Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-07-01
THE LAST wBIG CONVENTION.
Some Of its History Given by the SOlita
" Ohio Voter for Fillmore.

Z
more and Scott were placed in nomina
tiOn, as was also Daniel Webster, the
reTered ''expounder Of the constitution ,
late Secretary Of State under President
Tyler, and the fayorite Of a small, per
seYering and uncOmpromising body o
Eastern politicians, merchants anC
statesmen, who were ready "to spend anC
be SPENT in the worthy work Of making a
President Of their fayorite.
The State Of Ohio sent full ''college'
Of delegates, with their aIternates. all Of
them duly elected, appointed and instruct
ed. With a single exec ption, viz: the
delegates from the Lower SciOtO Valley
district, all Of the Ohio delegates were
the proponents and advocates of Gen,
scout Tor President, and stroYe for his
nomination. Among these the writer re-
members Samuel +. VintOn, John Sher.
~ nan, and other men then and since dis.
unguished, including his then brother edi-
5ors OF the Cleveland Herald and the
LeUanOn Ohio StQT. When the eouVpu.
ton met in the Maryland Institute the
OHIO delegation occupied a position OF
eHlhence, facing Gen. Chapman, of NIr
sihta- the President of the convention,
and bis fellow officers. The more clam.
orous sOutherners, led by Cabell, of FlOri-
"a, and some other determined support
efs OF Mr. Fillmore, were disposed on the
lett, while the delegation from New York.
ol Nhom the iamented Raymond was a
conspicuous member, filled a space be-
tween the Southerners and Ohioans. The
hentuckians, Of whom Gen. Leslie
COombs was the Chairman, and who Oe-
cupled the back part of the vast hall
preceded 4e times the single vote from
ONO Tor Fillmore. From the time the
balioting commenced to the temporary
adjournment of the convention, on Satur.
day evening, each candidate was tender.
ca substantially the same number OF
NOtes given to him at first, the ballOting
routine, varied by the most passionate
and extravagant speeches, betraying the
determination Of each division to persist
In IT'S course, even though the deliberative
body should be driven to adjourn without
affecting the object Of their meeting.
In the recesses tenders were made to and
from the various delegations, with the hope
OF compromising on one or the other can
didate, and then, If there were any such
arrangement as MIR. Blaine says s'the Cos
sip Of the day. described, it must have
been concluded upon by a very narrow
circle in very quiet way. No such gos-
slp came to my ears. When Saturday
night arrived the writer resolved to run
down 70 Washington with the purpose OF
getting out OF the seething maelstrOm at
Baltimore and spending 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 con-
secutive Congresses.
On that Saturday night there seemed
but little prospect of the convention de.
pfnfnu a m rrrHfrrf1rroU
had been made in various quarters of an
adjournment Sin row." thus abandon
ing the attempt to make nomination and
thus "breaking up the party" The sub
scriber, who had withstOOd the alternate
persuasiOns and rebuffs of his colleagues.
for declining to disobey his instructions
and vote with them, was glad to 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 as the jani-
tors were lighting the lamps. My old
friend suggested call upon the Presi-
dent, but l was 10th to comply, urging
the indelicacy of the act under the extra
ordinary circumstances. | feared the
Chief Magistrate might in some way re-
cognize in his visitor the one delegate
from Ohio who had voted for him every
time, and mutual embarrassment might
mar the pleasure of the conference. tut
while l was demonstrating the door of the
Presidents house had been opened, to the
summons of my friend, and we both en-
tered. At the moment Mr.. Fillmore and
the 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 / was
simply introduced by name to the Presi-
dent (whom / had never met before J,
while Messrs. COrwin and Taylor made
a party by themselves.
Our interview was short one, and the
subject of the Baltimore Convention was
mentioned.
Il 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-
stantly for me. / seriously fear the con-
yentiOn Will adjourn without deciding on
a candidate; and if any friend of mine is
under the impression that it, would give
me more pleasure to see them do so than
to fix the choice on Mr.. Webster or Gen.
Scott. he is very much mistaken. What
l most desire is the union of the party,
and the prevalence of Whig principles
and men,"
l shall never forget the impression made
upon me by hearing those words. They
were those of a Iarge-minded, self-sacrific-
ing patriot, who rose far above the
prOmptings of individual ambition to the
serene empyTean of principle and cour-
age. While the utterance of such senti-
ments 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
convention.
Sleep that night being impossible for
me. after parting with my friend Taylor
rOamed about the city till an early hour.
remember passing the house of Mr.. Web
ster. which was illuminated apparently IN
every chamber, while the fitting shadows
playing upon the ceilings showed there
were many sleepless walkers through the
corridors. 1t was understood that the
sage of Marshfield had set his political
sslife upon a cast" and was anXiOusly
ssbidlng the hazard of the die" l may re.
mark, at the time not a half score OF
Western districts favored the nomination
Of Mr.. Webster, whose attachment to the
then late administration of Tyler haG
clouded hisp popularity with the party.
Returning TO Baltimore by the earliest
train, the writer ran across the street tC
the old Maltby House, called for room
and pen, ink and paper, and hastily jOtted
down such notes as might enable me tC
make such explanation as would grace
fully precede the changing of my vote
| from one candidate to another, with the
| endeavor to guide the convention toward
a unanimous choice. had thought out
| the argument intensely, and soon commit
/ ted it to paper. / hastily drove to the III
/ stitute. and on entering heard ''The State
/ OF Ohio" called on for her vote, and, on my
i solicitation, our venerable Chairman, Mr.
/ NintOn. suffered me to cast it in order L
s.make it unanimous" / began my re
marks, but was soon chOked of by hisse:
/ and grOans from my compatriots of the
| week preceding. The fair Baltim0reans
/ who had shOwered me with bouquets
/ now seemed almost frantic with passion
/ and if one might imagine such kissing
/ beauties were capable of communicating
a virile principle, they would have in
stantly done it. But. by stubbornll
standing until the clamor subsidsd, which
was renewed anon and quieted again, ad
monishing my hearers that they wer,
| wasting their own time; that | had thu
| floor. had something to say, and was de
/ termned to say it. ] got through satisfac
| tOrily, and inaugurated the stampede 70
Scott.
On the fiftieth ballot the Fillmore dele
| gate from Pennsylvania changed his vot
| 10 Scott; on the next Tor fifty-sec0nd) oil
| Gen. Leslie COOmbs came over with l
delegates from Kentucky, and before l
O'Clock. noon. the nomination of Gen
Scott was made unanimous. The Whig
throughout the country accepted tn
choice nOminally, if not heartily; but tn
work Of sectional factions, in either eN
treme. had destroyed the animus of tn
grand Whig party, and the brave oil
General. as everybody knows, was de
feated.
The Engagement stnl ON.