The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-05-22
who at the outset counted on an easy
victory. They counted ainiss. There was

jeni. Blrney's candidacy caused the
Wing party to lose the presidency, for
his popular vote Of s2.soo su''iced TO
t,irn New York and Michigan from the
Whips and to give Ro,n . majority Of
so tali Harry Of the slashes" the ideal
American. chlyalrous and tender, was
beaten by one whose qualifications were
Ia Inc masses an Interrogation point.
c,lay was heartbrolsen ut this unlocked
for defeat. ,n1'lie blow that has fallen
on our country is very heavy, he wrote
TO friend i hope she may recover
from It, but confess that the prospect
Is dark and discouragng." These were
the wo,rds OF a disappointed man. Clay's
politiral SIN. save for q faint glimmcr
on the horizon in 1913. had Sc, forever.
The Defeat of General Cass.
Indeed, in that year. when It was al
most certain that the Wing candidate
would be elected, he was put aside for
Taylor on the plea Of availability Polk
broken with tho cares of Office. did not
seek a reconciliation, and the Democrats
named to succeed him General Cass, a
Northern man acceptable TO Southern In
terests. The friends Of Van Buren, how
ever. had been prompt to resent his de-
feat in tho convention Of 1874 because
Of his supposed opposition to the extern
a MARTYR while the Democracy OF New
| York divided into pro. slavery and anti
! slavery factions, known as Hunkcrs and
| Barn burners Both factions appeared at
| the Democratic convention OF 1s4S and
both we're admitted with the privilege Of
| dividing the State vote equally between
| them. But the Barn burners nonted this
half hearted recognition. Instead. they
| went home, and Joining with the anti
| slavery men from other States. nominal
| ted Van Buren, on q platform declaring
| for free SOIL free speech and free men,
| Van Buren, remembering how Cass had
stood in his way four years before. ana
also anxious to wipe out the slight that
had been placed upon him by the South.
accepted the nomination. His detection
lost New York to the Democracy ana
sealed the fate OF Cass. Taylor receiving
@ majority OF SO votes In the electoral
college.
In 1852 Scott was the nominee Of the
Wings Cass and Douglas were the lead
Ing candidates. before the Democratic
convention OF that year; but the former
was once defeated candidate, while the
envy aroused by his brilliant career In
the Senate prevented the latter's nominal
ton. Daniel s. Dickinson could have been
nominated had he not refused to allow
his name to be presented to the conven-
ton, for the reason that he was pledged
u Hiss, ana SOll1ecllCll pOllllCldIS uSeu
to assert that nothing but the inability
OF the delegates from that State to agree
upon Ralph j. 1ngersoll prevented his
tnomina ton. In the end the Southern
delegates told those from New Hamp-
shire that any Democrat OF that State
upon whom they could agree would be
supported iby the South, and so. after a
prolonged contest. Franklin Pierce was
nominated Pierce had been a member
1 OF both branches OF Congress and gen
eral in the Mexican war, but he was
practically unknown beyond the borders
OF his own State. Nevertheless, he scored
decisively at the polls. receiving 254 cleo
toral votes to AZ for his rival, who carried
only four States. Two years later the
Wing party vanished from the election
returns Of the nation.
Stewards Great Disappointment.
Buchanan. long time aspirant for the
presidential ambitions OF Douglas and
campaign OF 1860 brought to naught the
Seward. The Democrats In that year
split hopelesslyJ on the slavery question.
split hopelessly on the savery question,
one wing nominating Breckenridge and
the other Douglas When the Republic
cans met in convention at Chicago the
nomination OF Seward. then easily the
most conspicuous and popular Of the Re-
publican leaders, seemed foregone con-
cluson. But his candidacy had to face
the unrelenting opposition Of Horace
Greeley who, denied a place on the New
York delegation. appeared at Chicago with
the proxy OF an Oregon delegate, and
worked in season and out of season un-
dermning Stewards strength. Greeley's
chief argument was singular one. Se1
ward. while Governor OF New York, had
signed bill granting portion OF the
school funds of the State to Catholics,
AZ = aotl rod yynI,
him thousands OF votes should he be nom.
mated for President Greeley's declara-
ton, with the menace of Know Nothing
ism still hanging over the land, made
men pause. Coupled with the assertion
of Curtin and Lane, Republican candi-
dates for Governor OF Pennsylvania and
Indiana that they could not carry their
State in October IT Seward were nomi-
mated, 1t drove enough votes from the
New Yorker to defeat him. Lincoln, on
the fourth ballot. was nominated In his
stead.
Lincoln's denomination and reelection
In 1864 were never In serious doubt. but
the abiding issue Of that campaign. as
the sequel proved was the choice OF
Andrew Johnson as Vice-President. One
of the means by which Lincoln sought
to strengthen his cause in 1854 was the
nomination of a conspicuous war Demo-
crat for Vice-President. General BcnJa-
min +. Butler was at That time n strong
man in the loyal States. He had not
achieved great military success. but his
administration in New Orleans had made
him generally popular in the North. He
was. therefore. Lincon's first selection
for Vice President, and In March. 1864,
Simon Cameron was asked by the Presi
dent to visit Fortress Monroe, where But
Ter was then stationed, and confdentially
tender him the nomination. Butler, how
ever, promptly declined to run for the
vlce-presidency. not because he thought
tho duties OF the position thankess. but
because he did not want to go on the
same ticket with Lincoln for whom he
had conceived violent personal dislike.
Nor did he rest content with this per-
emptory declination. A few days prior
to the meeting Of the Republican national
convention at Baltimore he sent for
Frank w, Bird, a leading Massachusetts
Republican of the period. and charged
the latter as his friend, to see the dele
gates from that State and to say ia them
for him that he absolutely refused to al
low his name to be used as a running
mate with Lincoln, and that II he should
be nominated he would not accept the