Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-01-10
A BIT OF POLITICAL HISTORY
The Three Democrats Who
Voted for Simon Cameron,
.REvILED BY THEIR ASSOCIATES
Denounced as a "Triumvirate
of Traitors"
PENN, in rhiladelphla EvenIng BulletIn,

Iitical Episode Entertaining1y Recited.
PENN in Philadelphia Evening Bulletin,
The fate OF the three Democratic members
who voted for Simon Cameron in 1857 on
the occasion Of Cameron's first election to
the United States Senate as a Republican
has been revived in the talk of the hour by
the events at Harrisburg. It hns been
| cufiously noted that Schuylkill county.
which furnished Isebo and Wagenseller, and
York county, which furnished Manear,
should produce four Of the FIVE Democratic
members of the House who were allied with
the Quay forces In it's organization and who
are now expected to vote for his return to
the Senate But the conditions under which
the "triuinvirate OF traitors, as they were
rallied in 1857, abandoned their party were
not the same ms prevail In the present align
| ment of parties in Pennsylvania, and there
has not thus far been visible the general
disposition TO brand the, deserters with the
infamy which followed the Cameron trio
during the rest OF their lives Upon these
men wes set the mark of the parilh and the
Ishmaelite; the execrations which pursued
them were such as even the vilest of crimi-
nails usually escape, and to this day their
names have been kissing and byword In
the politics of Pennsylvania. For a time
the literature of the scorp and the odium
| which have been associated with the name
of Judas lscariot was exhausted In finding
the terms Of invectiye that would describe
their treason. Outcast jackal, reptile. leper
were some Of the epithets that were heaped
| upon them; hotels refused to receive them
as their guests, and men like Lewis @.
Cassidy, Tholnus B. Florence and Daniel
Dougherty at one of the Democratic mass
meetings in Philadelphia that denounced
their treachery delivered philippics which
were echoed all over the State in their tre-
i mendous invective.
Some of the loose references which have
been made at Harrisburg in the last two or
three days to this episode may justify a
| further explanation of its causes. The
Presidential election of 1856 with Demo-
cratic majority of three on joint ballot over
the Republicans and Native Americans after
a bitter campaign in which John WForney,
the editor of the Pennsylvanian. had been
| chairman of the Democratic State Com
mittee. Forney was then the warm cham
pion and confidential friend of James
| Buchanan, who as Preesident-elect early
| made known bis wishes that in choosing a
| United States Senator to succeed Richard
Brodhead, not only should Brodhead, with
whom he had a. personal difference. be
| dropped from consideration by the legisla-
tive caucus, but that Forney should be made
| its NOMINEES. At that time the Legislature
I at Harrisburg contained 100 members In
| the House and 80 in the Senate and the
| majority OF the whole for the election of a
Senator ON joint ballot was 81. The entire
Democratic membership was 6o ;sethe com-
bined Republican and Native American
| forces numbered So. The caucus OF the
Democrats was held few days in advance
of the election, and the manner in which
the President-elect used his influence in be-
half OF Forney is shown by one of the
letters which he addressed to the Demo-
cratic members:
''Wheatand, Jan. q, 1s57.-My Dear Sir: I:
Although l have always refrained from iu-
terfering in the choice of Senators by the
Legislature, yet the highly confidential
relations which a Pennsylvania President
ought TO sustain toward Pennsylvania
Senator, at the present moment, induced
me to say few words to you as a valued
friend on the pending Senatorial election.
! learn that doubts have /been expressed as
to my preference among the candidates,
and although my opinion may be of little
weight, do not desire to be placed in an
equivoeal position on this or any other SUBJ
ject. When asked have always said pre-
ferred Col. Forney, and should esteem it
a friendly act towards myself for any person
in, or out Of. the Legislature to support
him. At the same time, desire to express
my warm personal and political regard for
Messrs. Robins, Foster, Buckalew and
Wright. From the course pursued by Brod-
head for some years past, confidential rela-
tions hetween him aud myself haye ceased.
~ have thus presented you my views SO
that, II you should deem IT necessary, you
may speak my sentiments TO such persons
as may CONSIDER them of any value.
From your friend, very respectfully.
James Buchanan.
Henry s. Mott ESQ.,
When the caucus met Forney was nomi-
mated as the regular candidate OF the Demo-
cratic party. Several of the Demo-
cratic members, however, were hostile to
Buchanan, but 1t was believed that when
the time for bllloting IN the Legislature
came, or ultimately, all of them would fall
into line for Forney and obey ''the voice of
the majority"
Thirteen years before, when James
Buchanan left the United States Senate to
become Secretary OF State under Polk.
Simon Cameron, then a Democrat, had
secured his first election to that body by the
dexterous coalition of Protection Demo-
Gratis with the Wings. to the great chaRrin
of Buchanan. He had afterwards found his
way into the new Republican party through
the avenue of the American party, had SUM-
ported Fremont In the campaign of 1856,
and now saw the opportunity of again
umiliatng Buchanan and gaining Sena-
torial seat tor himself a second time in the
discomfort which the enforced nomination
of Forney cause in the Democratic ranks.
1t was represented TO the Republicans that
he was the one man who could take ad-
vantage of this discomfort, and it was ON
tIle dSsurhuce tnhG ne WOuiu win over enough
Democratic votes to elect him that the Re.
publican caucus agreed to take him up on
the opening bnllot. To Charles B. Penrose,
the Republican leader in the State Senate,
ana kinslnan of the present United States
Senator Penrose, the names of the Demo-
Gratis who would vote for Cameron had been
conveyed with the understanding that they
would support him II the Republicans would
make him their NOMINEES. At the same
time it was known that there were some
Democrats that would vote for Henry d.
Foster Of Westnofeand county. who was
member of the House at Harrisburg, and
who, his friends declared had been ruth
lessly turned down by the Buchanan mana
gers. Seven of them had declined to
participate in the proceedings of the Demo-
cratic caucus on the ground that 1t had
been set up for one man at the behest of the
they would not vote for Fotney, they would
support Foster or any other Democrat, and
that they would have supported Forney, too,
II pc mad been nominated by an untsam-
melled caucus,
But in the interval between the assembling
of the Democratic caucus and the day for
the election of Senator three other Demo-
Gratis who had been counted upon to sustain
the action of the caucus. William B. Lebo,
Samuel Manear and George A. Wagenseller,
were suspected by the Buchanan leaders of
purpose to betray it. Cameron and the
Republican managers. however, had re-
ceived their private assurances that they
would not vote for Forney. Yet, IL Is said
that as late as the morning of the election
they had also given promises of being faith
ful to the Democratie candidate, and that
Wagensaller, In the Reedy House, then a
uolitical headquarters at Harrisburg, had