; Hon.
John j. Cisco and Col. John D. Van
Buren, of New York. 1t is in the power
of these gentlemen to verify every state
ment in my speech concerning Mr.. Sey-
mour. I also refer the World to an artl-
Gle signed *'R." and which appeared in
the WEST AND SOUTH the day before
yesterday "R" is better Democrat
and better newspaper writer than the
editor of the World, and his long
connection with the Cincinnati Enquirer
secured for that paper much of its cireu
lation and influence. He sustalns every
position taken by me; goes even further
and says things which my sympathy to1
Mr.. Seymour's misfortune forbade me te
utter. [ knew that after all was over Mr.
Seymour cried for hours like newly
weaned baby; but it appears to me really
unkind and cruel that this shameful, dis.
graceful weakness of the poor man should
have been made public.
That part of his letter which follows
contributes most interesting addition t.
the secret history of the Tammany Con
vention:
/ can tell the World that have in my
possession copy of the platform submit
ted to the Chief Justice by the progress
ionists of the Democratic party, and tha
said platform was seen, read and approx
ed by Horatio Seymour before the conven
ton met. and that it accepts negro suf
frage in the following language: