The Washington herald., 1907-12-08
Br RUDoLPH DE ZAPP.

by RUDOLPH De ZAPP.
Many of President Roosevelts friends
refuse to believe that his declination Of
/ the Presidential candidacy will eiimi-
nate him from being considered at the
Republican National Convention, which
meets next year, as his own successor.
rs Mr.. Rooseveit's declination hnal?"
is asked by many. On the face of things
it looks 10 be so. for the President is apt
/ to mean what he says.
It will be remembered by many In con-
nection with the third term question that
President Grant wrote in 1915 TO the
chairman of the Pennsylvania Republi-
can State convention something about the
third term which attracted great atten-
ton at the time Grant said in that letter
that he had not sought first term or a
| second term, and that he would not ac-
| cept a nomination for a third term un-
/ less It should come under such circum-
stances as 10 make il an imperative duty
circumstances not likely to arise"
This language was held by Grants Re
publican opponents as binding him not
TO take Il third term nomination. or al
any rate, to compel him to constrain his
friends not 70 attempt 10 get such a
nomination for him. Probably Grant did
not desire another candidacy. II is al
together probable that he let this fact
be known TO Conkling. Logan. Cameron,
/ Forney. and the others who were press
ing him for another nomination.
Garfield the Winner.
| When the convention Of 1880 met. never
| theless. everybody knew that the contest
would be between Grant and Blaine. No
body. Republican or Democrat. in the
| United States was surprised when Grant
was seen TO lead the convention for many
ballots. despite the anti-third-teTm senti-
ment. In that convention Blaine not
only represented that two-term unwrit-
ten law, but he stood Sor his own per
! sonal prestige as a leader. which was
greater than that OF any other member
of his party of that day except Grant
alone. BY a concentration of almost all
/ of the antithird termers on Garfield. the
latter, who had not been an asplrant at
ALL but was the leader of Sherman's
forces. was nominated. Nobody doubted
however. that il Grant had received the
nomination in 1850. even after a hard con-
test, he would have accepted%t and made
! the canvass
Hayes let il be known soon after he
entered the Presidency in 1871 that he
would not be an aspirant for a re-elec-
/ tion. Tilden. Hayes unsuccessful com
petitor in 1876. also disclaimed any de
sire for another nomination He let that
/ be known formally 90 his friends shortly
/ before the convention of 1880 met. This
was published in all the papers OF the
| country at the time.
Hancock Beats TIIden.
There were Democrats, however. who
wanted to make an issue OF the crime
Of 1876 as they called the decision of
the electoral commission. which. in the
disputed count, seated Hayes. These
advocates Of the "old ticket were pow
erful in the party for time, but the
! loss of the election of 1876 hit Tilden's
prestige. and the military record OF Gen.
| Hancock did the rest
! In the voting In the convention OF 1880
Hancock led off on the first ballot and
was nominated on the second. after the
shifting of the different delegations to
/ the winning side had taken place. Some
/ of the delegates, however, voted for Til
den to the end, and IL was said at the
I time that the Sage of Undertook ex-
pected the nomination. and that he was
angry because all except three dozen
OF the delegates had taken him at his
word and voted for somebody else.
| Shortly before the convention OF 1868
/ Il was known that Chase then chief JUS
tice. would accept the Democratic nomi-
nation for President in that year IL il
We're rendered him. Chase had belonged
TO almost every party. in succession.
which had appeared in his day. He had
been Democrat. a Liberty party man, a
/ Whig, a Free SOiler. and a Republican.
AS a Republican ne had been elected
governor Of Ohio. and Senator from that
State, and as a Republican he had been
an active aspirant for the nomination in
the convention of 1860 which gave Lin
coin the candidacy.
WOuId Accept Nomination.
He served in Lincoln's Cabinet. and
while there he aspired to the candidacy
of 1864 knowing that his chief wanted
the denomination, but he stepped out of
the race long before the convention met,
and retired from the Cabinet soon after
ward. When on the supreme bench. TO
which he was appointed by Lincoln, he
gradually diverged from the Republicans
on some of the issues connected with the
reconstruction policy, leaned toward
JohnsOn's side in the impeachment pro-
| ceedings. and announced himself a Demo-
crat few months before the convention
of 1868 met.
He drew up platform OF principles
to which he subscribed. declared that he
did not think he would be available as
Democratic candidate, but neverthe-
less was ready 10 accept the nomination
if two-thirds OF the convention offered
it TO him. Vallandingham, who had op-
posed Chase's greenback ideas when first
promulgated, in 1862 and who was
against the entire policy OF the admins
tration of which Chase had been a part.
was an ardent Chase man in the conven-
ton in Tammany Hall. which put I'D
the Democratic ticket Of 1865 but the sen
timent in favor Of the chief justice. IL
there were any such, never manifested
itself in the convention
The man who became the nominee of
the Democratic convention OF 1868, Hora-
ito Seymour. had not been prominently
mentioned outside OF his own State I'm
connection with the candidacy of that
year previous to the meeting of the con-
vention. He had been conspicuous in
New York politics for many years. had
been a member of the legislature was
governor Of the State during part of the
civil war, and presided over the conven
ton which nominated Mcclellan for Pres
ident in 1864, as we'll as over that of 1868.
in which he himself received the candi
dacy.
Favorable to Greensacks.
In the 1868 convention. however. by far
the most promising aspirant AT the start