The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-02-19
National convsnuon. 10 would bs mis-

lin Pierce was elected President. .. brief statements of the quiet easy game played in his behalf In June. 1852, at Baltimore, may interest some of your readers. In 1851 and years following was resi- dent of Concord. N. H.. and of the ward in which was the home of General Frank lin Pierce. Boarding and lodging in the same family with me was another law student, Henry P. Rolfe, reading law in the office of Pierce and Minot. He was then young Democrat, but became . Republican during the rebellion.
 In 1852 the Boston morning papers used to reach Concord about 10 o'clock q. m. One morning in June, 1889, Relfe and were at the station when the New Hamp. shire delegates to the Democratic Ma tional Convention took the Boston train on their way to Baltimore, where the convention was to, be held, and as the train pulled out Rolfe asked me- while we walked back and forth on the outside platform, who thought would bs no1ni.l mated at Baltimore. answered:
 '.Either Lewis Class, James Buchanan, or stephen A. Doueias."
 (Which of them do you think7'
 s'Buchanan,' said l..
 .whyr. asked Rolfe.
 I gave some reasons, and then return ed his question: "Who do you think 1t will be2''
 .sFranRiin Pierce" said he. You may be sure made some exclamation of incredulity, to which he replied: Let see why think so.''
 He then proceeded to recall what everybody knew, that the three candf- dates had named were sure to be pre- scented to the convention; that they would probably have about equal Initial strength among the delegates and would be sup- ported with about equal sincerity and persistence: that one after the other each of the three would gain the votes of some delegates from the other two; that prob ably in that way each of the three would, on some ballots, receive simple maJ0ri- ty of the votes, but not the requisite two thirds. ''Then," said Rolfe. when the friends of each are fully satisfied that their favorite cannot be nominated they will all be ready for new candidate.s
 What good will that do Frank Pierce?" I broke in.
 DO you remember the vists of some Mexican war generals to Concord last year2" he went on.
 remember them. They were Generals Pillow of Tennessee; Clingman of North Carolina; Quitman and Jefferson Davis of Mississippi. and Gushing of Massa- chusetts, and perhaps one or two others whom do not now recall. They were there in August, went to the beaches and the mountains with their friend and cotxl- rade General Pierce, and were in Concord again, some of them, in October. had met most of them personally at one time or another.
 You know" continued Rolfe, 1t pass. cd as a mere accidental meeting in Bos- ton of the Southern gentlemen on their several ways to Northern summer re- sorts, to whom it then occurred that if Pierce and Cushing would join them 1t would add to their enjoyment. It was a mere chance meeting of friends for . vacation. But they fixed up ali the ar engagements to make Pierce the Demo. cratic nominee for President, and they are assembling at Baltimore this week to play the parts agreed on last year. All of these generals but Pierce will be in the convention. They are Rsll-known party leaders. They do not all favor the same one of the big three at first. They will conspicuously try to secure two thirds of the convention for one Or the othar of the three, but their influence, though strong enough to give one after the other majority. will somehow always fail to bring together two-thirds for either. When the convention begins u kGL NTCu anu dtACB0ScN 0kG NcNAttA8 whom, then, can we nominate, and names are getting mentioned, then General .s--- is to nominate General Franklin Pierce of New Hampshire and General - is to second the nomination. Other gen. erals and others besides the generals will join them, and Pierce will be the noTai-> nee,'
 Rolfe told me the names of the gen. erals. Pillow and Cilngman, who were to nominate General Pierce, but do not remember which one was to lead off.
 "There are two chances to lose the game by a mistake of judgment" said, Rolfe. "one Is by bringing in Pierca,s name too soon. If his name Is talked of while the friends of either Cass, Doug las. or Buchanan have any hope of suc- cess, they win hold Pierces friends responsible for the favorite's defeat, and they will in revenge defeat our plan. The other possible way to lose Is to bring in the name of Pierce too rate. Some other party or combination of politicians may have the very same plan in hand in be- half of some other candidate and if they put their man in at the right time and before us they will probably win the place."
 The records of the convention show that Mr. Roife said only what he knew. The results were exactly what he ex- pected This work was done as 1t was planned. Cass, Buchanan, and Douglas fought to standstill. Each one reach ed a majority neither could get two- thirds. Then some inconsplcious deia- gate was told 10 cast his vote for General Franklin Pierce. That turned the wind of the convention upon him, and the geti- erals hurriedly suggested to delegates that he would make an admirable can didate. and, having found nobody to con- tradict, Pillow and Clingman spoke their lmpromptus and the thing was done.
 General Pierce went to Boston to await results, where the plot was yet unknown He showed a natural interest in the bat tie of the big three but when, at length a vote was cast for him he was no longer found among the politicians. When he was formally put in nomination, Inessan- gers were sent to his hotel and elsewhere, but no one could tell where he could be found. As soon as the roll call showed his nomination somebody at the Amert- can House remembered that he had spoken of going to Mount Auburn. On that hint friends went there with all speed, found the pensive gentleman. and exclaimed;
 General Pierce. you are nominated for President of the United States"
 It was said that 1t had to be repeated, when the nominee gasped; ''My God, gentlemen, you could not have told a more astonished man?'
 It was e rather easy game, but 1t was very neatly and prettily played by all. even to the end. If General Pierce had been publicly mentioned as a candidate even that amount of boom would, as