Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-02-20
ThurIow Weed on Greeley.
THE POLITICAL PARTNERsHIP-cREE
AMBITION.

1s
THE POLITICAL PARTNERsH1P-cREE
AMBITION.
Thurlow Weed, in q very interesting
article in the March GALAXY gives the
following account of the dissolution of
the political partnerships"
The first intimation of Dir. GreeleYs
desire to go "before the people for a
representative Office was received Ia
1916, when he came to Albany, and In
hesitating manner inquired if I thought
he could be nominated in some Of our
strong Wing counties as delegate to the
State Constitutional Convention, adding
that he thought he could be useful In
such body. l replied that most of the
counties had already made their nomina-
tions, and expressed my regret that he
had not made the suggestion to me at an
earlier day. He said that be would have
done so if he had not expected a nomi-
nation from Chautauqua, where some Of
his relatives resided. In looking about
for an opening, Washington county
seemed to be the most likely TO act upon
the suggestion; but on closer examina-
ton we found that its Wing invention
would meet the next day. An effort TO
place Mr.. Greeley in nomination from
Delaware county was unsuccessful, the
nominees having been agreed on before
our messenger reached Delhi. We SIM
ultaneously sent an influential friend TO
New Scotland, in Albany county. TO in
duce the delegates in that town. in
which candidate was to be located, to
accept Mr.. Greeley. But they had al
ready agreed on DR.. Rainsford, and with
that failure the project was abandoned.
If Mr. Greeley had made his wishes
known two or three weeks earlier they
would have been gratifed, although
there had been. believe, hit two prece-
dents in the history Of our State. In
the first Constitutional Convention Aaron
Burr, though residing in New York,
was chosen a delegate from Orange
county: and in the second COnstitu-
tional Convention Martin Van Buren,. a
resident Of Columbia county, was elected
a delegate from Otsego.
In 1854 Mr.. Greeiry called on me at
the Astor House and asked if | did not
think that the time and circumstances
were favorable to his nomination for
Governor? | replied that / did think
the time and circumstances favorable to
his election, if nominated, but my
friends had lost control of the state con-
vention. This answer perplezed him,
but few words of explanation made il
quite clear. Admitting that he had
brought the people up to the point of &C
cepting a temperance candidate for Gov
ernor, I remarked that another aspirant
had "stolen his thunder" In other
words, while he had shaken the temper
ance bush, Myron II. Clark would catch
| the bird In addition to the fact that
| Mr.. Clark had become the temperance
candidate, l informed Mr. Greeley that
- Know-Nothing" or "Choctaw" lodges
had been secretly organized throughout
the State, by means of which many
| delegates for Clark had been secured.
! Mr. Greeley saw that, to use an express
sion then well understood, the "slate"
had been broken, and cheerfully re-
linquished the idea of being nominated.
| But few days afterward Mr.. Greeley
| came to Albany and said In an abrupt
| but not unfriendlv way: is there any
objection to my running for Lieutenant
| Governor ?" l replied as promptly:
" Certainly not, if on reflection you are
| willing to take the nomination" Why
| should | not be willing to take il I? You
say that | have many enemies. / know
| that, and if they should all fall upon me
and defeat my election the Office is not
| important and the party would not be
| injured | should rather like TO try con-
| illusions with them" / then reminded
/ him of cry raised in the Philadelphia
/ national convention when Abbot Law
| renee, of Boston, was named for Vice
/ President to run with General Taylor for
President, and when dozen men sprang
| TO their feet and shouted that il would
I l. OF hr,sn rsc of
i the ticket" Mr. Greeley laughed and
said, Il suppose you mean that it
| wouldn't do to have Maine Law ct both
ends of our State ticket Z" After little
more conversation Mr. Greeley became
i entirely satisfied that q nomination for
! Lieutenant Governor was net desirable,
| and left me in good spirits.
| went to the State Convention pre-
! pared to acquiesce in the nomination of
| Mr.. Clark for Governor, and only caring
! that the other nominee should be so Sc.
lected as TO strengthen the ticket. No
candidate for Lieutenant Governor had
been designated. Many delegates were.
I anxious to ballast the ticket by the nom
| NATION of q candidate for Lieutenant.
Governor who was not committed in ia
vor of prohibitory or Maine law legisla-
ton. and vet who would not be obnox-
ious to temperance men. Several names
were canvassed, but none seemed TO
unite all interests until that of the late
| Henry J. RAYMOND was suggested.
That nomination wounded Mr.. Greeley
deeply. He had cheerfully withdrawn
his own name, but he could not patient
| lysubmit 10 the nomination of PERSONAL
| professional and political rival. This
was. have reason to believe, the enter
ing wedge to final alienation between
US. Mr.. Greeley not only held me re
sponsible for Mr.. Raymond nomination
but supposed that in my conversation
with him the intention 10 do so had beer
| concealed.
In that suppositioD, however, be erred
for / had not thought of Mr.. Raymond
in that connection until his name va
| suggested TO me al Syracuse. But GU
relations grew less and less cordial fron
that time until 1860, when he appesIe'
in the National Republican Conventiol
at Chicago Zealously opposing the non
nation of Governor Seward, since whit
time we never met. We both supPorie'
Mr.. Lincoln warmly, but after his els {
ton apd during tn: war collisions ar
antagonisms placed great gulf betwet
us. He was radical, and ! was conseiE
alive. He was IN favor of secession
and | against IT, He was in favor G
peace, while urged vigorous prosett
ton of the war. But this Is neither ID
time nor the place to enter upon thee
questions. So far as Mr.. Greeley Is col
cerned, they belong to the dead past.
Referring TO the fact that a few das
since Frederick Douglass was refused Il
entertainment of the two leading hote
at St. Paul, Mimi, the Washingte