The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-10-30

General Eaton, his secretary of war.
and q loyal personal friend, had
wife "a dear little woman, the chronic
lers of that time say) who was consid-
cred a plebian by the patrician consorts
of the Calhounist cabinet officers. This
little woman was snubbed and ignored
by those great ladies until patience
ceased to be a virtue, and her husband
laid the matter before the president
who eagerly seized the chance, sent the
Calhounists to the right-about and gave
us the first practical application OF the
doctrine inseparably associated win
his name-"to the victors belong the
spoils."
Calhoun took ground in favor of the
United States bank when the president
began hostilitieS on this institution, ana
this gave Jackson an opening TO r!d
himself of the only remaining members
of the cabinet tainted with allegiance
to the South Carolinian. When elect
ed In 1928, Jackson announced that ne
would accept but one term as president;
yet when he found that Vice President
Calhoun was planning to obtain the
nomination as his successor he deter
mined to stand Cor the presidency
again, basins his claim for renomina-
ton upon the ground that 1t was tne
duty of the party to vind!cate MS posi-
tion On the bank question.
~
cessful, and as Calhoun had consti-
tuted himself champion of the United
States bank, Jackson inausurated MS
famous crusade against that institu-
tiop, going so far as to peremptorily
order all collectors to refuse to deposit
any moneys in the bank. This led 10 q
fierce battle between the president ana
the United States senate, the mouse
standing firmly by the chief executive.
Then was formed the great comhina-
ton between Calhoun, Clay and Web
ster, which forced the passage OF reso-
lutions censuring the president Tor
usurping and multiplying the powers or
the coordinate branches Of the govern
ment. Three years later, or In 1881,
this censure was expunged from the
records. Although Calhoun fought
with all his magnificent ability, Jackson
routed him at every point, and the
apostle of notification went to the
grave without reaching the goal Of his
ambition.
NEW YORK QUARRELS.
Although the south and west have
contributed their quota, New York can
justly lay claim to the greater number
of fueds, pursued as relentlessly as the
Corsican vendetta. The whole country
is familiar with the great Whig-Re-
publican triumvirate composed of Will
liam II. Seward, Thurlow Weed and
Horace Greeley. These three men
worked together as radical Wings un-
til 1854, when the junior member of the
firm Withdrew accusing his partners
of sacrificing him to their lust of pow
er. The friends of Seward maintain
that Greeley seeded from the alliance
because he was disappointed as an Of
fice-seekef, but whatever the real
cause, suffice it that Horace. the editor
and spokesman of the plain people.
nurSed his grievances, and redressed
them, too, for, like his former partners,
he went into the young Republican
party and achieved a leadership that
was national in its Importance and in
fluence. Seward and Weed. however.
obtained control of the party machin-
cry. and although they consented to
allow Greeley to lead forlorn hopes,
they baked his plans whenever success
seemed probable.
Greeley was very anxious to go as a
delegate to the Repu1ican national
convention in 1860, lEt Seward inter-
posed and he was defeated. At that
time Greeley was opposed to seward,
but his friends say that he would have
contented himself with registering his
vote against the New York leader If he
had been permitted to attend as rep
resentative from his own state. Indig-
nant at the treatment accorded to him,
he went to Chicago and was substituted
for an absent Oregon delegate. His
newspaper had given him a national
fame, and as a proxy for this western
absentee he undermined the works
thrown up by Seward and did more
than any other man to secure the NOM
ination of Abraham Lincoln.
GRANT AND BRIsTOW.
The difference between Grant and
Benjamin II. Bristow was nominated for
attorney general by the solder-presi-
dent in 1873, but powerful agencies Sc
cured his rejection. Grant was bent
on honoring the kentuckian, and he
named him for secretary of the treas
ury on June 3, 1874. Shortly afterward
the war of the whisky ring was in
augurated, and although Bristow was
the moving spirit in the prosecutions,
many claimed that he was only an
agent of the president. About this time
insinuations began to crop out in the
newspapers that Grant was protecting
the whisky men, and the friends of the
president attributed these attacks to
followers of Bristow, IL he himself were
not directly responsible These charges
were Indignantly denied by the men
affected, but certain it is that the fric-
tiOn grew, and after the ring was brok-
en- up in June, 1876, Bristow retired
from the cabinet, ostensibly to attend
to private business, but really, it is
said. to wage war against the an
tagonistic influences in the party. He
was a candidate for the presidential
nomination that year, backed by the
reform element in his party, but he
mustered merely a respectable follow
ing. Hayes was nominated. and Bris-
tow began the practice Of law in New
York city.
An Ohio feud that has attracted con-
siderable attention was fought out be-
tween Allen CRANKY Thurman and
Henry B. Payne. This led to the cell
ebrated Coal-Oil Rag Baby compaigns.
Thurman had had undisputed swing
in Buckeye Democratic politics after
the war. and he might have retained
this ascendency had he not advocated
fiat money and Joined the forces of
Greenback Democracy. His opponents
have always claimed that his financial
views were responsible for the chal-
lenge to his leadership, but his friends
maintain that the great corporations
that had been brought to book in the
United States senate furnished the
sinews of war for his enemies Be that
as it may, from the date of Henry B.
Payne's entrance into congress- a fierce
war was waged for supremacy in the
party.
1t has been held that this fight in
sured the retirement of Thurman from
the senate and the election Of James A.
Garfield in his place, and, four years
later, Henry b. Payne was made
United States senator.
BLAINE AND CONKLING.
Now comes the most bitter political
fued in the history of American politics.
When Ira Harris retired from the
United States senate his seat was
taken by Roscoe Conkling, a great man.