The Harrison times. (Harrison, Boone Co., Ark) 1876-1938, 1886-11-20

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Curious combinations of events
prevented the nomination of Sew.
ard in 1860. The new Republican
party had for the four years of
Buchannan's Administration look
ed upon Seward as its certain
leader in the next canvass. He
was peculiarly the champion and
leader of the new organization,
and his nomination was generally
regarded as certain to be made
Mr.. Lincoln was not we'll known
in the East, and not at all as a poll
tieian. Yet the self-taught Hi
nois lawyer received the nomina-
ton. Why? One reason unques-
tionably was because Seward had
MORALLY offended Horace Greeley,
and Mr. Greeley strove to compass
his defeat. Another reason was
because Andrew G. Curtin, then
candidate for Governor of Penn
sylvania, decided that he could not
carry Pennsylvania in the October
election If Seward was nominated
for President. 1t was of vital
] consequence that Curtin should be
elected in October. In little no.
tel bed room in Chicago, Curtin
and Cameron agreed upon this
and delivered next day Pennsylva-
MAS vote to Lincoln.
OF course Grants nominations
were beyond the power to prevent,
but a trifing thing defeated Blaine
in 1876, and nominated Hayes.
While Speaker Blaine had greatly
offended Gen. Tyner who WAS then
q power next to Morton in Indiana
politics. Tyncr never forgave that
injury. When, i'll the Convention,
it became apparent that Senator
Morton could not be nominated,
the Indiana delegation decided to
support Hayes, who had not been
deemed n very dangerous candi-
date. Blaines friends had count
ed on Indiana when Morton was
withdrawn. But Gen. Tyner, who
held that delegation, turned them
from Blaine to Hayes, and thus
felt sure that he had at last had
his revenge. Had Indiana turned
to Blaine he would have been
nominated. The brilliant leader
of the Republicans lost, and the
obscure Hayes won, because one
man had once felt that he had
been insulted by Blaine.
Everybody knows that but for
his presence in the Convention by
which he was enabled favorably to
impress delegates, Gen. Garfield
could not have taken the prize
away from such giants as Blaine,
Grant and Sherman. Had Gar
field kept away from the Conven-
ton, as it was at first his purpose
to do, he could not have been nomi-
mated.
Arthur's nomination for Vice
President was simply contingent
on Garfield. The offer of the
nomination was tossed to Gen. Ar
thur. He had no thought of it.
Certain queer combinations of cir
cumstances, for neither Garfield
nor Arthur wree responsible, such,
for instance, as Hancock's tariff
letter, followed. The man when
Hayes turned out of the Custom
House to ruin politically, became,
by that act, President, for he would
not have been in the Custom
House in 1880. 1t was one of the
most peculiar of all political boom
erangs, as John Sherman must
often think.
Blaine, we all know, was defeat
ed by the alliterative blunder of a
wordy clergyman; while the curious
combinations of circumstances
which made Cleveland's nomina-
tion first possible, then inevitable,
are well known. In his case it was
but tie history of Harrison and of
Polk repeating itself,
1t would then be almost, axioma-
tic to say that it is the unknown
who is nominated and the hero
who is defeated.
The secret of happiness is to
i find the fair side of everv event