Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1883-07-26

Dorsey was inclined to forgive hin
for this; not Brady. The Second As
sistant POstmaster-G General realized tina
Garfield had discovered that very larg,
sums of money were received by th,
Star route contractors, and he was In
clined to think that Garfield would bt
disposed 10 make use of this knowledge
at a later day. Therefore, Brady
thought, Garfield did not care to go Oh
record, except sufficiently to satisfy the
men who had asked him to defend
them. All this occurred some months
before the Chicago convention. 1t was
well known that Brady favored the
nomination of Blaine, while Dorsey
professed to be earnestly for Grant.
HI.--THE "BETTER ELEMENT" AND THE
CANDIDATE.
In the winter of 1880 club of the
"better element" was organized in Phil.
adelphia by young man, with pOliti'
cal aspirations, named Wharton Barker
This club, among other great missions,
undertook to prevent the nOminatian OF
either Gen. Gfrnt or James G.. Blaine.
Mr.. Wayne MacVeagh was q member
of the club, He had q profound dis
like for Blaine, having characterized
him as the most dangerous man in
American politics. Mr.. Wharton Bar
ker regarded the threatened nomination
of Grant as dangerous innovation.
The point was to find the man who
could beat both of these in the Chicago
Convention. Many names were sug-
gested. Sherman-he would not do, he
had 10 enemies of popularity; Ed
munds- he would not do, because they
would tell about the black bottles he
kept in his committee room; Hawley-
oh, no; he came from an insignificant
State and was something of a blusterer,
and so OH. At last one evening Mr..
Barker suggested the name of James A.
Garfield. 1t was well received by near
ly all the members of the club. Then
a thin man, with foxy face and an icy
expression arose. He was Mr.. Wayne
MacVeagh. 1.-THE proposition" he said,
"is absurd. Garfield's record is so bad
that the party could not afford to nom-
mate him. The history of the Credit
Mobilier case, of the DeGolyer business,
and of other matters that have not yet
been made public would all come out.
No, gentlemen, we cannot afford to
think of Garfield"
Stephen w. Dorsey heard of this
speech afterward, and Garfield heard of
it, and Mr.. Wayne MacVeagh was al
ways pursuaded that Garfield heard of
it through Dorsey.
Mr.. MacVeagh, however. did not inn
I,n Ink
Garfield was the man to make the fight,
and in the early spring of 1880 Mr..
Wharton Barker and Garfield were
closeted in Washington. Mr.. Barker
told Garfield frankly that the Philadel-
phia club were bound to secure his NOM
ination if possible, and they wanted his
assent and cooperation. Garfield was
pleased, but he said that Ohio would in
struct its delegates for John Sherman,
and he did not see how his own nomi-
nation could pc compassed under the
"You would not" said Barker, "de-
cline the nomination if it were rendered
to you?"
Garfield answered: "The great
Lowndes of South Carolina once said
The Presidency should neither be
sought nor declined"
OF course this was enough for Mr..
Barker, and the 'Better Element Club"
began at once q line of management,
whose results were seen at Chicago.
That Garfield knew how well they were
going on is indicated by his remark to
Tucker just as he was leaving
,ar thn ~, ;oa uo ttnoynptinu rN,Icly or
net him in the cloakroom of the House.
Said he: "Well, General, who are you
going to nominate?" '~
II don't know" was Garfeld's reply.
TITS as likely to be me as anybody"
And Mr.. Tucker, after that remark, was
for the news from Chicago.
Mr.. John Sherman learned very
speedily what was going on. He cast
bout for means to circumvent it, and
Vt last hit upon a plan. He insisted
hat Garfield should go to Chicago at
he head Of the Ohio delegation. Sher-
nan believed that Garfield in that
,lace, would not dare betray him, and
would also lack the courage to allow
my movement in the Ohio delegation
hat looked like treachery. But there
vas man named Foster, now Cover
lor of Ohio, in the delegation. Foster
vas q man OF the Garfield stripe, with
IN air of frankness, good fellowship and
but cold as steel, and nev-
II for a moment forgetful of Charles
Foster. Between him and Garfield
here was a perfect understanding.
There We're two men in the Chicago
Convention who very early saw what
vas in the wind in the Ohio delegation.
)ne of these was Dorsey and the other
,onkling. Dorsey kept his knowledge
o himself, except that he said to Conk-
ing one day, "There is treachery over
here" pointing to Charley Foster and
he Ohio delegation. Conkling, how
yer, at a fitting moment took a bit of
'aper, and, writing few words there
n, sent it over to Garfield. Gen Gar
ield lead the note, tore it in pieces, and
urned pale. The piecee he threw on
he floor. A man, who had seen it all,
objected the pieces afterward, pasted
hem together, and the note is, now in
ossession of a gentleman who lives in
'ort Huron, Mich. In this note Conk-
ing expressed, in the sarcastic manner
f which he is master, his appreciation
+ what was going on, and Garfield
newthat Conkling saw that the Ohio
delegation We're manipulated, not for
Sherman but for Garfield.
Garfield was nominated, and at his
arnest request Stephen w. Dorsey was
made Secretary of the National Repub-
lean Committee, and really it's Chair
nan. .'. s.ss
NEW YORK sTALwARTs AND
THE CAMPAIGN.
Both Garfield and Dorsey realized
cry early in the canvass that the Re-
u6lican candidate for the Presidency