The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1900-03-29


two dominant parties with
which the politician of the new gener-
alton may not be familiar.
Only one man who presided over
the deliberations of National Con.
vention has been nominated for tho
Presidency while he was present in
the convention. This happened to
Horatio Seymour in the Democratic
National, Convention held in New
| York in 1868. He vacated tho chair
when the sentiment of the convention
turned to him, but no was virtually
present when nominated, appearing
afterwards to declare that he could
not be his party's candidate, but con-
senting later.
Only one man since the birth of the
present Republican party has been
the NOMINEES of his party and elected
President after he wac the presiding
officer of the National Convention of
his party. Governor Mckinley was
the permanent chairman of the Min
neapolis Convention, in 1892, which
nominated Harrison and Reid. He
was nominated four years later Mt st.
Louis.
Only four members OF tho present
United States have been permanent
presiding officers of National Conven-
tions. General Joseph Il. Hawley, of
Connecticut, presided at the conven.
tion which nominated Grant and Col
fax at Chicago in May, 1868. Senator
Hoar presided over the convention
which nominated Garfield and. Arthur
at Chicago in June, 1880. John M.
Thurston, of Nebraska, was perma-
nent chairman OF the convention which
nominated Mckinley and Hobart at
st. Louis in June, 1896. Donelson
Gallery, of Louisiana, is the fourth.
He was president Of the Gold Demo-
cratic Convention which nominated
Palmer and Buckner at indianapolis
in August, 1896. He is also the only
former Confederate who has served
as permanent chairman of National
Convention.
Horatio Seymour, who presided
over the National Convention of his
party in New York in 1868, by which
he was nominated, was also perma-
nent chairman of his ,party's conven-
ton which nominated Mcclellan and
Pendleton at Chicago in August, 1864.
Mr.. Pendleton was present in the
convention which nominated him, and
accepted the honor in the convention.
In the Democratic National Con-
vention which nominated franklin
Pierce and w. r. King at Baltimore
in June, 1862, of which John w.
Davis, of Indiana, was permanent
chairman, Jefferson Davis received
eleven votes from the Illinois delega-
tion for Vice-President. 1t is curl
ous bit OF political history that the
President of the Confederacy should
have received such a vote from n
Northern State.
In the Democratic National Con-
vention which nominated Buchanan
and Breckenridge at Cincinnati in
June, e1S56, four candidates were
placed in nomination - Buchanan,
Pierce, Cass and Douglas--in the
shortest nominating speech ever de-
livered. The four speeches made ex-
actly seventy words. Breckin.
ridge was present when he was nom
mated for Vice. President, declined i'll
speech and later accepted. The
permanent chairman of this copven-
tion was John Il. Ward. of Georgia.
1t is the custom to select as perma
nent chairman of a national conven-
tion man who is in office at the time.
The Democratic conventions have OBJ.
served this custom less frequently
than the Republicans. In the CON
vention which nominated Cleveland
and Hendricks at Chicago in July,
1884, w. f. Villas was presiding Of
ficer. In the convention which nom
mated Cleveland at st. Louis in June,
1883, p. A. Collins, of Boston, who
has never held any important elective
office, was permanent chairman.
IT is common political error to re-
Ter to the Chicago convention which
nominated Garfield and Arthur as that
which had the longest session. That
convention was in session seven days.
The Charleston convention of 1860,
in which the Democrats met, was iu
session in that city ten days. Caleb
Gushing, OF Massachusetts, was perma-
nent chairman. AS is known to DO
litical students, that convention failed
to nominate and adjourned to meet at
Baltimore two months later, OH June
IS. There it nominated Douglas and
Johnson, the latter of Georgia. But
there was another Democratic con-
vention, held by the seceders from the
Charleston convention, which also
met at Baltimore few days later, on
June %, and nominated Breckinridge
and Lane.
The Republican National Conven.
tion of the same year met at Chicago
in May and nominated Lincoln and
Hamlin. George Ashmun, of Massa.
chusetts, was permanent chairman of
that body, and Horace Greeley ap.
peared as a delegate from Oregon.
Another Republican National Con
vention preceded the Lincoln and
Hamlin convention four years. It
met at Philadelphia in June, 1856.
and nominated Fremont and Dayton.
Henry s. Lane, of Indiana, was per-
manent chairman. This was the first
Republican National Convention to
nominate candidates for the offices of
President and Vice President, al
though it was continuation of
preliminary convention held at Pitts
burg in February of the same year,