News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-12-14
POLITICAL RENINISCENCE.
THE NOMINATION AT CHICAGO OF
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
ThurIOw Weeds Efforts to Secure the NOm-
inatiOn of Seward and his Failure,

| ThuflOw weeds Efforts to Secure the NOm-
inatiOn of Seward and his Failure.
The late Thurlow Weed put forth the
strongest efforts of his life to secure the
nomination of his lifelong friend, VIM.
H. Seward, by the Republican party, for
President in 1860. -Four years before
Buchanan was elected by a majority OF
the popular vote, having only 1, ,S34, ,337,
to 2,214, 967 for Fremont and Fillmore.
Fremont carried all New England, New
York, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, and Wis
consin Fillmore had Maryland, and Bu-
chanan all the other slave States, with
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Hi
nois and California. Mr.. Weed believed
| the nomination Of Seward would ensure
his election, and he desired TO Jvind up
his political life by the accomplishment
Of this masterpiece of work.
The strongest opponent of Mr.. Seward
was Horace Greeley. The letter of Hor-
ace Greeley dissolving the firm of Sew
ard, Weed & Greeley was the beginning
on the part of the editor of the Tribune
OF unrelenting war upon both the other
members of the firm. Weed, however,
was safe from assault, as he would have
nothing to do with office for himself.
Greeley knew, however, that Mr. Seward
was OF the slate for the Presidential NOM
inatiOn in 1860, and if he could defeat
him in the Convention his vengeance
would be satisfied. Greeley had kept his
letter from the public, so that only few
friends of Mr.. Seward knew of the oppo-
sition to be expected. Of course the
trouble had been appreciated by them,
and affairs had been so managed that Mr..
Stewards nomination was counted upon
as nearly certain as any future event
could be. Mr.. Seward himself thought
so, and so did Mr. Weed.
The Republican National Convention
met at Chicago in May, 1860. It was
called to order by Governor Morgan, of
New York; David Wilmot, of Pennsyl-
vania, was made temporary Chairman,
and the Hon. George Ashmun, of Massa-
chusetts, was chosen President. The
party was in excellent condition, and the
irreconcilable divisions among their OPP
pOnents promised an easy victory, Not
much had been said of Abraham Lincoln.
He had been a member of Congress for
one term twelve years before, and had
won some reputation two years before by
endeavoring to beat Stephen A. Douglas
for United States Senator from Illinois,
The first names for nomination among
the people were Seward, Chase, Mclean,
and Bates, and all the chances appeared
favorable to the New York favorite. At
midnight, before the nomination, Mr..
Greeley telegraphed to his paper that
Stewards success was very probable. Mr..
Greeley appeared in the Convention as a
delegate from Oregon.
ON the call nominations, William
NJ. Evarts, of New York, named William
II. Seward of New York; Mr.. Judd, of
Illinois, named Abraham Lincoln: and
Salmon p. Chase, Simon Cameron, Judge
Mclean, and Judge Bates were named
by their friends. Besides Mr.. Greeley,
the choice of Seward was opposed by
Henry S. Lane and Andrew G. Curtin.
The argument was that there was four
doubtful States, all of which were neces-
sary, and none of which could Mr. Seward
carry. These were New Jersey, Pennsyl-
vania, Indiana, and Illinois. Illinois, it
was argued, was sure only with Lincoln;
Indiana was in the same condition; Penn
sylvania was for Cameron first. would
readily go for Mclean, and next for Lin
coin; New Jersey adhered to Dayton.
Thus it appeared that three of the doubt
full States were agreed upon Lincoln as
compromise candidate.
On the first ballot, Seward had 1731
votes, and Lincoln 102. On the second
ballot, Seward, 1874 Lincoln, 181. On
the third trial Seward had $50, and
Lincoln 231I-lacking one and half
votes of majority. Immediately on the
announcement of the result, Mr.. D. K.
Cartier, of Ohio, (who had been an ap-
prentice in Mr. Weeds Office at Roches-
teri rose and announced change in that
delegation of four votes to be counted
for Lincoln. That secured the nomlna-
ton. Greeley had his revenge-he had
defeated the man on whose elevation the
great mass of the people had set their
hearts and settled longstanding spite
against both Weed and Seward because
they had failed to see the philosophers
wonderful fitness and overshadowing
claims for office. Mr.. Seward was de-
MED the Presidency, but he was for
many years serviceable to his country in
office, and ever true to his principles.
As soon as it appeared that Mr.. Lin
coin had majority of the convention,
Austin Blair, afterward Governor of
Michigan, who had worked ably for Mr..
Seward, holding Michigan's entire vote
for him from first to last, rose and stated
that he had been put forward to say
that michigan had nothing to take
back she laid down her first and best
beloved choice, and took up the candi-
date of the convention with some beating
of the heart, with some quivering of the
veins. We have followed him (Seward)
with an eye single and an unwavering
faith in times past, and we marshal now
behind him in the grand column which
shall go out to battle for Lincoln"
Mr., Weed was greatly disappointed at
the result. 1t deprived him of long
hoped-for pleasure, that of practically
closing his political career by assisting
to place in the highest national office the
friend. almost brother, with whom he
had fought hundred battles for Anti
masonic, Whig and Republican prin-
ciples.
NOTHING is ever lost by being pleas
ant and agreeable. You ask for two
pounds of steak-no more, no less. One
butcher growls that he can't just cut off
two pounds, and you leave him thor
oughly vexed At the next stall the
man of meat hears your request with un-
rufied visage, cuts off a pound and a
half, slaps it into the scale and out again
in double-quick time, rolls it up neatly
and says, with a sweet smile, ''just two
pounds, ma'am." He is the man who
succeeds.
THERE is a six-year old boy in Auburn
who is wonderful on spelling and defini-
ton. The other day his teacher asked
him to spell matrimony. M-a-t-r-i-