The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1902-03-22

There have been many explanations
given of the causes which led to the
failure of Seward to be nominated fer
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 Whig party in 1914 and certain
ly three-fourths of the Republicans of
the country expected and desired him
to be their candidate, writes Colonel
Mcclure in the Philadelphia Record.
I 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 DeFrees, his chairman.
Pennsylvania and Indiana were the
pivotal states, as they had to choose
their governors in October. If they
voted Republican, the Republican pres
ident was assured Of success; if they
We're defeated, national defeat for the
Republicans 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
possible, but they were compelled to
face the one insuperable obstacle to
Stewards success. and they declared
that his nomination must mean their
defeat. These two men were instr1-
mental in making a convention, two
thirds of whose delegates were ear
nestly for Seward, abandon him, not
because they loved Seward less, but
because they regarded Republican sue
cess. as paramount.
1t was Stewards attitude on the
school question when governor OF
New York that made his election
= impossible in 1860. He was man Of
: liberal ideas and positive convictions,
and when he was nominated for gov
ernor ine1S38 he was given important
support by the quiet efforts Of Arch
bishop John Hughes, then the ablest
prelate of the Catholic Church in
America. This question has been su-
perficially discussed, and I think it
. due to the truth of history to present
the actual political condition that con-
fronted the Republican leaders at Chi
cago in 1860 by giving Stewards own
utterances on the school question. In
his annual message to the legislature,
January Z, 1910, he said:
''The children of foreigners found in
great numbers in our populous cities
i and towns and in the vicinity of our
public works are too often deprived of
the advantages of our system Of public
education in consequence of prejudice
arising from 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 hesi.
tate, therefore, to recommend the es.
tablishment Of schools in which they
may be instructed by teachers speak.
ing the same language with themselves
and protesting the same faith"
Stewards message on the subject
was very elaborate, reviewing the
whole question of educating the chill,
dren of the state with great earnest.
ness and force. In the same message
y he said that the issue was whether
parents have right to be heard con-
cerning the instruction and instructors
of their children, and taxpayers in re-
lation to the expenditure Of public
funds; whether in a republican govern
ment it is necessary to interpose an in
dependent corporation between the
people and the schoolmaster, and
whether it is wise and just to disfran
chise an entire community Of all con
troll over public education rather thar
suffer part to be represented in pro
portion to it's numbers and contribu
y tions Since such considerations are
now involved what has hitherto beer
discussed as a question of benevolenct
and Of universal education has become