Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-02-23
OSCAR wmLouGnnY RIGGS.


noRATfo SEYMOUR AND SALMON i. CHASE.
The death Of Horatio Seymour calls TO
my mind some "reminiscences OF ex-Chlef
Justice Chase, which, up to this hour, |
have never committed TO the keep
Ing of type, During the session OF the
Democratic National convention in 1868
was, In the absence OF MIR. James II.
Young, the present executive clerk OF the
United States senate, in charge Of the
Washington otllce OF the New York Tr-
bune, Acting under instructions from
New York, / saw Mr.. Chase every night
while the convention lasted generally be-
tween eight and ten O'Clock when the
politicians who called on him
had all gone home. Taking from
an envelope on one occasion
one OF the groenback badges which
the "Pendleion Guard, as 1t was called,
wore at the convention, he said "Now,
do you think 1t was fair in Pendleton to
steal my greenback2 | would not have
treated him In that way" The Washing
ton dispatches in the Tribune OF that
date, printed In the most prominent part
OF the paper and In its boldest news type,
were all inspired by Mr.. Chase.
The slender support which he received
from the Ohio Democracy az the time
seemed TO mortify him good deal. Mr..
Chase was very proud man without a
particle Of vlndlctiveness In his nature,
and the few expressions that fell from his
lips on this point were tinged with sort
OF melancholy. He seemed rather to mourn
the loss OF personal friends than to con-
denim the detection of partisan followers.
On another occasion he said to me
"The great mistake we (the war Demo
crats) made when we went over to the
Republican party, was that we did not
take the name Of Democracy along with
u.s." Mr. Chase appeared to me at that
time TO be sincere Democrat. He
thought the mission of the Republican
party was ended lie dlsliked Gen.
Grant, and dreaded his accession TO the
presidency, He seemed to be afraid OF
the Influences which he foresaw would
surround him in the event OF his election.
The tone OF the Washington dispatches
70 the Tribune at this time was severely
criticised by many of the Republican
leaders then in Washington. Congress
was thon In session. MIR. Colfax, the
speaker OF the house and the candidate
for the vicO-presidency, was one of the
iirst TO complain. Meeting him one
morning near Wizards hotel, he asked
me "what 1t all meant.n replied,
laughing, that he would have to ask them
at New York, and made an excuse to
leave him. That afternoon received q
long note from him, in which he said that
u large number OF the Republican SEN
ators aud representatives had spoken to
him about the Tribune dispatches, and
condemned their manifest friendliness to
Mr., Chase. He asked me to change them,
and then went on to denpunce the chief
justice, "who," he said "was clothed
with Democracy as with a garment
But the character OF the dispatches was
not altered, My instructions on the sub.
iect were imperative, and | am inclined
to believe that II the Democ.
racy had then nominated Chase, the
Tribune would have supported him as
against Gen. Grant, Some time after
ward showed the Colfax letter TO MIR.
Chase He was exceedingly indignant
and expressed his astonishment that Col
fax, whom he said he regarded as almost
a son, could have written such letter.
On the night preceding the day on
which Mr.. Seymour was nominated, Mr..
Chase was confident that he would carry
OF the prize. He showed me several dis
patches on the subject, all assuring him
OF Victory. One OF them was TO the effect
that he would be nominated next morn
Ing on the second ballot. II bore the
initials rs. Il. M. b., which need not