Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-01

sss man until he saw an announcement in
the newspapers that Kansas had elected
delegates and instructed them for Seward
This vas Lincoln's first disappointment il
his effort to organize his friends to affair
the Presidential nomination, but his philos
ophy was well maintained.
Equal to the Emergency,
Without waiting to hear from his friend
who had contracted to bring Lincoln dele
cation from Kansas, he wrote him, saving
''I see by the dispatches that since yor
wrote Kansas has appointed delegates in
structed for Seward. Don't stir them ur
to anger, but come along to the convention,
and will do as said about expenses" II
Is not likely that that unfortunate expert
ence cost Lincoln his 500. but it is worthy
OF note that soon after his Inauguration as
President he gave the man Federal Office
with comfortable salary.
When he became seriously enlisted as a
candidate for the Presidential nomination,
he soon learned that while he could be OF
great value as an adviser and organizer, the
great work had to be performed by others
tnan himself He gathered around him a
number of the ablest politicians of the West,
among whom were Norman p Judd, David
Davis, Leonard SWEET, o. NJ Hatch, and
M. Medill, of the Chicago Tribune These
men had, for the first time, brought a
National convention to the West, and they
had the advantage of fighting for Lincoln
on their owu ground with the enthusiasm
his name inspired as potent factor in
their work They went there to win
and they left nothing undone with
in the range of political effort to give
him the nomination. Two positions in the
Cabinet, one for Pennsylvania and one for
Indiana, were positively promised by David
Davis at an early period of the contest,
when they feared that there might be seri-
Gus difficulty in uniting the delegations of
these States on Lincoln. 1t is proper TO
ssv that Lincoln had no knowledge of these
contracts, and had given no such authority,
and 1t is proper, also, to say that the con-
tracts were made in both cases with compar-
Btively irresponsible parties who had little
power, if any, in guiding the action of their
respective delegations.
The Promise of Cabinet Positions.
Certainly Lane and Curtin, who were the
most important factors in bringing their
States to the support of Lincoln, were not
only not parties to these contracts, but
were entirely ignorant of them until their
fulfllment was demanded after Lincoln's
election. l have good reasons to know that
In the case of Pennsylvania, that contract,
while ii did not of itself make General Cam
eron Secretary Of War, had much to do with
resolving Lincoln's doubts in favor of Cam
eron's appointment in the end.
There were no political movements of ma
tional importance during Lincoln's admins
t-ation in which he did not actively, al
though often hiddenly, participate. 1t was
Lincoln who finally, after the most convul-
Eive efforts to get Missouri into line with
the administration, effected reconciliation
of disputing parties which brought Brown
and Henderson into the Senate, and it was
Lincoln who in 1868 took q leading part
IN attaining the declination of Curtin as a
Gubernatorial candidate that year. Grave
BpprehensioGs were felt because of the
10000 Pennsylvania troops in the field who
haG not then the constitutional right to
vote in their camps, and also because of the
bitter factional feud between the Curtin
ana Cameron wings of the party, that Cur
tin could not be reelected Indeed, Cur
tin himself and his close political friends
looked upon the contest as almost utterly
hopeless. Lincoln had no preiudices
against Curtin; on the contrary, he pro-
tcundly appreciated his patriotic efforts to
aid him in the prosecution of the war, but
He Feared Curtin's Defeat,
and Stanton, who was never friendly to
Curtin, was aggressive in his efforts to pre-
vent his denomination. Curtin's health
was broken, and it was believed by his own
household that the strain of grea. contest
such as be would be compelled to accept if
nominated, would be more than he could
survive. His devoted and estimable wife,
v no shed luSter upon every public honor he
attained, appealed to me with tears in her
eyes to take absolute measures to retire him
from the field, and the Governor heartily as
sented if he could be permitted to retire in
Env way honorable to himself
OF Curtin's denomination there was no
doubt whatever if he permitted his name
to be used, and it became merely question |
how he could retire gracefully. Entrusted |
v ith this mission, acting entirely upon my |
own Judgment, L went to Washington, |
called upon Colonel Forney and told him |
NY mission. / said: ''Senato. Cameron |
viii desire the retirement of Curtin because |
he is his enemy; desire it because am his |
friend; may we not cooperate in bringing it |
soout?" Cameron was sent for, the matter |
presented to him, and he az once id, |
with some asperity, that ''Curtin should be
got rid Of" 1 suggested if Lincoln would |
tender TO Curtin foreign mission, in view
oI his broken health it would solve the |
difficulty and enable Curtin to retire. To |
Lhis Cameron agr. ed, and within half an
hour thereafter we startled Lincoln bv ap-
pearing before him together, accompanied |
b. Forney.
"It was the first time Cameron and had
appeared before Lincoln to unite in asking
him 20 perform and public act.
Lincoln Was Very Willing.
I stated the case briefly but frankly, and
b promptly responded that Curtin was en-
Titled 10 the honor suggested, and that it
would be great pleasure to him to tender
him the place, but, said be, I'm in the
position OF Young Sheridan, when old Sher-
dan called him 10 task for his rakisa con-
iuct, and said to him that he must take
wife; to which young Sheridan replied:
Very well, father but whose wife shall 1
.s6e?' 1t is all very well, he added, ''to
ay that 1 viii give Curtin mission, but
whose mission am l TO take? would not
'her him anything but first-class one."
To this Cameron replied that a second
lass mission would answer the purpose, but
orney and / resented that and said that if
seCond-clasS mission was to be discussed
ye mad nothing further to say. Lincoln
losed the conference by suggesting that as
I seemed to be my affair, should call to
ee him in the morning. did so, when he
andec me an autograph letter to Curtin,
encering him tirst-class mission, to be ac-
epted st his pleasure, in view of the patri-
tic service he had rendered and the shat
cred condition Of his health. This letter
eli7sred to Curtin. The announcement
-as at once made to the Associated Press
hat foreign mission had been rendered to
urtin; that he had signifed his acceptance
{ it, and that he would not be candidate
1f denomination for Governor.
The Peeopie Called for Curtin.
Curtin's declination was responded to
,1r,, All h.. alAar Of ha laa |