, 1884-07-26
SCOTT'S NOMINATION.
Some Inside History OF the Last
Wing Convention,
As Given by the SOLITARY ohio Voter
for Riilmore-How the stam-
Pede for scott Was In
augurated.

webster, the reVere1 'eNpOufider OF tt9 cOii-
stitution, " late secretary of state under Fresi-
dent Tyler, and the fnvo:1l o OF n small, per-
covering, aud uncompromising body OF east
ern politicians, merchants, and statesmen,
who we're ready 'to spend and lie spent in
the worthy work OF making "A president Of
their fayorite.
The state of Ohio sent a full college of
delegates with their a~lternRtes, all Of them
duly elected, appointed and instructed. With
q single e1csption-viz, the delegates from
the lower Scioto valley district-all of the
Ohio delegates were the proponents aud nd
vocates OF Gen Scott for president, and
stloye for his nomination Among these the
writer remembers Samuel +. VintoiL John
Sherman, and other men then and since de-
tinguishcd, including his then brother
editors OF The Cleveland Herald and
The Lebanon Ohio Star. When the
convention met in the Maryland insti-
tute the Ohio delegation occupied II position
Of eminence, facing Gen. Chapman, of Viz
ginia, the president Of the convention, and
his fellow officers. The more clnmorous
southerners, led by Cabel, OF Florida, and
sone other determined supporters OF AR Fill
more. were disposed on the left, while the
delegation frum New York, OF WHOM the
lamented Raymond WAS u conspicuous mem
Der, filed IA space between the southeruers
and Ohioans. The Kentuckians, Of whom
Gen, Leslie CooInbs was the chairman, and
who occupied the back part of the vast hnil,
preceded ~forty-eight times the single vote from
Ohio for Fillmore. From the time the ballot
Ing commenced to the temporary adjourn
ment Of the convention on Saturday evening,
each candidate was rendered substantially
the same number OF votes given to him at FIRST,
tho balloting routine, varied by the most
passionate and e-xtravagant speeches, betray-
ing the determination OF each division 10 per
sist in its course, even though the deliberative
body should be driven to adjourn without
effecting the object of their meeting.
In the recesses tenders We're made TO and
from the various delegations, with the hope of
compromising on one or the other candidate,
and then If there were any such arrangement
as Bir. Blaine says 'the gossip Of the day. de-
scribed, it must have been concluded upon by
d very narrow circle In a very quiet way. No
such gossip came To the ears OF the under
signed. When Saturday night arrived the
writer resolved to run down 10 Washington
with the purpose of getting out OF the seeth-
ing maelstroIn at Baltimore and spend a quiet
Sunday with his kind and genial friend, the
late Hon. John L-Taylor, who represented the
lower Scioto district In the national house Of
representatives in several consecutive con-
crosses.
On that Saturday night there seemed but
LLllc pIOsItEL VI Tue EOhNtuIlOu utGlllnS Oh
an individual nominee. Threats had been
made In various quarters Of an adjournment
"tn a row, thus abandoning the attempt to
make a nomination, and thus @breaking up
the party" The subscriber, who had with.
stood the alternate persuasions and rebuff
OF his colleagues for declining to disobey his
instructions and vote with them, was glad to
seek e days recreation In the comparative ro-
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 as the ~Janitors
were lighting the lamps. My old friend sug
gested a call upon the president, but l was
loath TO comply, urging the indelicacy
OF the act under the extraordinary
circumstances | feared the chief msgis-
trate might ia some way recognize in his
visitor the one delegate from Ohio who had
voted for hun every time, and o mutual EN-
barrassnent might mar the pleasure of the
conference. But while / was demonstrating
the door OF the presidents house bad been
opened TO the summons OF my friend, and W.
both entered. AT the moment Nj. Fillmore
and Hon Thomas Corwin, then secretary OF
the treasury, were at tea, and we awaited
their entry to the reception-room, They
presently came In, and l was simply intro
duced by name to tho president whom l had
never met beforej, while Messrs. Corwin and
Taylor made a party by themselves.
Our interview WIS 4 short one, and the
subject OF the Baltimore convention was
mentioned.
II notice. said the president, that my
friends are very persistent in their course,
and that a single delegate from Pennsyl.
vania and one from Ohio are voting con.
SANITY for me. seriously fear that the con-
vention will adjourn without deciding on Il
candidate; and If my friend of mine is under
the impression that 1t would give me more
pleasure TO see them do so than to fix the
choice on Mr.. Webster or Gen. Scott, he is
much mistaken. What / most desire is the
union OF the party, and the prevalence of
Wing principles and men"
| shall never forget the impression made
upon me by hearing those words. They were
those Of n large-ininded, self-sacrificing pa
triot, who rose far above the prompting Of
Individual ambition to TIE serene empyrean
OF principle and courage. While the utter.
nnce of su h entiments inevitably increased
my respect for the speaker, at the same time
they widened the purview Of my own action.
and suggested that my individual course
might be so directed as to unity the great
nominating body and happily close the con.
~ventiou.
Sleep that night being impossible for me,
after parting with my friend Taylor l
rOanled ABOUT Tue city I'LL an early houl. /
remember passing the house Of Mr.. Webster,
which was Illuminated apparently in every
chamber, while the fitting shadows playing
on the ceilings showed there were many
sleepless walkers through the corridors. II
was understood that the Sage OF Marshfeld
had set his political life upon D. cast" and
was ~anNiously "biding the hazard of the die. +"
/ may remark, at the time not a half-scoTe of
western districts favored the nomination of
Mr.. Webster, whose attachment TO the then
late administration OF Tyler had clouded his
popularity with the party.
Returning to Baltimore by the earlit st
train, | ran across the street TO tie
old Maltby house, called for a room and pen
ink and paper, end hastily jotted down such
notes as might enable NE % make such ex-
PLANTATION as would gracefully precede the
changing OF my vots from one candidate to
another, with tho endea yor 10 guide the con-
ventiop toYaE1 a pnsni,gpus choice. l had
thought out the argument intensely, and soon
committed il u paper. | hastily drove to
the institute, snd On entering beard ''the
state Of Ohio" callsd Oh FOR her vote, and. on
my solicitation, our venerable chairman, Mr..
Vinton, suffered mo TO cast il IN order to
make it unanimous" l began my remarks,
but was soon choked of by Kisses and sIoan,
from my compatriots OF the week preceding
Come 0n-. Game All.
The new maehine- sold by Beckstead,
u ~ ~ HI