The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-03-06

This was only his starting point His
position found a further explanation in
a speech delivered at Rochester ten
years later. in which he argued that q
system Of free labor and a slave-labor
system were absolutely irreconciIable
and were increasing their interferences
and then he drew this inference:
There is here an irresponsible con-
hict between opposing and enduring
forces, and It means that the United
States must and viii. sooner or later.
become either entirely a slave-hoicirg
nation or entirely a free-labor nation
From 1880 TO 1850 Seward talked that
doctrine in the Senate At first he VISA
had allies strong enough to found a
new party, and when the new party
came into existence he Joined it ratural-
". for it was to him only an snti-slav-
cry Wing party.
When this new party convened in 1Sec
to nominate candidates for the PTesi-
dency and Vice Presidency, Seward en-
tertained a human ambition to become
its leader in the field. and it IS not too
much to say that the great majority
OF its members anticipated his selection.
There was, of course. the obvious -rea-
son that he was the most successful
exponent OF it's principles, and had
served them, in politics at least, longer
than anyone else. But there were
more immediate reasons, also; for Mr..
Stewards friends had organized IN his
behalf and men had announced their
cooperation with this COMMITTEES all
over the North. But all this reckoning
failed. AS Lincoln himself expressed
It, he was nominated by a convention
two-thirds for the other fellow
Explanations are to be found on
every hand One biOgrRpher lays Sc
wards defeat to FfllmOres Supporters
in 1856 who thought the Senator too
radical Another charges it against the
Democratic Free Sellers OF las. who
thought OF Seward as always a Whig.''
a third credits 1t to the antipathy OF
the old "KnOw-Nothing' following. A
fourth regards Lincoln as a much more
adroit politician than Seward. More
than one indicates that in spite OF this
Stewards defeat was due TO Horace
Greeley's spite. But none RI them can
explain away the fact that Lincoln. "a
colorIess and unknown candidate from
Illinois" who polled only 103 votes in
the first ballot against 1T3 for Seward.
ultimately poled 2SS, and was duly nomi-
mated.
I Here the tragedy OF Stewards ambition
begins to point to Commodore Rodgers
elegant house"
Seward was greatly disappointed at
his failure. His friends felt it even
more deeply. All over the couTSry- men
said for his hearing that the great man
had gone down before the little. \ pow
erful Democratic organ published a long
editorial on the theme: He is at once
the greatest and the NEST dangerous
man in the Government Another pa
per referred to him as "Actaeon de-
Voured by his own dogs
In his own town OF Auburn the ed
itor OF the foremost Republican paper
could not find the spirit TO write a single
sentence Of Endorsement for the success
full candidates. Finally Seward himself
wrote an article beginning: ''No truer or
firmer defender of the Republican faith
could have been found. But he was
moved TO say as well that he felt him
self "a leader depOsed 5y his own party
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