The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-09-06
Seymour's Neutrality-suspicious. Gliupses Be-
hind the Scenes.

The disclosures recently made of the work.
ing of the wires at the late Democratic National
Convention give us pretty clear solution of
the mystery Of Seymour's nomination. He
had two strings to his bow-the New York
managing clique, Seymour clique, sab rosa,
and the Western Pendleton managing clique,
who, If they could not secure Pendleton this
time, wished to keep the field open for him
next time, which would not be the case with
the nomination for this contest of any other
man from the West. Hence in the final
shutting and cutting of the cards the New York
clique found the Western Pendleton clique
shufied into their hands against both Chase
and Hendricks
1t appears, however, that the bargain and
sale thus brought about has disguised not only
the Chase men par excellence, but many Of the
Pendleton men, whose stomachs recoil at the
effort to swallow the bitter pill-Seymours
nomination. A Mr.. Henry Reed calls it ''the
coup de thimble rig" an expressive term, and
not a bad idea. The Hon. Alexander Long,
of Cincinnati, in a lengthy statement of the
convention jugglings, says ''the scheme for
nominating Governor Seymour was concocted
at Delmonicos on Wednesday night, and fully
agreed upon on Thursday morning at the Fifth
Avenue Hotel; that the parties to it were
Wash Mclean, George E. Pugh, Allen G.
Thurman, George W. McCook, George W.
Morgan, Hugh J. Jewett and Joseph G. Butler,
all of Ohio, and all Pendleton men, and Sam
uel J. Tilden, Ben Wood, Peter b. Sweeny
and Sam Barlow, all of New York. Of these
New Workers only Tilden was delegate, and
only he and three others of the New York dele
cation knew anything of the bargain until
Seymour was sprung upon the Convention
1t further appears that after this coup, and on
the twenty first ballot, the Ohio delegation in
consultation were drawn into line by Mclean
and company, on the plea that immediate con-
centration upon Seymour was the only way to
defeat the nomination of Chase. But the nu-
merous protestations of Mr.. Seymour that he
was not and could not be candidate, and his
arguments and pleadings in favor of the Chief
Justice, and the written speech which he had
ready in side pocket of his coat to produce
and read in seconding the anticipated nomi-
nation of Chase, were considered as reducing
Seymour's nomination, when made, to nothing
more than compliment to be declined. But
vallandigham, it seems, spoiled this calcula-
ton, in his speech declaring that Seymour had
no longer any option In the matter and that he
must bow to the will of the Convention.
Then the delighted Tilden, we are told by
l..
ernor in the confusion that followed, and found
him in the anteroom adjoining the stage
suffused in tears" They tell similar story
of Andy Johnson when waited upon by the
committee detailed to inform him of the dongs
of the Philadelphia Johnson Convention of
1866. Mr.. Henry Reed says of Seymour that
he was ''either weak or dishonest, and that
his conduct owed its origin either to treachery
or imbecility is 80 palpable as to forbid de-
nial;" and he says good deal more which it
is not necessary here to reproduce. From the
disclosures presented touching the intrigues
which ruled the Tammany Convention it ap-
pears that the nomination of Seymour was
arranged by about a dozen men; that 1t was
sprung upon the Convention to head Off the
nomination of Chase-for which Seymour had
prepared beautiful speech-and that Vallan-
dgham clinched the matter by declaring Sey-
mour's nomination conclusive against all bis
destinations and protestations.
But the main point is this: that Mr. Sey-
mour could have commanded the nomination
of Mr.. Chase, and had thus the power In his
hands Of inaugurating q great conservative
political triumph in the coming Presidential
election and new departure in the govern
ment of peace, law, order and prosperity
glorious to contemplate, but that he threw this
ton was too much and his political sagacity
was too little for the occasion. The radicals
anticipated with fear and trembling the nomi-
nation Of Chase, for they knew that it would
be the end of their reign of blunders, usurpa-
tons and corruptions but they hailed with
JOY the nomination of Seymour, for they be-
lieved 1t would reduce the democratic party
to its minimum strength and to the battle of
1864 1t is hard TO believe that the Conven-
ton settled upon Seymour with any great
hopes Of success. The ruling idea, after all,
was, perhaps, that he should prepare the way
as regular democrat for a regular democratic
vistory under Pendleton in 1872, just as Free
mont was accepted by the Seward clique in
1856 to prepare the way for Stewards nomina-
ton and election in 1860. But upon this
theory the folly Of Seymour in casting away
the great victory Of 1868, which he held at his
command in the nomination of the Chief JUS
tice, only stands out in holder relief. And 80
for the present we dismiss the subject
Minister johnson at sheffield.
We have already called attention to the