Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-06-03
"THE CITY OF CONVENTIONS"

met in Chicago to-day, is the sixth Presiden-
tial convention which has convened in that
city, and International democratic convention,
which meets on July S, will be the seventh.
For many years in the early history of poll
tics in this country Baltimore was known as
the Getty Of Conventions" the first one hav-
ing been held there in 1881, and the last,
which nominated Horace Greeley, in 1872
but latterly local as we'll as national ques'
tions have entered almost as much into the
Iocstion of national conventions as the issues
of politics and candidates, and they have
usually alternated between the East and
West every four years but during the past
eight years the conventions have been held in
the Western cities of st. Louis, Chicago aud
Cncinnati-Chicago leading as the Con
vention City"
The first national convention of The re-
publican party met in Chicago on May 10th,
1860, and nominated Abraham Lincoln and
Hannibal Hamlin. The convention was the
second one of the republican party of this
day Four years afterwards the democrats
held ssnational convention there in August,
and nominated George 3. Mcclellan and
Geo. H. Pendleton. Both conventions were
held at critical periods in the history of the
country
At the republican convention in May, go,
delegates were in attendance from all por-
tions of the Northern States and from the
then ding States of Delaware, Mary
land, Virginia, Kentucky and Missouri. A
delegation claimed to represent Texas, but
it was subsequently proven to have been
gotten up in Michigan and was ruled out.
The District of Columbia sent one delegate,
Gen. Joseph Gerhardt, who died q year ago.
Mr.. George Ashmun, Of Massachusetts, who
was president of the convention, was the
last gentleman with whom Mr.. Lincoln held
any official relations on the night OF his
assassination Mr. Ashnun presided in a
mammoth temporary structure, known at
the time as ''the wigwam," and situated on
the lake front, not far from the site of to-
DAVIS convention, and which held at least
ten thousand people. The nomination OF
Mr. Lincoln, which was made on the second
ballot, was almost as great surprise to the
convention as that of Mr.. Hayes at CIEcin-
natl, eight years ago, and confirmed "a most
ingenious parodox" in the action Of national
conventions that the strongest candidates
often prove to be the weakest ones !
though Mr. Lincoln was second on the
first ballot, and remained SO until he was
nominated on the third ballot. But before
the convention met he was not regarded
strong as candidate when compared with
Seward, Chase, or Bates. Ex-Secretary of
State, Mr. Evarts, put Mr.. Seward in nomi-
nation. Mr.. Judd, of Illinois, named Mr..
Lincoln. Mr.. Cartier, of Ohio, the present
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the
District. nominated Mr.. Chase, and Mr..
Corwn of Ohio, presented Judge Mclean.
| The Indiana delegation and Mr.. Delano, Of
| Ohio, seconded the nomination Of Mr.. Lin
coin ex- Gov. Blair, Of Michigan, seconded
that of Mr. Seward, as did Mr.. Schurz, the
late Secretary Of the Interior. Other candi-
dates were voted for, including Wade, Came
ron, Bates, Read Dayton, Sumner, Fremont
aud Collamer. MIR. Stewards canvass was
| in the hands of Thuriow Weed, whose devo-
ton to Mr.. Seward amounted almost to
idolatry. Who that was there can fail to
remember the scene when the first ballot
was read Seward, 1881; Lincoln, 1922;
Cameron, 50! and the rest scattering or
when it rose with the excitement Of the
second ballot, when Cameron was with
drawn and Pennsylvania divided its vote,
and the result stood: Seward, 1S4l; Lincoln
1911 and Chase, 424. The third ballot was
begun at once, amid shouts which followed
| the breathless expectancy as each vote was
announced, though as the contest narrowed
and the busy pencils put down the vote the
vast throng-there were at least 10,OOo--
were silent until the roll of States was finish
ed, when it stood: Seward $50, Lincoln
23l!, Chase 24, Bates %. This gave Mr..
Lincoln within two and one-half. votes of q
nomination, and before the result was ofli-
cially announced Mr.. Cartier, as Chairman
of the Ohio delegation, arose and said: u
rise, Mr. Chairman, to announce the change
of four votes from Ohio from Mr.. Chase to
Abraham Lincoln" That was enough.
Mr.. Lincoln was nominated, and for fully
five minutes the wigwam literally resound-
ed with thunders of applause. Maine fol-
lowed Ohios change, Massachusetts, was
next, with Missouri, Minnesota, Iowa and
Kentucky in close order, when the third
ballot was announced: "Whole number OF
votes cast 466, necessary to choice 234."
Mr.. Lincoln received 354 and was declared
nominated On motion of Mr. Evarts the
nomination was made unanimous. When
Thurlow Weed realized the result he thrust
his hands to his eyes to drive back the
flood of humiliating tears. In the evening
of the same day two ballots were taken
for Vice President and Mr.. Hamlin was
nominated.