The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-17

work At council of war held shortly
before the convention opened, Henry VIII
son was chosen. McCullagh then went 20
John w. Forney, the editor of the Phila-
delphia Press, and said, 1--WE went you to
help us beat Colfax.'
But" protested Mr.. Forney, 'I have
promised Mr.. Colfax I would bring the
Press out in his favor. 1 am not particu-
larly a Colfax man, but 1 must keep my
word"
''Werl," said McCullagh, will you let
me run the political matter in your news
columns? You boom Colfax editorially,
and 1 will quietly attend to our man
through the rest of the paper"
Forney consented to this, and McCul-
lagh applied himself to work on the local
and telegraph pages Of the Press. Every
morning the paper appeared with an edi-
torial in favor of Colfax, while elsewhere
were published special kilograms from all
over the country describing enthusiastic
feeling IN favor of Henry Wilson for the
vice presidency. The local columns
made the most of every Wilson preference
expressed by arriving delegates at the no.
tells and elsewhere, and there were reports
of railway trains having been polled and
indicating an overwhelming desire for WI
sons nomination. All this had vastly
greater influence upon the public MIND
than Forney's editorial panegyrics
Just at the right juncture McCullagh
raked up an old letter Colfax had written
to the New York Tribune in 1863, announc-
ing that at the completion of his pending
official term he would not be a candidate
for denomination, 1t being his determine
ton to retire permanently from pohtlcal
life. This letter was written at the time
when the war upon Grant was at Its hight,
and McCullagh shIewdly realized that 1t
would be accepted by the delegates to
Philadelphia as Colfax's public repudia-
ton of Grant and his administration. In
less than two hours the letter was IN type,
and was circulated by means of handouts
all over Philadelphia. In this way the inn
preston was created that in the very
midst of Gen. Grants sorest troubles his
lieutenant had voluntarily assisted in the
conspiracy to kill him. 1t had It's effect;
so. when the convention met, Colfax's hold
was thoroughly unsettled.
Grant was renominated by reclamation.
The first ballot for vice president resulted
in stand-off between Colfax and WILSON,
some southern states having thrown idle
complimentary votes. McCullagh stood on
the platform near the presiding officer $
desk. He knew there was likely to be a
stampede. and that If the states were rec
ognized in alphabetical order wilson
might yet be slaughtered; stampeders in
variably go as they are led, and Alabama
was liable to change to Colfax
Alabama was already on her feet clam
oring for recognition. Recognize Virgin
ia" whispered McCullagh to Judge Settle,
president of the convention, and Judge Set
tie did so. Virginia changed her vote from
Colfax to Wilson, as had been arranged
in advance That started hurrah, and the
stampede was turned the way McCullagh
wanted.
Colfax's private secretary stood just be-
hind McCullagh at that moment. When
Virginia announced her change, McCul-
lagh turned and said You may go and
tell Colfax he is beaten, and that the
newspaper men did IT,"
This performance McCullagh always re-
garded as one of the cleverest political
strokes he had ever made.