The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-08-08


when Martin Van Buren, was carried into
office on the still powerful prestige of Old
Hickory. But in 1910 the triumph Of the
wings was as well indicated as anything in
politics can be-, since there had been
period of distress and the country
had passed through its fist
great financial panic, something that the
politicians believed would tend nightly
TO bring about a change of administration.
Yet the old story Of Clay's alleged bargain
with Adams, and the paltry jealousies of a
few men made it possible to concentrate
opposition to Clay's nomination upon petty
court clerk in Ohio, who thus received the
nomination and became President.
On the other hand, in 1914 the sentiment
in the party for Clny's nomination was as
over whelming as 10 was for the nomination
Of Gen. Grant in 1868 aud 1879. He was
! nominated practically without ballot and
his election seemed to be assured. Two cir
| cumstances iuterposed. One of them, SEEM
ingly petty, trivial and miserably personal,
the other a blunder Of the pen.
In some way, no one ever knew exactly
how, Mr.. Clay had given personal offense
to James G. Birney. The Abolition party,
mere handful, so inconspicuous that it
was regarded as one Of the humors OF the
politics of that time, had selected Mr.. Bir-
ney as it's representative man, and it deter
mined to put him in nomination for the
presidency. Birney was inclined not to
run, believing that it would be better for
the party to wait before making political
demonstration, but when he found that Mr..
Clay was the wing nominee. he consented
to be a candidate. No proof was ever
offered that this consent was due entirely to
his enmity to Clay, but at that time most
of the politicians believed that such was the
fact. No determined canvass was made for
Birney except in New York state, and but
little heed was paid to his candidacy.
On the morning after the election it
seemed as though Clay had carried New
York, and his friends were wild with de-
light, but as returns came from the re-
moter districts in the state and it was found
that half a dozen votes here in this Wing
town or perhaps a score In that WING city
had been cast for Birney, anxiety took the
place of JOY and then despair, for the COM
plete returns showed that Birney had cut
into the wing party sufficiently to put It
in a minority and to give the electoral
vote OF New York state to Polk by a
paltry 5000.
Mr.. Clay also heedlessly wrote a letter
during that canvass which became famous
as the Alabama letter. In 1t he confessed
that he was not opposed under some condi-
tions to the admission of Texas as a state
IL was an amazing letter for Clay 30 write
and it taught Thurlow Weed one lesson
which he afterward emphasized upon every
occasion, aud that was that it is the hight of
folly for a presidential candidate TO write
letters unless they are non-committal, and
it is ruin to write them with a view to
drawing strength from the opposition: Clay
had dashed this letter off thoughtlessly T.,
thinking only Of the political enemy and
not of his political friends. It brought him
not single recruit from the enemy, and 1t
cost him so many of his whig supporters
that he lost the presidency.
This lesson. Mr.. Weed said, served him
well In the next campaign. II ever one
man nominated another for the presidency,
Weed nominated Zachary Taylor. He
brought Taylor out as a candidate in his
paper, the Albany Journal. at time when
almost all the whig politicians believed that
the nomination would 20 to either Gen.
Scott or possibly to Henry Clay. and he so
pulled the wires as to bring the Wing party
over to his way Of thinking; Having NOM
mated Taylor. Weed turned to Willard Fill
more, who had unexpectedly received the
vice presidential nomination, and he said TO
him: Fillmore, if there is to be any letter
writing In this campaign, you and have
got to do it. There must be no more
Alabama letters anyway"
Therefore, Weed and Fillmore, William
d. Seward aiding, got together and pre-,
pared correspondence. They first fixed up
a letter which some inQuIring friend was to
send to Gen. Taylor, and, having prepared
the inquiry, it was not difficult to write the
| answer. The reply WAS marvel of poll
tical composition; il said all things and said
nothing; 1t was SO worded as to stop all
| correspondence, and yet not TO give
shook handle" which could be used to in-
jure Taylor. Taylor read 10 through, de-
clared that those were his sentiments
signed it and it went forth to the country
and brought old Rough and Ready votes.
IL was the luck of iuconspicuousness in
Mr.. Weeds opinion which brought the
! nomination OF James Buchanan In 1856.
| Buchanan had been a candidate twelve
| years, and John W. Forney, Daniel 8.
Dickinson and other democratic politicians
were Of the opinion that he might have been
nominated then instead of Polk had he not
shown timidity and insisted upon withdraw
ing. He was available because he was a
popular Pennsylvanian, and to get rid of
him as q candidate and for other reason In
the opinion Of contemporary politicians
Frank Pierce sent him as minister to
England.
Yet in so doing he did the very thing
which made Buchanan a possible caudi-
| date. Out of the country he was out OF the
hot-bed, and animositieS were not conferred
upon him and men did not unite In tearing
him down. "aerofore, when the rival
candidates who hati been prominent we're
dot able to secure sufficient following, the
party turned to Buchanan because he had
no enemies, having been away long enough
to cause old animosities to be forgotten.
Mr.. Weed always said that Seward would
have been President instead Of Lincoln buG
for his almost incidental association with
the American question, as it was called.
While Seward was governor, and after
ward while in the Senate, he had been
rather conspicuous in bis opposition to the
American movement the shadows Of which
even now harass some of the veteran poll
ticfans. This had not injured him IN New
York, because all who would have opposed
him for that reason were bound to oppose
him anyway. but in Pennsylvania and In
diana a considerable number OF the citizens
had taken umbrage at Gov. Seward on
account of his position on this question. and
it so happened that those citizens were tle
very ones upon whom the candidates for the
governorship in those two states relied TO
secure their elections.
Col. Alexander Mcclure has told the
story only recently, agreeing perfectly
with those things which Mr. Weed used to
say 20 his friends when talking over Sew
ards defeat 1t was the night before the
Chicago convention of 1860 was TO nomi-
nate. Andrew G. Curtin, the candidate
for governor of Pennsylvania, and Henry
8. Lane, who had been placed in nomiuas
ton by his party in Indiana, agreed that il