Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1892-02-18
CORRESPONDENCE of THE REPUBLICAN.

New YORK, Feb. ct may be as well
said of presidential conventions as it has
been said of juries that no one can pre-
dict accurately what they will do. With
the exception of the great soldiers who
have been nominated and whose selec-
ton was indicated unerringly before the
conventions which nominated them met,
and with the exception also of two
cases where the denomination of presi-
dent has been inevitable, it may be said
that ever since the national caucus sys-
TEN was adopted, some sixty years ago,
the action of the conventions of all the
parties has been in the nature of a spr-
pise. 1t is the unexpected which ap-
pears to be most likely to happen. with
national conventions. Nobody, form
stance, expected that James X. Polk
would be nominated in 1874. He was
almost unknown. Martin Van Buren,
was regarded as the certain candidate,
and he did have in fact n majority in
the convention, but curiously enough, n
rule which he had himself devised to
secure his nomination in 1896, which
BloNldCd NilNl "a NOlC w
secured before any candidate should be
declared nominated, prevented his re-
ceiving the honor in 1914.
In 1913 it was thought for time that
General Scott or possibly Daniel Web
ster would be chosen by the party they
represented, but single remark by
Zachary Taylor, uttered in the heat Of
hat in Mnxtnn wall fol Is,
Vaccinations of the politicians, brought
him of u sudden to the front and he cap
tured the prize, leaving such great men
of his party as Scott and Clay and DAN
lei Webster behind in the race for the
honor
Perhaps the most striking case of sur
prise occurred in 1852. The convention
of the Democratic party seemed then I'M
able to agree upon anybody. The
strength of all the leading men in the
Democratic party was tested. The lit
tie giant of the west, Stephen A. Doug
las, then barely forty years of age, was
unable to secure the vote of the conven-
ton, although he was immensely popu-
lar with his party, and in despair the
managers turned to the little delegation
from the state of New Hampshire and
said to them, "Name your man and we
will take him." and thus it happened
that person so obscure that most of
his party had never heard of him, Frank
lin Pierce, became president of the
United States.
In 1876 the result of the Republican
convention was u surprise to the country.
Blaine had run noble race; Morton,
Conkling and Bristow were splendid
competitors, and yet the man who took
the prize was so inconspicuous at the
beginning of the balloting that his name
attracted but little attention. The nomi-
nation of General Garfield in 1880 and
that of Benjamin Harrison in 1883 were
signal illustrations of the tendency of
conventions to do those things which are
surprising
Thurlow Weed used to say that in the
race for the presidency the dark horse
has the best chance, and he always felt
that William II. Seward would have re-
ceived the nomination for president in
1860 had he been as obscure as Abraham
Lincoln was
National conventions have always
been afraid of men of great wealth.
Washington was the richest president,
as he was the first. The two Adamses
and Madison had very small property.
Jefferson was dependent upon his salary,
left the White House in debt and was
obliged ito borrow money and sell some
of his books to support himself in his
old age. Martin Van Buren, was worth
about 500, 900 when elected, and he ac-
cumulated property after he left the
presidency William Henry Harrison
was so poor that he was dependent upon
his trifling earnings as clerk of little
court in Ohio for his support while the
presidential canvass was progressing.
Henry Clay might have earned large
fortune by practice ut the bar, but he
was an improvident man. He had con-
tinually to borrow money on notes, and
ne was in some pecuniary embarrass.
ment. it il said when he became the
candidate in 1874. General Pierce had
a small property, Buchanan an income
of some 1000 and General Scott was
absolutely dependent upon his salary as
a general in the United States army
when he was nominated.
Lincoln was very poor, In the win
ter Of 1860, some three months before he
was nominated, he was in New York
city, and he there met II friend whom
he had known in Illinois.
Said Lincoln to this friend We'll
how are you getting on i'll worldly
goods since you left Illinois,"
"Oh, suppose I'm worth 100000,
was his friends reply
well, that ought to be enough tC
keep you handsomely the rest of youi
life," said Lincoln. "a haven't done sc
we'll have $1,000 in money and my
house in Springfield, which is worth
about $4,000" Then he added with q
merry twinkle in his eye; "Some of my
friends say they are going to nominate
me for vice president with Seward fol-
president. Well, if they do and In
elected, ought to save $4,000, and that
with what I've got will be enough fol
me, reckon" Lincoln was then fifty
one years of age, and he seemed to looh
forward with content to the possession
of about 100000 as enough for him il
his old age. His aggregate salary in the
four years that he served was 800, 900
and he was able to save about $40, 900 OF
that and counted on saving rs mucl
more during his second term, so that hi
thought he would be worth about 800,
h. lay tls ,,rn.,lo,,.x,