St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-07-10
Belittling the Editors Part in
the Convention at Bal
% timore.
LincOln's Historian Severely
Rakes the Philadelphian's
Presumption.
Kansas Alliance Men Will Not
Fuse--Third Party News
in General.

proves nothing but your rage and
wounded vanity at being exposed In
gross historical misstatement. You as
serted that President Lincoln opposed
the denomination of Hannibal Hamlin
for vice president. Irefuted that asser-
ton by calling attention to the written
record wherein Lincoln, in his own
handwriting, explicitly states the con-
trary. You now reassert your
statement, or. to put it i'll
other words, you accuse President
Lincoln of acting low political deceit,
and with his own handwriting delib-
crate lie. The country will not believe
the monstrous implication. Allow me
to restate the fact. l was at the Balti-
more convention as spectator. The
chairman of the Illinois convention,
Hon. B. G. Cook, had a conversation
with me about the course of certain dis
affected leaders in Illinois. That con-
versatiOn L reported to the president Ill
letter to Maj. Hay, my assistant prl-
vate secretary, in part as follows:
"What TRANSFERRED at home and what he
has heard from several sources have
made Cook suspicious that SWEET
may be
Untrue to Lincoln,
lone of the straws which lead him to
this belief is that SWEET has telegraphed
here urging the Illinois delegation to go
for Holt. Cook wants to know
confidentially whether SWEET is all
right; whether in urging Holt for vice
president he reflects the presidents
wishes; whether the president has any
preference, either personally or on the
score of policy. CT whether he wishes
not even to interfere by confidential
Indication" Upon this letter President
Lincoln made the following Endorsement
in his own handwriting: ''Swett is UNI
ouestionabIy all right. Mr.. Holt is
good man, but hadn't heard or thought
Of him for vice president. Wish not to
interfere about vice president,
Cannot interfere about platform
convention must judge for itself"
This written evidence is quoted i'll our
history and no amount of denial or as
sertion to the contrary can ever turn It,
In irving to evade its force you assert
that Lincoln called you to Washington
and urged the nomination OF johnson,
and that you returned to Baltimore TO
work and vote in obedience to that re-
tiOns. Let us examine this claim. The
official proceedings of the convention
show that you were one of the four
delegates at large from Pennsylvania,
the others being Simon Cameron, w.
w. Ketchum, NJ. B. LOwery, while the
list of district delegates contains the
names of many other-prominent Penn
sylyanians. The proceedings also show
that you acted
An Entirely Minor Part.
You we're a member OF the committee
on organization and presented its re-
port. recommending the permanent
officers which were elected. With that
presentation your service and influence
ended, so far as can be gathered from
the proceedings. OF other Pennsyl-
vania delegates. William w. Ketchum
was one of the vice presidents OF the
convention; Z. Mcpherson was on the
committee on credentials; A. ii. Reeder
on the committee on organization; Nj.
B. Lowery on the committee on reSolu-
tions: S. T. Wilson on the committee on
rules and order of business; 5. A. Pur-
Vance on the national committee, while
Gen. Simon Cameron held the lead
ing and important post of chair
man of the Pennsylvania delega-
ton. So, again, among those who
made motions and speeches were
Cameron, Thaddeus Stevens, A. ID.
Reeder, G.. A. Waldorf, GaluSha A.
Grow, and NJ. B. Lowery, but beyond
the presentation of the routine report l
have mentioned, your name did not give
forth the squeak of the smallest mouse.
Is it probable that Lincoln, among all
these men, would have called you alone
to receive his secret instructions? 1t IS
matter of public history that Simon
Cameron was more prominent and effl-
cent than any other Pennsylvania in
the movement in that state to give Lin
coin a second term, and that on the 18th
of January, 1854, he transmitted to the
president the written request of every
Union member of the Pennsylvania
legislature to accept a renomlnatlon.
This and his subsequent open and I'M
varying support left no doubt OF Gamer
on'S attitude. How was it with you? L
find among Lincoln's papers the follow
ing letter:
Mcclure TO Lincoln.
Chambersburg. Pa, May 2, 1S64.-Sir:
have ben amazed to see 1t intImated in one or
two journals that am not cordially i'll favor
of YOUR nomination. shall notice the init
nations no further than to assure you
that YOU will have no more cordial,
earnest or faithful supporter in the Balti-
more convention than your obedient servant
A. K. MCCLURE.
That is only a month before the Balti-
more convention, and you felt called
upon to personally protest against ac-
cusations of party dislOyalty. But this
is not all. When the time came to make
the nominations for vice president,
Simon Cameron, chairman of the Penn
sylvania delegation, and one of the
earliest and most persistent friends of
Lincoln, himself nominated Hannibal
Harrlin for vice president, while the
whole vote of Pennsylvania was on
the first ballot cast for Hamlin's renomi-
nation. So also the Illinois delegation
east its entire vote for Hamlin Oh the
first ballot. Does it stand to reason that
Lincoln called upon you to desert. HAM
lin and nominate Johnson, and give no
intimation of this desire to the chairman
of the PENNSYLVANIA delegation and of
the Illinois delegation? And once more,
is it probable that If Lincoln had desired
the nomination Of Johnson be would
have allowed Sweet, zone of the preSi-
dents most intimate friends,n to urge
the nomination Of Holt? Dare you ven
ture the assertion that Lincoln was de-
ceiying Cameron. deceiving Cook, carry
ing on a secret intrigue against Hamhn
and another secret intrigue against
Holt, and that on top of the whole he
was writing a deliberate lie to US? That
NAV be YOUR conception of Abraham
Lincoln, but it is not mine. That may
be your system of politics. but it was
not his. JOHN G. NICoLAY.
Sustains the Editor.
CHICAGO, July "A former resident
of Tennessee, now residing in this city,
who was intimately acquainted with
Andrew Johnson when he was the most
conspicuous figure in Tennessee, makes
the following statement in connection
with the controversy which has arisen
between Editor Mcclure, of Philadel
phia and John G. Nicolay, as to who
was President Lncoln's choice as run
ming mate ON the ticket of 1874.
I'm May, '64, preceding the national
Republican convention, | met in the
South Gen. Daniel SickIes. In a CONVEX
satioH with me at the time on political
matters he said he had come South for