Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-03-06

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~ of the trades
which are made between candidates and the
convention leaders. 1t does not know that
Cabinet offices have been often promised as
the price of the support of delegation, nor
does it understand the little tricks and
queer turns which sometimes make or de-
feat a President
The story of the convention of 1888, when
President Harrison was nominated, is full
of unwritten history The actors in it are
all alive, but you will scarcely find one
who is willing to say, over his own sigma
ture, Just how the nomination came to be
made, or how Sherman was beaten and
Harrison nominated One of the most
prominent Senators from the West told me
much of the inside story of this convention
last night, and when asked him whether 1
might use his name in connection with the
interview, be replied:
New York's Vote for Harrison
''No, but you can ask Senator Sherman
whether he received the dispatches which L
have mentioned, and if so this will be an
evidence to YOU of the truth of nv story.
First ask him as to whether, on the Sunday
before Harrison was nominated he did not
get a telegram signed by Tom Platt and
Warner Miller saving that the New York
delegation were going to cast their vote on
the morrow for him, and whether. later on,
he did not receive another stating they were
going to give complimentary vote to Har-
rison.
asked Senator Sherman these questions,
and he replied that he did receive these tele-
grams 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 of 1888
had New York not decided to give one
solid vote for Harrison on Monday. This
vote was given more as q compromise than
with the serious intention of making Harri-
son the candidate, and the understanding
was that after it the delegation was to be
counted solidly for Sherman.
Harrison Was an Accident
''The vote for Harrison, however, turned
the scale. and Harrison, much to their sur
prise, was nominated. New York came to
the convention practically without can
didate. 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 a
possibility. Depew, however, took the
vote for earnest, and he began to run wires
to the other delegations which might have
resulted in his nomination.
81 knew that the West could do nothing
with Depew as candidate. He was the
attorney of the Vanderbilts and represent
ative of the gold bugs, and his nomination
meant certain defeat. / found, however
that he was getting considerable support
and among others talked with was Sena-
tor Sewell, of New Jersey. Said 1:
'Sewell, understand that New Jersey is
going over to Chauncey Depew, and don't
think it 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 delegation, and
he came back and told me that half of them
were going to vote for Depew. 1 then
called upon the New York delegation and
number of them told me there was nothing
serious in Depew's candidacy, and shortly
after that Depew's name was withdrawn"
How Sherman Lost the Presidency.
'But how did New York come to vote for
Sherman" said L
'There are number of stories mixed up
tiOn was in session, Chauncey Der ew gave a
dinner one night to the New York delega-
ton and at that dinner it was agreed that
the four delegates at large from New York
should cast the 20 votes of that State as
they saw fit, and three of these delegates
leaned toward Sherman. The four delegates
were Warner Miller, Frank Hiscock, Tom
Plstt and Chauncey NJ. Depew. Warner
Miller was from the beginning Sherman
man. Chauncey Depew preferred Sherman
10 the other candidates and so did Frank
Hiscock. The only one who was IN uncertain
quantity in this regard was ex-senator Tom
Platt, who got the credit of being both q
Sherman and a Harrison man at this time
during the convention.
81 am not sure as to the exact time of this
dinner, but it must have been at the last of
the week. New York had been drifting
around and 1t had east IS votes one or twice
for Harrison. 1t was felt in the convention,
however, that this meant nothing, but when
the story got out about the Depew dinner
the Ohio delegation realized that the
candidate who could hold the solid vote of
New York could be nominated
Calico Charles Big Promises.
rsThe next morning after the dinner Charlie
Foster. now Secretary of the Treasury.
knowing that he could depend upon Miller.
Hiscock and Depew, called upon Tom Platt
with several other Sherman men and urged
him to go in with tine other three delegates
at large and make New York solid for
Sherman. He told Platt that Sherman ap
preciated the importance Of New York and
that if Ii brought about his nomination pv
casting its solid vote for him, he would
certainly give it due recognition if he came
TO be President. Mr.. Foster told Mr. Platt
that of all the candidates before the con-
vention, Sherman was the only one who
was big enough, brave enough and strong
enough to carry out any promises his
friends might make concerning him. At
this Mr. Platt said that promises in such
case would handicap the candidate and that
he felt satisfied that Sherman would treat
his friends fairly. He gave the impression
that he intended to vote for Sherman and
/ think up until late Sunday night this
was his intention. / know that he and
Warner Miller telegraphed Senator Sher-
man on Sunday that New York would give
him her solid vote on the morrow, and
later on they telegraphed him that they
would give one vote to Harrison and then
vote for him. The other Sherman men who