Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1884-08-05
SCOTS NOMINATION.
Some Inside History Of the Las.
Wing Convention,
A. Given by the Solitary Ohio Votes
for Efllnore-HoSy the Siam.
pedc for Scott Was In
augurated.
rs. W. Elv in Com,nercial Gazette


dent Tyler. and the favorite OF a small, PER
severing, ana uncompromising body OF east
ern politicians, merchants, and statesmen,
who were ready $50 spend and be spent in
the worthy work of making u president Of
their favorite.
The state of Ohio sent full COLLEGE Of
delegates with their alteInates, all Of them
duly elected, appointed and instructed With
single exception-viz the delegates from
the lower Scioto valley district-ali of the
Ohio delegates were the proponents and adj
vecates OF Gen. Scott for president, and
strove for his nomination. Among these the
writer remembers Samuel +. Vinton, John
Sherman. and other men then and since dis
tinguished, including his then brother
editors of The Cleveland Herald and
The Lebanon Ohio Star. When the
convention met in the Maryland iasti-
tute the Ohio delegation occupied a position
of cininence. facing Gen. Chapman, Of Nir'
einia. the president of the convention, and
his fellow officers. The more claIn0rous
southerner,s, lei by Cabell, of Florida. and
some other determined supporters of M' Fill
more, were disposed on the left while the
delegation from New York, OF whom the
lamented RAYMOND was conspicuous mem
and Orleans The Kentucllians. of whom
Gen. Leslie Coombs was the chairman, and
who occupied the back part Of the vast hall,
preceded forty-eight times the single vote from
Ohio for Fillmore From the time the ballot
ing commenced 10 the temporary adjourn
ment of the convention on Saturday evening
each candidate was tcndered substantially
the same number OF votes given to HIM at first,
the baliotinS routine, varied by the most
passionate and extravagant speeches, betray-
ing the determination Of each division to per
sst ia its course, even though the deliberative
body should be driven to adjourn without
e!fecting the object of their meeting
In the rccesses tenders were made to and
from the various delegations, with the hope or
compromising on one or the other candidate.
and then il there were any such arrangement
as Mr.. Blaine says 1.-THE gossip Of the day de
scribed. it must have been concluded upon by
a very narrow circle in very quiet way. No
such gossip came to the ears of the under
signed When Saturday night arrived the
writer resolved to run down TO Washington
with the purpose of getting out OF the seesh-
ing maelstrom at Baltimore and spend quiet
Sunday with his kind and genial friend, the
late Hon John L. Taylor, who represented tie
lower Scioto district in the national house N
representatives in several consecutive con
crosses.
On that Saturday night there seemed bat
little prospect Of the convention deciding on
an individual nominee. Threats had been
made in various quarters Of an adjournment
in n row" thus abandoning the attemp5 o.
make a nomination. and thus breaking up
the party The subscriber. who had With
stood the alternate Iersuasions and rebuifs
OF his colleagues for declining 10 diGobey his
instructions and vote with them was glad 10
seek "A DAYS recreation in the comparative re-
pose OF the capital city-which he did.
On Sunday evening. in the course OF a walk
about Washington my friend and self
drew near the White House rs the janitors
were lighting the lamps. Ny old friend siig-
gested call upon the president, but was
ioath to comply, urging the indclicacy
of the act under the extraordinary
circumstances / feared the chief magis-
trate might in some way recognize in his
visitor the one delegate from Ohio who had
voted for him every time, ana mutual en-
barrassnent might mar the pleasure of the
conference. But while | was demonstrating,
the door of the presidents house had been
opened to the summons of my friend, and we
both entered At the moment MIR. Fillmore
and Hon Thomas Corwin, then secretary OF
the treasury, We're Mt tea, and we awaited
their entry to the reception-room. They
presently came in, and | was simply intro
duced by name u the president i,vhom ] had
never met beforel, while Messrs. Corwin and
TAYLOR made party by themselves.
Our interview was Il short one, aud the
subject uf the Baltimore convention was
mentioned
Il notice." said tiie president that ms
friends are very persistent in their course
and that IA single delegate from Pennsyl
vania and one from Ohio are voting con
stantly for me- ] seriously fear that the con
yention will adjourn without deciding on &
candidate; and if any friend of mine is under
the impression Ahst it would give me NOR
pleasure to soc them do So than TO fix tho
choice on Mr.. Webster OF Gen. Scott, he is
much mistaken. What most desire is ,ht
union of the party, and the prevalence 81
| Wing principles and men.
| shall never forget the impression mad'
upon me by hearing those words They wer'
those of large-minded, seif-saerificing pa
triot, who rose far above the prompting @
individual ambition to the serene empyreai
|
ance of such sentiments inevitably increase,
nv respect for the speaker, AZ the same tim
thcv widencd the puryiew Of my own action
and suggested that my individual cours
might lie so directed as to unity the grea
nominating body and happily close the con
| vention.
Sleep that night being impossible for me
after parting with my friend Taylor
.v1.-
remember passing the house of Mr. Webster
which was illuminated apparently in ever.
chamber. while the fitting shadows playin
on the ceilings showed there were man,
sleepless walkers through the corridors.
was understood that the Sage of Marshfiel
had set his political "life upon east, am
was anxiously bidding the hazard of the die.
| / may remark. at the time moi Il half score y
western districts favored the nomination O
Mr. Webster, whose attachment to the the
late administration of Tyler had clouded hi
popularity with the party.
Returning to Baltimore by the earlies
train. ran across the street 10 th
old Maltby house. called for a room and per
ink and paper. and hastily jotted down sue
notes as might enable me to make such c1
PLANTATION as would gracefully precedo th
changing of my vote from one candidate
| another. with the endeavor to guide the COZ
yegtion toward a unanimous choice. / ha
thought out the argument intensely. and 500
committed il to paper l hastily drove !
the institute. and on entering heard ''th
state of Ohio" called on for her vote, ans, e
my solicitation, our venerable chairman. Nj
Vinton, suffered me TO cast 1t in order
make il unanimous began my remarks
hut was soon choked Off by Kisses and gi'oai
from my conpatriots Of the week preceding
The fair Balt;noreans. who had showeTei n
with bouquets. now seemed almost ira'ti
| with passion and if one might inaen
such hiS-m. beauties were capable :
communicating virile principle, they e5'i
have Instantly done IL But. by sius't3 p
standing uatii the clamor subsidized wan
was rsntyy,.d anon and quoted again. it'.';.
isl,ine my hearers that they were wa','-
their own time: that | had the door. ~
so,nething To say. and was determine T. =
il. / ynt through satisfactorily. anl ia~a-
rated the stampede for Scott.
On the fetie;h ballot the Fillmore deie-a
from Pennsylvania ple,iged his vote - S-'''
oi, the next tar tifty-second Old tr'a i-e>i
| ConmlS came over with twelve i''!e-a'
from Ketstucsy. and before II o'cio<k. ua''
The, nomination of Gen. Scott was h'ui
unanimous. The Wings throughout slls co''
| Try accented the choice ncininailS- y
heartily; lIut the work Of sectional i@ctio'
: in either extreme. had destroyed the aa.h
Of the grand old Wing party. AMI TIA i''Si
old general, :sS everybody tno"9 "'s =