The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-03-06

lSeQ as the price OF the support OF dele
CATION, nor does it understand the little
tricks and queer turns which sometimes
make or defeat president. The story of
the convention of 1888, when President
Harrison was nominated, Us full of I'M
written history. The actors in it are all
alive, but you will scarcely find one who is
willing to say over his own signature
just how the nomination came to be made,
nor how Sherman was beaten and Harri-
son nominated. One of the most prom.
inent senators from the West told me much
of the inside story of this convention last
night, and when 1 asked him whether I
might use his name in connection with the
interview he replied: mo, but you can
ask Senator Sherman whether he received
and if so this will be an evidence to you of
the truth of my story. First ask him as
to whether on the Sunday before Harrison
was nominated he did not get telegram
signed by Tom Patt and Warner Miller,
saying that the New York delegation were
going to cast their vote on the morrow for
him, and whether, later on, he did not re-
ceive another stating that they were going
to give complimentary vote to Harri-
son." / asked Senator Sherman these
questions and he replied that he did re-
ceive these kilograms and that he believed
they were sent in good faith. Now for the
senator's story. Said he:
Senator Sherman would certainly have
been the nominee of the convention of1SS8
had New York not decided to give one
solid vote for Harrison on Monday. This
vote was given more as compromise than
with the serious intention of making Har-
rison the candidate and the understand
ing was that after it the delegation was to
be counted solidly for Sherman. The vote
for Harrison, however, turned the scale,
and Harrison, much to their surprise, was
nominated. New York came to the con-
vention practically without a candidate.
The votes for Chauncey NJ. Depew in the
first stages of the convention were more
complimentary than serious, and the New
York delegates did not consider him
possibility. Depew, however, took the
vote for earnest, and he began TO run
wires to the other delegations which
might have resulted in his nominal
ton. 1 knew that the West could do
nothing with Depew as a candidate. He
was the attorney of the Vanderbilts and a
representative of the goldbugs, and his
nomination meant certain defeat. found,
however, that he was getting considerable
support, and among others l talked with
was Senator Sewen, of New Jersey. Said
/: 'Sewell, understand that New Jersey
is going over to Chauncey Depew, and
don't think ii is a good move You are
crazy. replied Sewell, 'he can't get vote
in our delegation We'll, look and see.'
said l. Sewell thereupon polled the dele
cation, and he came back and told me
that half of them were going to vote for
Depew. then called upon the New York
delegation. and a number of them told me
there was nothing serious in Depew's
candidacy. and shortly after that Depew's
name was Withdrawn
But how did New York come to vote
for Sherman?" said l.
There are a number of stories mixed
up in it, was the reply. while the con-
vention was in session Chauncey Depew
gave a dinner one night to the New York
delegation, and at that dinner it was
agreed that the four delegates-at-large
from New York should cast the seventy
votes Of that state as they saw fit, and
three of these delegates leaned towards
Sherman. The four delegates were War
ner Miller, Frank Hiscock, Tom Platt and
Chauncey NJ. Depew. Warner Miller was
from the beginning a Sherman man.
Chauncey Depew preferred Sherman
TO the other candidates, and so
Clu FRANK dlScOck- The only one
who was an uncertain quantity
in this regard was ex-senator Tom Plat.
who got the credit of being both a Sher-
man and Harrison man at this time
during the convention. 1 am not sure as
to the exact time of this dinner, but il
must have been at the last of the week
New York had been drifting around, and
II had cast fifty-eight votes once or twice
for Harrison 1t was felt IN the conven-
ton, however, that this meant nothing,
but when the story got out about the De-
pew dinner the Ohio delegation realized
that the candidate who could hold the
solid vote of New York could be nom-
mated. The next morning after the din
ner Charlie Foster, now secretary of
! the treasury, knowing that he could de-
/ pend upon Miller, Hiscock and Depew,
! called upon Tom Plat, with several other
! Sherman men, and urged him to go in
/ with the other three delegates at large and
| make New York solid for Sherman. He
| told Plat that Sherman appreciated the
/ Importance of New York, and that if 1t
| brought about his nomination by casting
I its solid vote for him, ne would certainly
/ give il due recognition if he came to be
/ president. Mr.. Foster told Mr.. Platt that
! OF all the candidates before the convention
| Sherman was the only one who was big
! enough. brave enough and strong enough
| 10 carry out any promises his friends
! might make concerning him. At this
/ point Mr.. Platt said that promises in such
a case would handicap the candidate. and
| that he felt satisfied that sher-
man would treat his friends