Omaha daily bee., 1895-11-14
ALGER MAKES REPLY TO SHERMAN.
Never Had Control Of Votes enough
to HIVE Nominated the Senator.

to Have Nominated the Senator.
DETROIT, Nov. 13.-The attention Of
General X. A. Alger was called to the ref
eronce to him In the second volume OF Sen.
ator Sherman's memoirs, the proof sheets oil
which had been sent to various newspapers
throughout the country. General Alger said
Il am very much surprised that Senator
Sherman, laboring under the disappointment
OF not receiving a nomination, should con.
meet my name with it. If he knows any.
thing about the matter, he knows his charges
against me were without foundation. There
was never a time when his combined vote
and mine would have nominated him in 1888.
My request to my friends was that in case
my nomination was not possible, they should
cast their votes for General Harrison, be-
lieving as | did that a soldier should be
nominated. Second to him, | asked them To
support Senator Sherman. II any money was
used, which l do not believe, to purchase
votes from the south, it was against my posi-
tive instructions, and no bill of the kind has
ever been presented by me or paid by me.
II never could understand why Senator
Sherman should try to blight the name of a
man who has never by any act injured him
or any other man."
The quotations from Senator Sherman's
second volume to which General Alger ex-
cepts are those in which Mr.. Sherman. in
referring to the contest for the presidential
nomination OF 1888 writes; Il believe and
had, as thought, conclusive proof that the
friends OF General Alger substantially pur-
chased the vote of many delegates from the
southern states, who had been instructed by
their conventions to vote for me-"
Sherman says he has no reason to believe
that General Harrison resorted in the slight
est degree to any improper or corrupt COM
biration to secure his nomination and he adds
that the only feeling of resentment that he
himself entertained was "in regard to the
action of the friends of General Alger in
tempting with money to induce poor negroes
to violate the instructions of their c%onstitu-
ents."
Senator Sherman in this volume dwells
upon the history Of his part in the Hayes
cabinet, gives a pretty complete history of
the famous controversy between Blaine and
Conkiing, which was the momentous event
IN the political history of the next few years
1t resulted, he says, In the nomination and
election to the Office of vice president of the
United States of Chester A.. Arthur. and so
resulted In putting into the office Of presi-
dent the very man whom a few years before,
IN 1878, Sherman had removed from the
office of collector of the port of New York
Tor good cause In speaking of the con-
test for the nomination of 1888, Mr.. Sherman
says he was convinced that Blaine was not
a candidate and he was confident that he
was to be nominated.
He adds: "On Monday. June 25 did
not anticipate a change on the first ballot
from the last one on Saturday. did not
expect from my dispatches that the nomi-
nation would be made that day and in my
favor, but as the result proved, an arrange
ment had been made on Saturday that prac-
tically secured the nomination Of Harrison
From the best information | could gather
from many persons with whom | conversed
| have no hesitation in expressing the opin-
ion that l was defeated for the nomination
by the delegation from New York. be-
iieVea then' as l believe now, that one of
the delegates from the state Of New York
practically controlled the whole delegation.
and that a corrupt bargain was made on
Sunday which transferred the great body of
the vote Of New York to General Harrison,
and thus led to his nomination. 1t is to the
credit or General Harrison to say that IL the
reputed bargain was made, 1t was made
without his consent at the time, nor did he
carry II into execution"