Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1901-03-07

Mu4lcIan.
During 1851 Spain and Cuba g
once more face to face with lnsur-
gency. and filibustering came into
vogue. A schooner named Cleopatra
and its crew having been sized by
federal authority for violation OF the
neutrality laws, the case came up for
trial and Assistant District-Attornev
Evarts was given exclusive control Of
the prosecution. Popular sympathy
was against the prosecution. but
Evarts obtained a conviction and con-
domination of vessel and cargo. re-
call his summing up, to which listen
ed. A large delegation OF the bar
we're in the court o He argued
the logical effect Of the neutrality pro-
visions and adroitly steered duty
around jury-sympathy with captain,
owners and sailors who would aid
Cubans struggling for liberty; and
that against most impassioned dec
lamation by able advocates for the
defense. | forgot the slenderness OF
the orators frame in the robust argu-
ment and in the plumpness of his
logical positions.
"Eyarts inherited from his father a
hatred of southern slavery, and he
threw himself enthusiastically into
the free-soil campaign for Fremont.
He took the stump for him in several
states, and to his exertions was as
cribed the success of that pathfinder
in the two democratic states Of New
York and New Jersey. Four years
later he was as ~assiduous n
eloquent for Lincoln. He vent as op-
ponent of the %rail-splitter for the Chi
cago nomination, and In behalf OF
Seward-being chairman of the New
York delegation. | attended that
convention as a reporter and recall
the grea- speech he made in nomina-
ting the favoritef o of the empire
state. The personal hate of Horace
Greeley toward Seward contributed
much to his defeat, and then began the
philosophers subsequent dislike of
Evarts. The latter was keenly dis
appointed at Stewards defeat. | was
in the returning railway car that con-
tanned the heartroken New York dele
cation, and | became d listener to the
CHEEKY words which Evarts addressed
them en- route.
Gentlemen, said he at one time,
I'VE must be true to the cause, though
we have lost our own leader"
But he was destined to have his
own personal disappointment. The
republicans of New York city. in the
subsequent caucus for federal sena-
torial nominations, presented his
name as candidate; partisans from
other parts of the state presented the
of Judge Ira Harris and Horace
Greeley. The former lived in Albany,
and was therefore on home ground to
promote his OWL candidacy. Greeley
came up in person to assist himself,
and he and Harris violently lobbied
in their own behalf, Harris sacrificing
much native dignity; Greeley nev
had any to sacrifice.
luuiloW NCCu tllu wv 4uOi SAIL
who had charge of the Evarts can
vass, could prevail on him to come to
Albany. where rural legislators could
make his personal acquaintance, but
they could not induce him to undigni-
fed lobbying for himself. And to this
many members Of the caucus took
umbrage. 1t was minated to him
that his friends could and would raise
sinews of war to advance
his candidacy, but he Indignantly
waved aside the suggestion, and de-
clared that senatorial honors must
seek and not be sought.
Il was in an ante-room of Gov. Nor
gan's chambers while the caucus pro
ceeded. Hugh Hastings, then editor
of the Albany Knickerbocker and the
shrewdest of politicians (who died a
decade later as editor of the New
York Commercial Advertiser). was
watching tue caucus ballots. While
the Evarts vote never varied, the Har-
ris ballots seemed veering toward
Greeley; if thes" all turned from Har-
ris to Creole, ne latter would be
chosen. Eyafts took in the situation
at a glance. and | could detect written
in thought language on the retina of
his eyes, Greeley beat Seward at Chi
cago, and now can return the com.
pliment, for our Seward friends are all
around me. He whispered 10 Hast.
ings, and everybody knew that the
whisper said, Let my votes go to Har-
ris.' They we've directly so given, and
Harris got the caucus nomination
and subsequent election.
y saw Greeley an hour afterward.
and recalled the look of detection on
his face when, in mid November, 1872,
| accidentally saw the very same look
upon the countsnance of the defeated
candidate for the presidency.
Defeated in nls earlier aspirations
to the United States senatorship,
Eyarts was reserved by the fateful
sisters for higher honors. And the
first of these was to be an appoint
ment by President Lincoln as special