The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-03-19
THE OLD TINE EDITOR FOIL
TICIAN-IIOW LINCOLN WAS
NOMINATED.

great personal influence Newspapers
exert more influence now than then be
cause they are more generally read, but
their editors exert much less personal
influence. Then every reader knew much
about the editor of his party paper; now
how many readers lnow the name Of
the editor-in-chief of any great metro
politan journal? There is reason for
this change. Then a few men with
small capital ran the paper; now it takes
an army of writer's and artists and
mint of money to start daily in a great
city. This change accounts for the de-
cadence of the personal influence of the
editor.
The individual withers, but the world
is more and more"
Those old time politicians were
giants" in their day. They killed and
made alive. Presidents, Senators and
leaders sought their personal aid and
counsel as well as the influence of their
papers. They were great, but they We're
human. The story of how Lincoln was
nominated, as told by Mr.. Medll, in an
interview published by the Mcclure
syndicate some years ago, shows that
manipulation" in politics was prac-
ticed lin the good old days before the
war" 1t has been generally supposed
that Mr.. Lincolns nomination in 1860
pie" but Mr.. MediIrs story shows that
he and others managed a conduit pipe
through which popular sentiment should
flow. He knew that if Lincoln became
the nominee his friends must employ
practical methods and never let it APP
pear that anybody was behind the wave
of popular sentiment" giving it prac-
teal direction. Mr.. Lincoln preferred
to try for the Vice Presidency, but Mr..
Medill, David Davis. and Norman Il.
Judd vetoed that and pressed him for
the Presidency. Mr.. Judd was chairman
and Mr.. Medill secretary of the Repub-
lican executive committee of Illinois,
and had excellent opportunities for fur
thering Mr.. Lincoln's nomination, even
using questionable means to accomplish
it.
When they had determined to bring
him out for the Presidency, these
politicians were too wise to let it come
out from Chicago or from any great
politician. Mr.. Medill explains how
I.incoln's nomination was launched;
1T was arranged that Lincoln's name
was to be first mentioned by the Hi
neis country newspaper press, but the
Tribune, though the leading Republican
paper of the West, was not to take the
initiative. A dozen county papers down
in the old wing belt of the State were to
breach the subject; then the Journal in
Springfield was to copy what they said
and the Tribune also, with some edi-
torial Endorsement. A Rock Island pa
per was the first to open out for the
Presidency. This plan was duly car
ried out, and it worked like a charm,
The people of Illinois took kindly to the
idea"
That was the way it was "sponta-
neously" started, and Mr.. Medill tells
us how the same sort of spontaniety,
plus some small politics, secured the end
in view:
'The Republican convention of 1850
was held in a great wigwam, temporar-
lily erected for the purpose, on Market
street, Chicago. Mr.. Medill co-operated
with the chairman of the State central
committee, Norman 3. Judd, in arrang-
ing the delegates seats. This allotment
was one of the minor circumstances
leading up to Mr.. Lincoln's renomina-
ton, and Mr.. Medill tells of his share
in it with an irresistible look of mock
contrition. 1T was" he says, the
meanest political trick | ever had
hand in in my life
New York came to the convention.
of course, under the management of
Thurlow Weed, solid for her favorlte
son. William II. Seward. From the LIN
coin point of view it was highly deslra-
bic to isolate the Empire State
delegation and place the delegates of
the doubtful states as far outside of the
sphere of it's influence as possible.
Most imDOrtant of tne doubtful states
for Lincoln was Pennsylvania and next
Ohio. This circumsranc" furnished the
key to the Lincoln committees plan
of arrangement. New York was seated
at one extreme end of the vast hail. with
no state for neighbor that was not nj
ready hopelessly for Seward. at the
other extreme was placed pennsylvania,
at so long remove that the voices
of Seward orators of New York could
barely be heard by the doubtful dele
gates of Pennsylvania.
CLOSE about the Keystone State. on
the side toward New York were packed
the faithful Lincoln delegations of ILL
nois and Indiana, and also the New Jer-
sey delegation, which was accounted but
IA tail to the keystone dog.
There were convenient passages lead
ing from the Pennsylvania seats to ante
rooms which were also directly IN
communication with Illinois, so that
when delegates from Pennsylvania be-
took themselves from the hall for CON
sultation they were reasonably certain
to meet delegates from Illinois or lndia-
ma primed with an argument for Lincoln.
The Ohio delegation was placed on the
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