The San Francisco call., 1896-06-19
NEW YORK'S MANY
POLITICAL FEUDS,
Some of the Great Quar-
rels Between Gotham'S
Party Leaders.
Conkling's Sarcastic Shafts and
Blaine's Model of Exec
ration.
Greeley's Difference With Thurlow
Weed and William H. Seward.
Grant and BriStow.

jcal feuds. pursued as relentlessly as the
Corsican vendetta. The whole country is
familiar with the story of the great Whlg-
Republican triumvirate composed OF Will
lam II. Seward, Thurlow Weed and Horace
Greeley. These three men worked togetneF
as radical Wings until 1854, when the junior
member of the firm withdrew, accusing MS
partners of sacrificing him 20 their lust OF
power. The friends of Seward maintain
that Greeley seeded from the alliance be-
cause ne was disappointed as an otflce-
seeker. but whatever the real cause suffice
if that Horace, the editor and spokesman
of the plain people, nursed his.grlevances
and redressed them too, for, like his
former mariners, he went into the young
Republican party and achieved leader
ship that was national in its Importance
and influence. Seward and Weed, how
ever, obtained control of the party ma
chinery, and although they consented to
allow Greeley to lead forlorn hopes they
balkcd his plans whenever success seemed
probable.
Greeley was very anxious to go as dele
gate to the National Republican Conven-
ton IN 1860, but Seward interposed 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 a representative from his own
State. Indignant at the treatment ac-
corded to him he went to Chicago and was
substituted for an absent Oregon delegate.
His newspaper had given him National
fame, and as proxy for this Western ab-
sentee he undermined the works thrown
up by Seward and did more than any other
man to secure the nomination Of Abraham
Lincoln.
The difference between Grant and Bris-
tow can scarcely be called feud. Benia-
min H. Bristow was nominated for Attor
ney-GeneraI by the soldier-President in
1873, but powerful agencies secured his re-
lection. Grant was bent on honoring the
Kentuckian, and he named him for Secre-
tary of the Treasury on June 3, 1874.
Shortly afterward the war on the Whisky
Ring was inaugurated, and, although Bris-
tow was the moving spirit in the prosecu-
tions, 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 Presi-
dent attributed these attacks to followers
of Bristow, if he himself were not directly
responsible. These charges were indig
nantly denied by the men affected, but
certain it is that the friction grew, and
after the ring was broken up in June, 1876,
BristoW retired from the Cabinet, osten-
sibly to attend to private business, but
really, it is said, to wage war against the
antagonistic influences in the party. He
was a candidate for the Presidential
nomination that year, backed by the re-
form element in his party, but he mus
tered merely a respectable following.
Hayes was nominated, and Bristow began
the practice OF law in New York City.
An Ohio feud that has attracted consid-
erable attention was fought out between
Allen CRANKY Thurman and Henry B.
Payne. This led to the celebrated Coal
Oil-Rag- Baby campaigns. Thurman had
had undisputed swing in Buckeye Dem
ocratic politics after the war, and he
might have retained this ascendency had
he not advocated fat money and joined
the forces of greenback Democracy. His
opponents have always claimed that his
financial views were responsible for the
challenge 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 Con gress fierce war was waged for
supremacy in the party.
1t has been held that this fight insured
the retirement of Thurman from the SEN
ate and the election of James A. Garfield
in his place, and four years later Henry B.
Payne was made United States Senator,
Now comes the most bitter political
feud in the history OF American politics.
When Ira Harris retired from the United
States Senate his seat was taken by Ros-
coe Conkling, great man, proud to a
fault, generous to his friends, and foe
10 be feared. He was the intimate friend
of Grant, and one OF his most trusted
counselors. Just as Conkllng's star began
to shine with National brilliancy, James
g. Blaine was attracting the attention of
the whole country. These two men had
served in the lower house together. but
they represented opposing interests in the
party, and were personally uncongenial.
Conkling, great in many ways, could
not resist the temptation Of sending sar-
castle shafts at the Speaker whenever oc-
casion offered, and Blaine answered in
kind. The final clash came over the case
of General Frye, who had incurred the
enmity of the Senator from New York.
and the latter worked hard to secure his
dismissed from the service With
that generous desire TO help the
under dog, which was one OF Mr..
Blaine's noblest characteristics, he took
up the cudgels for the friendless but
gallant Frye, whose character was vindi-
Gated by the War Department in three
well-deserved promotions within a short
space of time.
In the course of the fight over this case
Blaine, stung to the quick by an ungener-
Gus and unjust taunt of his New York en-
envy, burst forth into that terrific on
slaught which stupefed the Speaker,
wrought the House into a high pitch of
excitement and marked the beginning of a
fierce struggle in the Republican party
that ended in the humiliation Of Roscoe
Conkling and the defeat of James G.
Blaine for President of the United States.