The morning call., 1894-10-08

Curtin weighted with weak PRESIDENTIAL
candidate would probably tail OF an cleo
ti0n. and his defeat would react mos. dis
astrously upon the national ticket.
Before the assemb bling of the convention
all indications seemed to point to the nom-
ination OF Senator Seward OF New Y ORR.
His great abilities, his exalted character
and his consp cuous public services easily
placed him IN the lead of all the other can
dinates and caused a demand for his nomi-
nation from the majority of his party. But
the more far-seping ones in the great States
of New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio, in
Guiding such men as Horace Greedy, David
Dudley Field, Thaddeus Stevens, David
Wilmot, Colonel Mcclure, Governor Cur
tin and Judge David Cartier. from the
first questioned the wisdom of Senator
Sew ards nomination. and though at the
outset the odds were strongly again st them
they succeeded in the end in preventing
his nomination and in securing that of
Lincoln. To the efforts Of Governor Car
tin-who knew that Senator Seward was
especially weak in Pennsylvania and that
his nomination would mean the defeat of
both the State and national candidates
more than to those of any other of the
gentlemen named was this result dae.
Curtin was chosen Governor bv 81, 600
majority, the State was carried for Lincoln,
and the Republican party found itself face
to face with civil war. Governor Curtin
was at once after the inauguration Of the
President summoned TO Washington to
confer with Lincoln. and as result of that
conference the Governor sent to the Legis-
lature OF Pennsylvania his famous Union
message, which induced that body to au-
thorize the State executive to levy troops
for he preservation Of the nation, placing
100000 at his disposal for the purpose.
The Pennsylvania troops were the first to
reach Washington after the firing upon
Fort Sumter, and during all the dark days
that followed Governor Curtin was the
trusted adviser and firm supporter of the
resident. Besides The res rye. Pennsyl-
vania. under his admi nistration, sent to the
war PIT regime is of all arms and fur
nished for military service 367. 442 men.
Governor Curtin retired from the Gov
ernorsbip in 1867, and that year his name
was presented as candidate for Senator.
but the candidacy of Simon Cameron pre-
vented him from receiving the honor 10
which his services entitled him. In the
follp wing year a soldiers convention nom-
mated him for Vice President, and Penn
Sylyania sent a delegation TO the Republ-
can National Conve ntiou instructed to
support his candidacy, but the influence of
Simon Cameron again proved effective and
Schuyler Cofax was nominated in his
stead. However. he took an active part n
the election of General Grant, and the
latter, in the first days of his administra-
tim, sent him as Minister to Russia,
where, for three years, he represented this
country with distinction. Returning home
in 1872 he took a prominent and ipfluen-
tial part in the proceedings of the Penn
sylvania Constitutional convention, which
sat for year, and which included among
its members such distinguished men as
William NJ. Meredith, Jeremiah S. Black,
Wayne MacVeagh, Charles BucKalew and
George w. Woodward.
For the nine years that followed Gov
erDor Curtin took no active part in politics.
When be re-entered public lite, in 1881, it
was as Democrat. and as such be served for
six years in the lower house of Congress.
Al the close of the Forty-ninth Congress
he retired permanently from Office, and
spent his last DAYS in Bellefonte