The Portland daily press., 1869-09-07
Settling Political DiHeulty Forty Years

The New York Tin,ss prints the following
bit of political history from an autobiography
that Thurlow Weed is preparing, TO DC pun
lished at some future time, probably, and
which cannot fail TO be of great interest:
Tn 1917 there wa. a disastrous split in the
,ennbIican narty of this State, Gov. Clinton
heading one faction, and Mr.. Van Buren the
other. A political and personal warfare of
unusual virulence characterized the campapn
If that year. Mr.. Clinton, an able and Vi
Imperative writer, assailed the leaders of the
opposite side through the columns of the
New York Columbian and Albany Reqister.
William l.: Marcy, then a young man, and
Others, replied through the columns of the
Albany Argus. One morning vehement
article, highly denunciatory of Gov. Clifton,
provoked note from the gentleman assailed,
10 the editor of the Argus, demanding the
name of the writer. Mr.. Duel, the editor,
handed the note to Mr. Van Buren, VINO IN
vited Mr.. Charles E. Dudley, Mr.. William l..
Marcy, Mr.. BENJAMIN Knower, and Judge
Roger Skinner to his house that evening.
While discussing the embarrassing question
which Gov. Clnton's note had raised, the
servant brought Peter II. Livingstone to the
library. Mr.. Clinton was at the time Govern
or of the State, while Messrs Van Buren and
Livingstone were members of the Senate.
The conversation, as Mr.. Livingstone discoy-
cred, was interrupted by his appearance. He
said'sn his usual brusque manner, "You are
taking secrets here, and l have interrupted
you. MIR. Van Buren replied, "Gov. Clinton
mas demanded the name of the writer of the
article in this mornings 1rgus, and We were
talking Of the peculiar awkwardness of ex-
posing the writer" "There is nothing pecu-
lar about it," responded Mr.. Livingstone
AL ha ,I,orr
my name to Mr.. Clinton" kA. Van Buren, re-
marked, This is no occasionfOr trifling, Mr.
Livingstone. You know what Mr.. Clinton
means by his demand" "Yes, sir", replied
Mr.. Livingstone, 81 do know, and it's lust
what mean. l have long wanted a shot at
the - rascal."::r Persisting in the ayowaI
that he was the writer, and in the request that
his name should be given up, they finally
yielded, and Mr.. Buel was instructed accord
ln9iy. At late hour the parties separated.
Just as the day dawnrd the following morn
ing, Mr.. Van Buren was awakened by vio-
lent application of his knocker, and looking
out of his bedroom window. voice which he
recognized as Mr.. Livingstone's, inquired
us that you Van Buren?" On receiving
response in the affirmative, Livingstone
said, "Let NE in." Mr.. Van Buren, threw on
wrapper, opened the door, and showed his
visitor into the cold parlor. Mr.. Livingstone
said, What the devil were you talking about
last night whenI came imp" Mr.. Van Buren
replied, ave were talking about your at
tack on Gov. Clinton in the argus" Mr..
Livingstone, using strong expletivs ,reioined,
II won't stand that. You can't father your
bantlings on me. had been dining and was
drunk when yOu took advantage of me-" This
rendered 1t necessary to re-assemble the coun.
Gil OF the previous evening. The real embar
rassment was this: The article had been
written by James King, young lawyer from
Orange county, who had just obtained the
consent OF William James, warm personal
and political friend of Gov. Clinton's to mar
ry his daughter, under pledge to abstain
from politics and devote himself exclusively
to his profession. And now before the mar.
rage was celebrated, Mr.. King had written 8
most abusive attack on his intended father-in
laws intimate friend. After much and anxious
consideration 1t was decided that Mr.. KnoweI
should call on Mr.. Isiah Townsend, a mutua
friend OF Mr.. James and Mr.. Clinton. and en-
deavor, by stating some extenuating eircum
Stances, to appease Mr.. James. This, how.
ever, was no easy task, for Mr.. James was .
s,ern and implacable disposition. But Mr.
townsend knew his man, drove him up to
waterford, drank two or three glasses of gin
and water, and succeeded in smoothing oyel
the difficulty. Mr.. Townsend then proceed
ca to lay the whole matter frankly before
Gov: Clinton, whose sense of humorous was
touched by the awkward position in which
Mr.. Livingstone's sudden beligerency had
placed his friends, and by the extreme delica-
cy Of Mr.. Kings domestic relations. He
good naturedly withdrew bis note, and took
no iurther notice of the subject. In 1892 l
asked the late John Van Buren, If he had
ever heard hts father speak of this incident
which commenced relating to him. he
soon stopped me, saying he had had many a
hearty roar over the affair, and that he and
his brother intended to make it the subject of
chapter in the forthcoming memoirs of his
'ather. He expressed his surprise that L, a
political opponent, should have learned the
secrets of this ccnclave. I had, however
received tha account more than thirty year:
before from Mr.. James,