The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1881-10-12
How Arthur was Nominated for Vice
President.

| The Philadelphia Press OF Monday
last, contains the following account
of the circumstances attending the
nomination Of General Arthur for
Vice President, which is of special
interest just now:
After that tumultuous and thrill
ing scene when the Chicago Conven-
ton surged away from both Grant
and Blaine and named General Gar
field as its standard bearer, it adj
journed till evening to consider the
question of Vice President. All
sides agreed that the candidate must
come from New York and that as
the President represented the anti
Grant division, the Vice President
must be chosen from the Grant ele-
ment. Three conspicuous names
were canvassed-Levi p. Morton,
now Minister to France, General
Stewart l.. Woodford and General
Chester A. Arthur. When the New
York delegation met TO pass upon
the subject Mr.. Morton and General
Woodford withdrew and General
Arthur was selected as its choice by
a very decided vote. But just then
those who were in the inner circle
discovered that a serious obstacle
had been encountered, and that was
the very earnest and emphatic OBJ
lection of the proposed candidate
himself.
General Arthur was not free from
honorable ambition, but there was a
special and potent reason why he
did not want the nomination for
Vice President. He was then ex-
pecting different and more desira-
bic public position. Only eight
months later the Legislature of New
York was to elect United States
Senator as the successor of Francis
Herman, and it had already been
agreed that General Arthur should
be advanced to that place. All the
representative leaders of the controll-
ing force in the party-Senator
Conkling, Governor Cornell, Mr..
Platt, Mr.. Crowley-had fully con-
Cured in his selection. 1t was rea-
sonably certain that, however, the
Presidential election might result,
the Republicans would carry the
Legislature of New York. General
Arthur's election as Senator was
thus as morally sure as any event
in the future could be, and that was
the position of all Others that he de-
sired. On the other hand, the issue
of the Presidential election was
doubtful, and even if successful the
Vice President would H. .e only the
prospect of dignified retirement for
a period of four years. General Ar
thur was thus asked to surrer Ter a
certain election TO a plae whieh he
priced above all others 70 "a dubious
contest for an office which he didn't
want at all.
Under such circumstances it is
not surprising that he shrank from
| lit pIOpOotQ uO1uflldtiOb- GliA AOA
nearly two hours resisted the APP
peals which were made to him.
But there was a very earnest desire
on the part of the friends of General
Garfield rather than his own, that
he should go upon the ticket. They
felt the vital importance of carrying
New York, and realized that no man
could contribute so much to that
result as General Arthur with his
thorough knowledge of the organi-
zation. Governor Dennison, of Ohio,
among others was very earnest in
his plea. The duty of accepting
was put to General Arthur as a
matter of patriotic obligation and
finally, against the protest of Sena-
tor Conkling even to the last, he re-
luctantly yielded his own wishes
and allowed the completion of the
ticket of Garfield and Arthur.