Omaha daily bee., 1896-05-24

'heS W BAY, anu tneH maze answer.
81 CANNOT BETRAY MY FRIEND"
Gentlemen, the office of president is the
most exalted to which any man can aspire,
and from the bottom OF my heart | thank
you FOR the honor you would confer upon
me. But from the first | have been an
active supporter Of General Cass in his can
Vass for the nomination. He has trusted me
and given me his confidence. Were he in
my place and l in his. and should he do
what you would have me do, | should count
1t downright treachery. / am an ambitious
man, but | trust / am also an honorable
one, and l cannot betray my friend. Go
back to Baltimore, nominate General Cass,
and we will do what we can to elect him.
Aliens advice was followed, and Cass was
nominated for defeat. but in after years his
faithful lieutenant, though several times an
asplrant for the presidency, was never able
to secure the nomination he had once re-
fused.
Daniel S. Dickinson's %peremptory refusal
to be a candidate probably prevented his
nomination and election in 1852, and 1t is
the belief Of ex-Speaker Galusha A. Grow
that had william L. Marcy cut loose from
the democratic party previous to 1856 he
would have been nominated for president in
that year by the republicans, with fair pros
poets of election These, however, are only
speculations, and so is the oft-repeated story
that had Hannibal Hamlin been more cor
dial In his support of Lincoln he would not
have been put aside for Andrew Johnson in
the republican convention of 1864. Perhaps
no man had better cause TO remember the
outcome Of that memorable gathering than
had the late Ben Butler. General Simon
Cameron used to tell why this was so. and
| will tell the story as he once told 1t to me.
Mr.. Lincoln" said General Cameron, was
casting about to find a candidate for the
vice presidency to run on the ticket
with him at his second nomination. 1t
had been decided by the party managers that
Mr.. Hamlin was not available for a second
race. various names were DTODO6e1. but
there were some objections to each one.
Finally Mr.. Lincoln sent for me one day and
sad; ! would like YOU 10 go to Fortress
Monroe and see General Butler. Tell him
that If he will accept, the nomination for
the vice presidency on the ticket with me
he shall have the place.'''I General Butler
was then commanding south of the James,
and | started at once to Gqnvey to him the
presidents wishes and TO urge him to &C
cept. | reached him IN due time, and at
once delivered Mr., Linooin's message, add
ing to it such suggestions AS though proper.
General Butler thought the subject over. but
finally said: No, l cannot accept, ! do
not think a man should leave the army at
such a crisis as this to- accept a civil posi-
ton l returned with the, message, Mr..
Lincoln was much disappointed. As the
result of this refusal the nomination went
to Andrew Johnson. So. nyou see a word
would then have made, General Butler the
vice president. and that word he had the
power to speak. He would then have be-
come president after the assassination of
Mr.. Lincoln instead Of Andrew Johnson. |
wish he rad. He was the better and tho
ADLER man"
BEN BUTLER'S REFUSAL.
What a change in affairs there would or
might have been but for General BIt!er's
refusal. Johnson's accession to the presi-
dency was followed by his quarrel with con-
gresS and the attempt to impeach him and
him from office. How close tho
enterprise came to success will
never be fully and clearly known until OK
Ross Of Kansas publishes his recol-
.lect!ons Of that stirring and eyentful
period 1t was part Of the program
Of the advocates OF impeachment that Ben
should succeed Johnson in the presi-
dency. Thlrty-six votes were needed to Sc
the passage Of the articles Of impeach-
ment by the senate. Thirty-five OF these
had been secured, and Rons Would doubt
have furnished the other had II not
been for Wade's haste to snatch the fruits
IF victory. The night before the hnal vote