Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-09-06
with shout. for the Illinois candidate for
President.
HAML1N FOR VICE pREs1DENr.

with shouts Tor the ILLINOIS candloate Tor
President
HAMLIN FOR VICE PRESIDENT.
Until after the nomination of Lincoln,
little attention had been given to the con.
test for Vice President. Had Seward been
nominated, Lincoln would have been unani-
mously rendered the second place on the
ticket, but with Lincoln nominated for the
first place, the leading friends of Lincoln at
once suggested to the friends Of Seward that
they should name the candidate for the Vice
Presidency. Mr.. Greedy was sent to Gov
ernor Morgan to proffer the nomination to
him if he would accept it, or in case of his
refusal, to ask him to name some man who
would be acceptable to the friends of Seward.
Governor Morgan not only declined to ac-
cept it himself, but he declined to suggest
any one of Stewards friends for the place.
Not only Governor Morgan, but Mr.. Evarts
and Mr.. Weed all refused to be consulted on
the subject of the Vice Presidency, and they
did it in a temper that indicated contempt
for the action of the convention.
Hamlin was nominated, not because
Seward desired it, for New York gave him
q bare majority on the first ballot, but be-
cause he was then the most prominent of
the Democratic Republicans in the East
The contest was really between Hamlin and
Oasslus NJ. Oldy- Ciay was supporIeu
chiefly because he was a resident of a
Southern State and to relieve the party
from the charge of presenting sectional
ticket; but as there were no Southern cleo
toral votes to be fought for, Hsmlin was
wisely preferred, and he was nominated on
the second ballot by vote of 367 to Sc for
Clay. Notwithstanding Governor Morgan's 8
keen disappointment at the defeat of Sew
ard, he was easily prevailed upon to remain
at the head of the national committee, thus
charging him with the management Of the
national campaign.
SEWARD LEADERS WERE BITTER
called on Thurlow Weed at his head
quarters during the evening after the nomi-
nations had been made, expecting that, with
all his disappointment, he would be ready
to cooperate for the success of the ticket
found him sullen and offensive in both
manner and expression. He refused even
to talk about the contest and intimated
very broadly that Pennsylvania, having
defeated Seward, could now elect Curtin
and Lincoln. Governor Curtin also visited
Mr.. Weed before he left Chicago, but re-
ceived no word of encouragement from the
disappointed Seward leader. Weed had
been defeated in his greatest effort and the
one great dream Of his life had perished.
the day of his death, nor did Seward main
tain any more than severely civil relations
with Curtin during the whole time that he
was at the head of the State Department
I called on Seward but once after the Or
ganimtion of the Lincoln Cabinet, and not
for the purpose of soliciting any favors
from him, but he was SO frigid that never
ventured to trespass upon him again. Three
months after the Chicago convention, when
the battle in Pennsylvania was raging with
desperation on both sides, twice wrote to
Mr.. Weed giving the condition of affairs in
the State and urging the cooperation of
hinfelf and Chairman Morgan to assure the
success of the ticket in October. He made
no response to either letter, and it SO hap
pened that we never met thereafter during
his life.
PENNSYLVANIA DECIDED IT.
The contest IN Pennsylvania was really
the decisive battle of the national campaign.
A party had to be created out of inhar-
monious elements and the commercial and
financial interests of the State were almost
solidly against us. / cannot recall five COM
mercial houses of prominence In the city of
Philadelphia where I could have gone to
solicit a subscription to the Lincoln cam
paign with reasonable expectation that it
would not be resented, and of all ourprominent
financial men 1 recall only Anthony J.
Drexel who sympathized with the Repub-
ican cause. Money would have been use
less for any but legitimate purposes, but the
organization of great State to crystalline
incongruous elements was an immense task
and involved great labor and expense.
visited Chairman Morgan in New York, pre-
sented the situation to him, but he was list
of
money was contributed from York State to
aid the Curtin contest in Pennsylvania.
The entire contributions for the State
committee for that great battle aggregated
only S12, 900, of which 81, 600 were a contri-
button for rent of headquarters and $1,000
we've expended in printing. Three weeks
before the election, when 1 relt reasonably
confident of the success of the State ticket,
again visited Governor Morgan and met
with him Moses Taylor and one or two
others, and they were finally so much i'm
pressed with the Importance of carrying a
Congress that they agreed to
riase s, 300 and send it direct to some six or
seven debatable Congressional districts in
dicated. Beyond this aid rendered to Penn
sylvania from New York the friends of Mr..
Seward took no part whatever in the great
October battle that made Abraham Lincoln
President. Curtin was elected by major
ity of 81, ,164, and Lane was elected in Ildi-
ana by 9,757. With Curtin the Republicans
carried 10 of the % Congressman, and with
Lane, the Republicans of Indiana carried
of the11 Congressman of that State. Thus
was the election of Republican President
substantially accomplished in October by
the success of the two men who had defeated
William II. Seward and nominated Abra-
ham Lincoln at Chicago
A Z. MCCLURE