Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-01-26
Tho First Nomination of Grant.
To the Editor Of the World


To tile Editor Of the World:
SIR: Mr.. Thur!ow Weed has published
a card describing how, at Long Branch in
the summer Of 1867, on q Sunday morning
over cigars, he arranged the nomination
through Mr.. Thomas Murphy of General
Grant to the presidency, and there COM
municated to General Grant-for the first
time that he or any one else had heard Of
the idea-that he was to be Republican
candidate for the presidency. Mr.. Weed
invites criticism of this statement by his
concluding sentence "This leaf to tho
political history OF our country is
supplied now while so many Of the
| actors survive to corroborate or to correct
the accuracy or inaccuracy Of my memory"
l desire to call through your courtesy
| upon cx-Secretary Fish who was longer in
Grants cabinet than ex-Secretary Robe
son by one month, both of them having
been with Grant during both of his terms)
to correct Mr. Weed. Mr.. Weed will re-
member the very delightful banquet which
the late George Peabody gave to General
and Mrs. Grant at the Fifth Avenue hotel
on the evening Of Friday, March %, 1867,
and some months prior to the Long Branch
meeting. I had the honor of sitting at
the table not far from Mr.. Weed, who may
recall the delight with which he hailed the
first shad of the season broiled Ia
naatre Ghotel, and possible may remem-
Der the "reminiscences he gave of his
youthful days in the eighteenth century
at Athens on the Hudson, when he used to
net shad as deftly as he afterwards netted
Statesmen" Mr.. Weed may also re-
member the attentions which he paid to a
f,,,.h .h,tf< <fo rIoto
guests were, on Mr.. Peabody's right Gen.
eral Grant, and at his left Admiral Farra-
gut, next to whom was Mrs. Grant with
Bishop McIlvanine, next to General Grant
aud then on alternate sides, Attorney
General Evarts, Mrs. PierrepOnt, cx-GOver-
nor John II. Clifford, Mrs. Geo. Bancroft,
Mrs. John Jacob AstOr, Mrs Louis J. Jen-
nings, Miss Clifford, General Porter, General
Anderson of Fort Sumter fame and Mrs.
Wetmore. At other tables sat Miss Weed
Mrs. \. T. Stewart, Mr.. John Jacob AS
tor, Miss Fish, exSpcaker Robert c.
Winthrop. Slrs- Farragut, Mr.. Georges
Bancroft. Mrs. Judge Roosevelt, Mrs. Nc
1lvaine, Judge Edwards Pierrepont, who
had not long before, as Tammany
Sachem, sought Democratic nomina-
tion for Grant, Mrs. Henry j.
Raymond, Mrs General Anderson, ex-
Governor Aiken Of South Carolina,
Mrs. Evarts, and ex Senator Hamilton
Fish. There We're many other less no.
tables, but nevertheless distinguished
guests whose names I cannot recall. Mr.. !
Weed will remember the superb dinner |
service, the gold and silver dishes of Louis |
XIV. style and the centre piece, over three |
ieet high, fgurative Of commerce and in !
dustry orEamented with figures Of busy !
cupids. Mr.. Weed will remember how |
ex- x-SenatOr Fish spoke when he !
gave the toast "Mrs. Grant and the ladies |
Of America after which Mr.. George Ban
croft became really humorous in some re-
marks. Mr.. Weed did not remain long
after the party Of guests retired to the par
lors, where there was music and fresh cOf- !
fee, or to an ante room, where there was ,
allowed to few gentlemen. Mr..
Weed therefore cannot be expected to I
know about the little coterie that for 20 /
minutes hob ncbbed together in this last |
named room comprising Messrs. Fish, Ray
mond, PierrepOnt, Evarts, General Butter
field and two or three others. This coterie
turned from conversins about
and Peabody to politics, and
during the conversation it was that MIR.
Fish nominated General Grant to the
coterie for the presidency, against the
doubts of Mr.. Pierrepont, who thought
General Sherman most available, and then
and there Mr.. Evarts and Mr.. Raymond
both of them fresh from conciliatiOn
and anti-stalwartism and tho brother
hood of the Philadelphia convention
with Governor Fish, took on themselves
to open the campaign for General Grant.
lf Mr.. Weed will brush up his recOllections
he will learn how Mr.. Fish soon after bade
Gen. Grant good evening in a semi-ban-
tcring way as " Mr.. President" and soon
began that series Of Stuyvesant
square dinners to prominent Republicans
which more than anything gave wide
spread popularity to the movement. 1.-THE
eaf to supply to the political history
,f Our country" as 70 the bringing
forward of General Grant in connec-
ion with the presidency should. be in
,cribed with the name Of Hamilton Fish,
md when Grants first ebullitiOn of graft
ude in summoning Wasbburne to the
state department spent itself, it was most
suitable that q second similar ebullitiOn
should summon Fish instead. am but
history when l say that
his instance will prove, rs hundreds Of
,ther instances in politics do, that Weeds
success was always won by jumping
lpon some other mans thoroughbred,
While the stecd was a-saddling and riding
t off before the jockey could come up. Mr..
Weeds prestige was always due to his sa-
,acity in making early inquiries as to pop
liar sentiment regarding a candidate and
and concentrating that senti-
nent in such a rapid and emphatic way as
{, claim the hOnOrs of nomination.