The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-07-24

| Tom Corwin had once narrated an inter
I esting anecdote about him.
| BENJAMIN Siiiiman. who was delegate
| TO the Wing convention OF lop- when
| nominated William Henry Harrison. tells
| an interesting bit of inside history with
/ respect TO the vice presidential nomina-
| ton, and his anecdotes are confirmed by
/ the late y. Z. Sergeant, who, during
| long residence in Washington CI+y, saw
| much that was goin ION behind the po-
| li.icai curtain.
After General William H. Harrison had
been nominated for the presidency the dis
position was to put upon the ticket with
! him some intimate friend of Henry Clay,
! who had been defeated for the nomination.
| This was TO be done in the hope or giving
/ comfort 70 Mr.. CIay's friends and securing
| their earnest support for the ticket
| Members of the convention having au-
| thority approached the Hon. Watkins
| Leigh. of Virginia. who was present in the
| convention as one of the most earnest
advocates of Claws nomination. ms
| committee found Mr.. Leigh with manifest
/ sorrow expressed in his countenance and
| in his greeting. IL seemed as though he
| was heart-broken at the defeat of Mr.. Clay.
| They said 10 him:
"Mr. Leigh. the convention is very
! anxious to nominate warm and devoted
| friend OF Mr.. Clay's for the vice presl-
| dency. The desire is that this candidate
I shall come from Virginia, and the thought
| of every man has turned 10 you as the
mos. conspicuous and able OF the Virginia
| Wings. If you would accept that nomina-
| ton IL shall be made unanimously before
| the day passes"
What have / done TO deserve this?"
the old gentleman replied. his lndigna-
ton seeming Tor the moment 10 have mas
tered his sorrow. $50 back, gentlemen,
to the convention and say that Mr.. Leigh
regrets that their estimation of his sense
OF honor is so low, and that his own sense
of honor would permit him TO accept this
nomination" And he would not further
parley with this committee.
Then the committee went to \. z. Tall
madge, of New York, who was also elected
as Clay delegate, and they made the
same proposition TO him. He refused for
an instant to cons der il. Next they went
to Samuel l.. Southland. of New Jersey, but
Mr.. Southland refused for moment to lis
ten TO their suggestions. though he knew
that he would be nominated If he would
consent TO receive it.
The committee was in some despair. 1t
seemed not likely to be able to find prom
inent Clay Wing who would accept the
nomination. While discussing the matter
some one said that John Tyler of Virgin
ia, who was Clay delegate, had wept Bit
terly when the vote showed that Mr.. Clay
was defeated, and had retired from the
convention.
"Ah. did Mr.. Tyler weep? Then ne is
the man for us" said one member of the
committee They sought Mr.. Tyler
made TO him the same proposition they
had TO the others, and he SAID: IF
| the convention chooses 10 nominate me
will not discIaim." and within an hour he
was the candidate for vice president, and
within month after his Inauguration he
became president of the United States.
Political theorists have been fond of
I ytasg r-rp 10 .af
| political events had either of the three
| gentlemen who declined the vice-presi-
! dency accepted il. One thing seems GER
tain, and that is that the Texas question
would have been postponed at least, and
very likely We should have had no war
with Mexico.
/ 1t was Willard Fillmore's expectation
i either to receive the nomination for vice
! president with Henry Clay in 1S4S or else
! the nomination for governor OF New York.
| He failed to capture the national conven-
| ton, Theodore Frelinghuisen, of New
| Jersey, the father of the secretary of state
under Artnur's administration, having
| been chosen. Mr.. Fillmore did become the
candidate of his party for governor of
| New York, but was defeated and was
| subsequently elected controller, hoping to
| be renominated for governor. Thurlow
Weed. Fillmore and William H. Seward
| determined that the nomination for vice
| president IN lS4S should go to New Eng
| land. Mr.. Weed had so played politics
| that the nomination of General Zachary
| Taylor for president seemed to be inevita-
/ BILE and nothing which Weed ever did
equaled the brilliant politics which
brought about that nomination and
| the election of Taylor. He and
! Fillmore mad in mind for the
vice presidency Abbott Lawrence. of
| Massachusetts,, a strong anti-slavery Wing,
| a rich man, who had developed the cotton
| manufacturing industry in New England
| and had founded the city which now bears
! his name. At Weeds request Mr.. Law
| renee met him and Mr.. Fillmore at the
Astor house in New York. and there the
plan of campaign for the vice presidential
nomination was made out. Mr.. Law
| rence's name was received with great
! favor until some of the Western Wings
raised the cry: I'VE don't want cotton
at both ends of the ticket" This re-
| ferred to the fact that General TAYLOR
was q cotton planter in Louisiana, while
| Mr.. Lawrence was q cotton manufacturer
| in Massachusetts,. The convention seemed
/ to be at sea respecting the vice presidential
| nomination when. acting on the impulse
| of the moment. without the authority or
! even the knowledge OF Mr.. Fillmore. Gen.
! eral Ciliier of New York arose and pro-
/ posed Fillmore's nomination. and almost
before the DELEGATES knew what they
! were doing Fillmore became the vice
| presidential candidate. \ year and half
| later he took the oath AS president. The
! extraordinary fatality and strange coinci-
| oence by which it happened that the only
| two Wings ever elected to the presidency
had died in Office had most demoralizing