The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-03-30
Wade and Chase.

members of the same party. They
were old-time political foes The fight
was begun in 1857 over the Gubernato-
rial nomination in Ohio, and continued
along fed occasionally by little winds)
until 1860, when it opened out in all its
bitterness. Wade wanted the nomina-
ton for President by the Chicago Con-
vention, so did Chase; but Chase was
the shrewder politician of the two, and
by far the older man, and altogether
the most popular man in his party, not
only in his own State, but outside of it;
hence Chase secured the united support
OF the county delegations to the Ohio
Convention. Without its support Wade
could do nothing; so Chase won the
State delegation from Wade, and so far
defeated him that his name was not
even complimented by presentation;
but Wade returned the compliment on
Chase. AT that time he was power
to be feared in Republican politics, so
he went to Chicago and worked with
his utmost strength to win the chances
of Chase, and he succeeded at the close
of the first ballot, when Seward was
leading his competitors, yet showed
plainly that he could not master enough
favor to nominate him, and that the
chances were favorable to long, hard
fight. The neutrals began at once to
concentrate on one available man. Chase
was selected, and there can be no doubt
but that he would have secured the
nomination on the third ballot at least,
by handsome majority, had it not
been for the cool, stubborn and relent-
less fight waged by Wade against him.
He was enough of power to rally a
large corps of able men around him,
and they at once machinated together
for the downfall of Chase, and they
won. From that hour Chase star rap
idly declined; Seward soon followed,
| and the hosts were mustered under the
banner of Lincoln.
Under the new Administrator Chase
was made Secretary of the Treasury.
At first Wade showed signs of fighting
the entire line of his financial policy,
| but the war, that contest which alienat-
ed 50 many, was the cause of the rapid
and lasting concentration in the bonds
Chase and Benjamin F. Wade. He
supported the financial administration
of Chase with energy and alacrity,
and often spoke of him as the every
man for the place" and as the " great
est minister of finance of the age"
eirintercourse was frequently marked
by intimacy. | remember one time,
during the course of the war, when our
kilograms were hourly bringing de-
pressing news from our armies in the
South, that Wade met Chase one morn
ing on the steps of the State Depart
ment, and stepping before him he says:
MY dear Chase, how are you this
morning." and the two walked off arm
in arm evidently in close consultation
on important matters. Wade was slow
to forget reSentments, and the last to
forget treachery He never bowed sub
missively, but he frequently compro-
missed. The compromise between Chase
and Wade was brought about by w. H.
Dennison, afterward Postmaster-Gen-
eral and Columbus Delano, afterward
Secretary of the Interior.
At the time of the trial of President
johnson, and when Wade was the Pres
| ident pro tenn. of the Senate, and the
consequent succesSorto the Presidential
chair, he was the exposure of all eyes,
and he came nearer reaching the Presi-
Dental chair than any other man that
ever lived. In this respect he beat
Chase, and he could have been Presi-
dent but for one personal matter, and
that was difficulty between William
Pitt Fessenden, of Maine, and himself
during the heated war discussions.
Fessenden was inclined to be very con-
servative, while Wade was a red-hot
radical. Fessenden was a man of strong
passions; he was like Wade-he never
stopped to apologize, and he never tried
to forget. So in discussion one day
about the ACCESSIBILITY of sending more
troops into the field, Wade strongly
favoring and Fessenden as strongly OPP
posing, Wade called Fessenden a
coward. Fessenden was either too gen.
tlemanly or too feaful of the result to
take the insult, so from that day to the
day of death they never spoke. Fes-
sender refused to vote for Wade for
President pro TEN. of the Senate, and it
has been openly charged thousands and
thousand Of times that Fessenden voted
for the acquittal of Andrew johnson
simply on personal grounds. There
was something that animated Fessen-
den to this course, for he was one OF
the most bitter enemies to johnson that
was in the Senate; his State was strong
ly in favor of impeachment and he was
candidate for reelection to the Senate,
and he knew it was death then to DISC
hey party dictates, but it seems he pre-
ferred individual defeat to the success
of Wade, and he received it, for he was
not returned and soon afterward died
cold, ascetic man. His vote kept
Wade from being President, but il
ushered his star into the horizon. -
Washington Cor. Pittsburgh Telegraph.
THE Washington Post remarked re.
Gently that Senatorial dignity re.
quired that Senator Conover should
shoot his hat, disreputable white SOM
brero with black band, and added that
the bill for its successor might be sent
to the Posts office. Mr. Conover ac.
cordingly shot his hat, picked out a soft
felt hat valued at five dollars and sent
the bill to the editor, who duly honored
it, and announced next morning that il
anybody in Washington was dealing in
new heads he would pay for dozen fol
the use of the Senate.