The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-06-06
HARRISON WON BY ACCIDENT.
He Was Not the Choice OF the New YORK
Delegates In 1888.

The following, written by Frank G.
Carpenter and confirmed by ex-senator
Thomas C. Platt, was published In the
PosT-INrELLrGENcEa of April 8:
The story of the convention of 1883, when
President Harrison was nominated, is iuii
of unwritten history. The actors In 1t are
all alive, but you will scarcely ind one VINO
is willing to say over his own signature
Just how the nomination came TO be made,
nor how Sherman was beaten and Harri-
son nominated. One of the most PROM
inent senators from the West told me much
of the inside story of this convention last
night, and when l asked him whether L
might use his name in connection with the
interview he replied: "No, but you can
ask Senator Sherman whether he received
the dispatches which | have mentioned,
and if so this will be an evidence TO you OF
the truth of my story. First ask him as TO
whether on the Sunday before HARRISON
was nominated he did not get telegram
signed by Tom Plat and Warner Miller,
saying that the New York delegation were
going to cast their vote on the morrow for
him, and whether. later on, he did not re-
ceive another stating that they were going
to give complimentary vote to Harri-
son." l asked Senator Sherman these
questions, and he replied that he did re-
ceive these kilograms, 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 coInpro-
mise than with the serious intention of
making Harrison the candidate, and the
understanding was that after it the dele
CATION was to be counted solIdly for Sher-
man. The vote for Harrison, however,
turned the scale, and Harrison. much to
their surprise, was nominated. New York
came to the convention practically with
out a candidate. The votes for Chauncey
NJ. Depew in the tirst stages of
the convention were more compli-
mentary than serious, and the New
York delegates did not consider him
possibility. Depew. however, took the
vote Tor earnest. and he began to run
wires to the other delegations which
might have resulted in his nomination. I
knew that the West could do nothing with
Depew as q candidate. He was the attor-
ney of the Vanderbiits and a representa-
tive of the goldbugs, and his nomination
meant certain defeat. l found, however,
that he was getting considerable support,
and among others l talked with was
Senator Sewell, of New Jersey. Said L:
'Seweil, l understand that New Jersey is
going over to Chauncey Depew, and l
don't think it is good move You are
crazy, replied Sewel, he can't get a vote
in our delegation well, look and see,'
said L. SewelI thereupon polied the dele
CATION, and he came back and told me that
half of them We're going to vote for De-
pew. l then called upon the New York
delegation, and a number of them told me
there was nothing serious in Depew's cam
didacy, and shortly after that Depew's
name was withdrawn"
"But how did New York come to vote
for Sherman" said l.
"There are a number of stories mixed
up in it, was the reply. while the con-
vention was in session Chauncey Depew
gave dinner one night to the New York
delegation, and at that dinner it was
agreed that the four MISUNDERSTANDING
from New York should cast the seventy
votes of that state as they saw fit, and
three of these delegates leaned toward
Sherman. The four delegates were War
ner Miller, Frank Hiscock, Tom Platt and
Chauncey NJ. Depew. Warner Miller was
from the beginning a Sherman man.
Chauncey Depew preferred Sherman to
the other candidates, and so did Frank
Hiscock. The only one who was
an uncertain quantity in this regard
was ex-senator Tom PIatt. who got
the credit of being both a Sherman
and a Harrison man at this time dur
ing the convention. l 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
il had cast fifty-eight votes once or twice
for Harrison. 1t was felt in the conven-
ton, however. that this meant nothing.
but when the story got out about the De-
pew dinner the Ohio delegation realised
that the candidate who could hold the
solid vote of New York would be nomi.
mated The next morning after the din
ner Charlie Foster, now secretary of the
treasury, knowing that he conld depend
upon Miller, Hiscock and Depew. called
upon Tom Platt, with several other Sher-
man men, and urged him to go in with
the other three delegates-at-large and
make New York solid for Sherman. He
told Platt that Sherman appreciated the
importance of New York, and that If il
brought about his nomination by casting
its solid vote for him, he would certainly
give it due recognition If he came to he
president. Mr.. Foster told Mr.. Piatt that
of all the candidates before the convention
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
point Mr.. Platt said that promises in snch
a case would handicap the candidate, and
that he felt satisfied that Sherman
would treat his friends fairly. He
gave the IMPRESSION that he intend
ed to vote for Sherman, and 7 think
up until late Sunday night this
was his intention. l know that he and
arner Miller telegrapned Senator Sher-
man on Sunday night that New Work
would give him her solid vote on the NOR
row, and later on they telegraphed MIN
that they would give one vote to Harrison
and then vote for him. The other Sher-
man men, who were present when Foster
] talked with Plat. told Mr.. Foster that he
ought to have said that Senator Sherman
would certainly feel that New York shoniJ
have place in his cabinet. but Foster
said that he could not conscientiousIy
make such statement"
''Al this time" continued the senato-
stephen b. Elkins was watchip1 Tor,
Platt. He had heard of the dinne- and
he understood the situation as well AZ tha
Sherman men did. As soon as Plat iaf+
them he called and took him out driyine,
What transpired during that drive n
not know. PIatt is said to claim that NJ
EIkins offered hun the secretarvshin 80
the treasury If the New York vote sbdp,fd
be cast solidlv for President Ha~risan
and bring about his nomination. Ar ~
klns, / am told, denies that he made .b;s
offer, and the president says he never as
thoriZed anything of the kind to be MAJ
At any rate Platt did not get 10 be sa sr,-e.
tary OF the treasury. Another cnr;o,Ts
thing about the convention and the NJ
YORK delegation was that most of .he,,
were willing 70 give Allison a vote ar o.