The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-05-22

that he was pledged to Cass. and Con-
necticut politicians used to assert that
nothing but tnf ability OF the dele
gates from thal- state 20 agree upon
Ralph j. lugeFstl prevented his NOM
nation ia the end the southern dele
safes told those from New Hampshire
that any Democrat of that state upon
hCm they could agree would be sup
ported by the south. and So. after a pro-
i0Hged contest. Franklin Pierce was
nominated. Pierce had been d mem
Der of both branches of congress and "A
general in the Mexican war but he
was practically unknown beyond the
borders Of his own state. Nevertheless
he scored decisIVeIu AL the polls. receiv-
ing pa electoral Voues TO a. Tor his rival
Who carried only four states Two
years later the W.hig party vanished
from the election returns OF the ma
ton
Stewards Great Disappointment.
Buchanan. a long time aspiraut for
the presidency, trlumphAG ln 800, but
the campaign of 1850 brought TO uaught
tho presidential ambitions OF Douglas
end Seward. The Democrats i'm that
year split hopeIesslv on the slavery
question one wing nominating Breck-
lHridge and the other Douglas When
the Republicans met in convention at
Chicago the nomination of Seward
then easily the most conspicuous and
popular of the Republican leaders
seemed a f0reg0ue conclusion. But
his candidacy had TO face the unreIent-
ing opposition of Horace Greeley, VINO,
denied a place ON the New York dele
cation, appeared at Chicago with the
proxy of am Oregon delegate and
worked in season and out of season.
undermining Stewards strength. Gree
ley IS, chief argument was singular
one Seward. while governor of New
York had signed a bin granting Dor
ton of the school funds of the state
to Catholics. and this act. Greeley de-
c.ared. would cost him thousands OF
votes should he be nominated for pres
laeHt. GreeIey's declaration with the
menace .of NngW-NOthusism 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
states in October if Seward were nom
mated. 1t drove enough votes from the
New Yorker 90 defeat him. Lincoln
on the fourth ballot, was nominated in
his stead.
Llncolu.s denomination and re-eIec-
ton in 1854 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
10 strengthen his cause i'm 1854 was
the nomination of "a conspicuous war
Democrat FOR vice president. General
Benjamin j. Butler was at that time
a strong man in the loyal states. He
had not achieved great military sue
cess but his administration iu New
orleans had made him generally popu-
lar I'm the north He was. therefore.
Lluc3iuF first selection for vice Bresf-
dent and lu March, 1864, Simon Cam
erou was asked by the president to
visit Fortress Monroe, where Butler
was then stationed and c0nfdeutiaUv
tender him the nomination. Butler
however, promptly declined TO run for
the vice presidency, not because he
thought the duties OF the position
thankless, but because he did not want
10 60 on the same ticket with Lincoln,
for whom be had conceived a violent
personal dislike. Nor did he rest con-
tent with this perempt6ry decIination.
A few days prior to the meeting of the
Republican national convention az Bali
tmore he sent for Frank W. Bird.
leading Massachusetts Republican of
tho period, and charged the latter. as
ms friend, To see the delegates from
that state and to say to them for him
llaL he absolutely refused to allow his
name 10 be used as a running mate
with Lincoln, and that IF ne should be
nominated he would not accept the
nomination. Bird did as he was re-
quesJed, and Do was mainly through
his earnest pTOJestati0ns that the Mass
achusetJs delegates were prevented
from casting their votes for Butler.
Had they done SO. it is altogether prob
able that Butler instead Of Johnson.
20 whom the friends of the president
finally turned as the man most avail
aDle for the place would have been
nominated and would have been presi-