The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-10-04
MCCLELLAN AND lee
Story Of One of the Victor
les of Peace and
Politics.
STIRRING GG1 l?GtL CANVASS.
How 1t Was Made and How the Re-
publicans Abandoned a
Mass Meeting.
STIRRING CIR l?GtL CANVASS.


has been a manager of the De nocratic
party in New Jersey. He has been
for twenty years Clerk of the Su-
preme Court. aud for several years
treasurer Of thu Democratic Stale Com
mittee. He recently was mentioned as Il
ci.ndldat for 6,vernur, but declined be-
C rs tie sad re could not stand Ihs Wear
and tea incid sutal to a $-Gubernatorial
c..Inpalgn. he Knew NIL about 1t, for he
had taken many Democra &c G we nors
on star engagements turUugh Tue lower
tier of COUNTIES.
My observa,i III has led me to this
conclusion, because it takes au iron c)u-
stltitIon TO stand it AL. Had LOT Cen
eral Mcclellan been u man of stroug
physique he would have been used up III
that memurl ble campaign of 1877. Well
do | remember it, and l always shall. 1t
was SUCH a succession of ovations,
crowded with touching and pathe.i c inci-
utlts AID III l Of Striking scenes ali tina
wny through. McCIeilau's nomination
Ut the Democratic Convention was u mat
ter of general surprise, He was not q
candidate. AbbetG was in the lead, but
there was some opposition to him and
Mcclellan was sprung Oh the convention.
The Republicans nominated DIR. w. L..
Newell, who had been Governor before,
aud WHO since has gained more or less
political notoriety IN the West as a re-
former.
M'CLELLAN's BIG BOOM.
"After McCleil4u's nomiuatlon the en-
tire press of the United States sounded
his praise independent of their party
utilization. The Mcclellan boom took its
start after the reception rendered him by
the soldiers of Massachusetts. He went
to Boston aud his old comrades il arms
rs well as tbs people lionlzed aim. The
reception was characterized with mauy
tender expressions made by soldiers and
even by the widows of some who fought
under him. The newspapers described
these scenes graphically and the con-
taRion spread to New Jersey and became
epidemic. The can. aigu was not with
out its political aspersions. An effort
was made to make capital out
OF a : Notwithstanding scheme
that 1t Was Charged that the GEN
eral was connected with. some few SOL
d.ers were found who belittled his army
record. Others Charged hat he was the
candidate Of the State House ring, and
that he was being paInpered by the
wealthy men of the State and carted
round in a special car because a common
car in which everybody else saw ht to
ride was not good enough. As Campaign
thunder all this was a failure. 1t would
not work In the Mcclellan campaign.
He was a popular idol. and this wa
plainly indicated by the fact that he was
frequently cheered at Republican meet
tngs.
A SUCCESSFUL TOUR.
sit was my prIvllege 10 meet the Gen.
eral aud take him through u successful
stamping tour in South Jersey. He q
spoken with much success in the upper
part of the State. He had also endured
the fatigue OF visiting nearly all of the
county fairs. and he expressed himself as
having been we'll pleased with the cordial
reception that the farmers gave him.
There was much magnetism about him.
He said very little, made short speeches
MS a rule, but he shook hands we'll,
ald that was q good enough accom-
plfshment for hat campaign. Ev-
erybody read of Little Mac aud want
ed TO see and be near the man. The
Trenton demonstration wa full of inter
est. There was a grand mounted escort,
parade and meeting. At Camden the
ovation was so great that 1t would be i'm
possible 10 recite even u fraction of the
many stirring events of the day. Half of
Philadelphia came over the river to
see the hero. For two hours he
shook hands with the people. Iu
the line there were many one-legged.
one-armed, bartle-scarred old chaps. I
remember one, a jolly old man with one
leg. The line was Kept moving, because
it would not do to let anyone tarry to
talk. This old chap came along, he
III Nv OCACAC IA ~ GAC h6hdy II d6
he passed he said:-'Fair Oaks-Sixty-
nintn-Fair Oaks. my old boy;' and as he
passed down he cooked his head and his
little bead like eyes snapped.
JUVENILE NAMESAKEs.
:.The little George Z. McClellans that
turned mp that day was something mar
velous. They were numberiess. Proud
mothers struggled alcng and smilingly
demanded that he shake hands with his
namesakeS. AS a rule he not only shook
hands. but gave them a special tap on the
cheek. The Court House was arranged by
the ladies of Camden. They removed the
benches. secured rugs and furniture and
made the place cosey and houlelike. This
they did to recommend themselves to the
distinguished hero of the day as thrifty
women. The opposition made consider
able capital out Of the fact that the old
Leuches on which the common people sat
We e not good enough for the great Nc
CIellan. He was given d dinner at the
@ egaut residence OF Abraham Browning,
one of the foremost members OF the New
Jersey Bar. Tina night he spoke at u
meeting Il there was an immense pa
rade
sit was marvellous the magnetism of
ii g man aud how it controlled the people.
Wien we were seated in the carriage t o
60 10 the ferry, for he spent the night
with his mother IN Philadelphia, men
clambrred up to the OF ening III the car
rage door and yelled, "Mac. Mac, shake
hands with old c~omrades.' The crowd
followed the carriage cheering and occa-
s~ioually some more yeniuresome than
others would climb on the rear axle and
thrust their hands in the rear
opening. A break was made for
the ferry boat. and by the time
the carriage was driven on it was
crowded with a cheering concourse of
people. Such q scramble to get at the
car iage / never saw before. II was then
that / asked him why 1t WAS that he was
so dear to the people. He answered.: L
do not know that ! ever did anything to
deserve this ~outpouring of popular ex-
preston. | always, however, in my deal
lngs with lei aud with the soldiers re-
lnembered that they were human ike
myself aud refrained from doing what I
would not want any man to do to me.
This must be the outcome of tue feeling
of humanity shat man has for me- A Cry
of Shake. Mac. old boy brought his tea
der words to Il close.
REPUBLICANS PUT TO ROUT.
ssThe next day we went to Woodbury.,
the count seat of Gloucester. THE Ke-
publicans had arranged a big ratification
meeting for their candidate, DR.. Newell,
but McCIellan's coming had discouraged
them. They knew that the presence OF
Mcclellan would; ce detrimental to a
mass meeting aud two political shows
was something novel for the town.
The Republicans, to offset the
spell-finding influence of McCiel-
Ian gave M their mass meet
ing and announced a reception to
Governor Newell aud a free dinner in the
Conrt Hause ward aC Woodbury., but even