The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-03-08
HISTORICAL
DEPARTMENT.
IN ANTI-PoPERY DAYS.
Colonel Mcclure Tells How Know
nothings Defeated Seward.

given of the causes which led to tn.
failure of Seward to be nominated fol
president at Chicago in 1860 resulting
in the nomination of Lincoln. Sew
ards position and strength as leader
of the party were equal to that of Clay
in the Wing party in 1874, and certain
Iy three-fourths of the Republicans OF
the country expected and desired him
TO be their candidate.
] attended the convention with Gov
ernor Curtin, then our candidate for
governor, who had charged me with
the management of the campaign in
pennsylvania, and there met Henry S
Lane, candidate for governor in Indi-
ana, with John D. DeFrees. his chair
man. Pennsylvania and Indiana were
the pivotal states, as they had to
choose their governors in Octobe.'. If
they voted Republican the Republican
president was assured of success; if
they were defeated, national defeat for
the Republican was inevitable. Neither
Lane nor Curtin had any personal hos
tility to Seward. On the contrary, they
would gladly have supported him and
made him president had it been posi-
Bile, but they were compelled to face
the one insuperable obstacle to Sew
ards success, and they declared that
|
| These two men were instrumental in
making a convention, two-thirds of
whose delegates were earnestly for
Seward abandon him, not because they
loved Seward less, but because they re-
garded Republican success as para
mount.
1t was Stewards attitude on the
school question when governor of New
| York that made his election impoSsi-
BILE in 1860. He was q man of liberal
| ideas. and positive convictions and
when he was nominated for governor
in 1888 he was given important support
by the quiet efforts of Archbishop John
| hughes, then the ablest prelate of the
Catholic church in America. This ques-
! ton has been specifically discussed,
| and l think it due to the truth of his
| tory to present the actual political con-
| dition that confronted the Republican
| leaders at Chicago in 1860 by giving
| Stewards own utterances on the school
! question. In his annual message to the
! legislature, Jan. T. 1910. he said:
The children of foreigners found in
great numbers in our populous cities
! and towns and in the vicinity of our
! public works, are too often deprived of
J the advantages of our system of public
! education in consequence of prejudice
arising from a difference of language
or religion. 1t ought never to be for
! gotten that the public welfare is as
| deeply concerned in their education as
| in that of our children, / do not hest
| tate. therefore, to recommend the es-
| adjustment of schools in which they
may be instructed by teachers speaking
the same language with themselves and
protesting the same faith"
r1'S lloeSSa pra on the Snhipct was
very elaborate, reviewing the whole
question of educating the children of
the state with great earnestness and
force. In the same message he said
that the issue was whether parents
have a right to be heard concerning the
instruction and instructors of their
children, and taxpayers in relation to
the expenditure of public funds
whether in a republican government 1t
is necessary to interpose an indepen-
dent corporation between the people
and the schoolmaster, and whether it
is wise and just to disfranchise an en-
tire community of all control over pub
lie education rather than suffer a part
to be represented in proportion to its
numbers and contributions. Since such
considerations are now involved what
has hitherto been discussed as a ques-
ton of benevolence and of universal
education has become one OF equal civil
rights, religious tolerance and liberty
of conscience.
.
This proposition from Governor Sew
ard to divide the school fund Of New
York aroused very fierce and bitter
discussion. and made him very mar
rowIy escape defeat for reelection IN
the great Harrison sweep of 1910. But
for the overwhelming tidal wave
against Van Buren, that intensified the
contest in Van Buren's own state,
Seward would certainly have been de-
feated, but he was reelected by ma
jority of 5,2S5. Some time after Sew
ards reelection in 1910 Archbishop
Hughes addressed letter of consratu-
lation to him. to which Seward replied
May Is. 1S41, and made the letter pub
lie. deliberately reviewing the school
question and reiterating his earnest
purpose to divide the school fund of the
state between the Catholics and Prot
estants. He said
Il know the truth will ultimately be-
come acceptable, and so in regard TO
the present state of the school question
! am DESTROYS that the real interest of
the Catholics in the question should be
known. If it We're true, as some con-
tend, that none but Catholic children
are neglected, l would nevertheless
maintain that the Catholic children
ought TO be educated. If it be true that
none but Catholics complain, l uphold
the Catholics in complaining. If Cath
olics only are offended in conscience [
maintain that that offense ought not to
be continued by authority of law
Many Protestants have been offended
because they feared that by obtaining
equal advantage of education for their
- io-J,r IiY.at
influence, and, on the other hand, many
Catholics have been led by misrepre-
sentation to believe that such liberal
sentiments as l have advanced could
not be sincere"
Such was Stewards attitude on the |
school question and it will not require |
elaborate investigation. considering the |
political conditions which prevailed in !
1860, to reach the conclusion that Sew |
ard was an impossible candidate for |
president if the party hoped to battle !
for success. The American or Know |
Nothing party became a powerful po- |
litical factor in 1854 and controlled the |
elections in number of our states. 1t |
was secret, compact and aggressive |
organization and held the balance of |
power in both Indiana and Pennsyl- |
vania beyond all reasonable dispute. |
Indiana in 1855 gave 1850 votes to |
Buchanan, 94,375 to Fremont and D. |
$50 to Fillmore, the American candi- |
date, showing a majority for Buchanan |
over both the opposing parties. In
1883. when only state officers were TO /
be elected in Indiana. the Democratic
vote was 107, 400, and the Republican
vote 104,S2S. The Republicans and
Americans united generally in the cleo
ton of congressman and carried eight
of the eleven representatives, but they
had not been able to harmonic on a