The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-04-12
New York State and
 Political Conventions
Tashlngton Letter by savoyard in Nash-

washingtoh Letter by savoyard in Nash-
 vile Banner
 More than 100 years ago John Adams. the second President of the United States, made this remark in a discussion of New York politicians: They are the devils incomprehensibles." It seems that Alexander Hamilton, the then leader of the Federal party in New York, had at tempted to make C. c. Pinckney Presi- dent at the expense of Adams. and there by he had made certain the election O. Thomas Jefferson. The elder Adams was a good hater, his tongue had never known bridle, and we ccn easily imagine that he was one wto bore small malice against Aaron Burr for the result of the fatal meeting at weehawken. Whilst New York has long been the Empire State. only two of her citizens have at tained the office of President by the ver- dict of the electorate, though third had the majority of the popular vote and also a majority of the de pura electoral col- lege, but was deprived of his right by chance. But if New York has given the country only two Presidents, chosen by the electoral college, she has given us no less than eight Vice President, and three of these succeeded to the presidency by reason of the demise of the executive, if one may so express it.
 The Republican Party has never yet taken candidate for President from the Empire State, though she took five can didates for Vice President from there and elected four of them. Since the Re- publican Party set up in the political business it has carried New York in nine presidential elections and lost it four times. When both political parties are on their good behavior it is pretty we'll understood that the vote of New York is decisive of the result, though the State has been less fortunate in picking win ner than Indiana, which has voted with the majority continually since, and in- cluding 1852, and, indeed has been on the minority side but twice since she was ad- mitted as State in 1885
 In 1856 1t was New Yorks vote in the Republican convention that secured the nomination of John c. Fremont. Had New York supported Judge Mclean, it is pretty certain that our national history would have been very different. In 1860 New York had a favorite son, William H. Seward, and. strange -a5 it may ap- pear to this generation, supported him with both loylty and zeal; but there was the remains of the Know-nothing party at the North. and Seward had mortaily affronted it by advocating a division of
 
 testants and Catholics, and that incident in his record defeated him for the nomi- nation. Had he been selected, it is alto gether probable that Douglas would have secured enough votes in the college to throw the election into the House of Representatives of the Thirty-sixth Con- gress. or there might have been a fu- sion of the two wings of the Democratic Party in the college that would have re- s.~ olx ktT%r1 .f tive like Cass or Guthrie. or Seymour. Had Seward been elected President, it Is almost certain that the war for the Un- ion would have been a failure, if, indeed, it had been waged at all. As 1t was, he nearly involved the Federal government with England over that Mason and Slidell affair, and there would have been war on that account had not Lincoln edited and expurgated the dispatches of his Sec retary of State.
 In 1884. 1888 and 1872 there was no con- test for first place in the Republican Ma tional Conyention-it was some of the luck of the c. O. P. But in 1876 there was a big contest. and again New York had a favorite son. Roscoe Conkling. It was in that convention that Bob Ingersoll made the thrilling orations that knighted James c. Blaine, and but for the adroit work of J. Donald Cameron, Blaine would have been nominated. Morton. Bris- tow. Hayes and Hartranft were sall fa- vorite sons, and on the seventh ballot Blaine got 351 votes, Bristow 21, and Hayes 3S4. It was a tight squeeze, but the field had more votes than the plumed knight In 1880 New York again went down in a Republican National Conven- Hon. Instructed for Gen. Grant, there was a bolt, and many of the New York delegates voted for MT. Blaine. On one of the ballots Conkling, chairman of the Delegation, hesitated before he cast the vote, though New York had long been called by the clerk. He apologized with .he remark. 'I discover that - -, my colleague on the delegation, is medi- lating another treason, and do not wish to disturb him until he has completed he infamy." But splendid as was the Grant following, and magnificent as was he stand made by the 3O6, the fates said them nay, and the dark horse came in winner
 Four years later New York supported