The Washington herald., 1907-10-20
How L. c. Weir Effected
Hayes Nomination.
STOPPED BLAINE LANDSLIDE
simple ExPedient Of CuttOng on
Light supply In Convention Hall
Forced Adjournment and Enabled
Hayes DemOraIized F9rces TO RE-
form for the Ensuing Fray.

time, and is part Of the political history
Of the country. I was then young man,
and so was he. and we often went as
delegates from our respective counties IN
/ Ohio Republican State conventions. he
was always leader in Republican coun-
| ellis IN Cincinnati, and later on, in the
State and nation Genial, bright. and
not an ofice-hoIder or odice-seeker, he
was a man Of weight in all Republican
councils lie had the confidence OF
| Noyes, Matthews, Hayes, Garfield, Wade,
and all the great leaders in Ohio who
knew him on sight and called him by
name
He was g. private in the civil war-a
private always later on in the great
party of his choice His politics was
patriotism as he understood IT, and so
common bond of sympathy grew up be
tween us. binding US ike brothers to-
gether. Ia 1876 l was a member of the
Ohio legislature and often ran down
to Cincinnati and ne up TO Columbus 10
consult together about the nomination
of Hayes for the President. IN which
our views and feelings, keyed 20 the high
est pitch of enthusiasm, were in complete
accord
I In the legislature, he in the field, left
not a stone unturncd TO bring about the
consummation we so devOutly wished
The time came about when the Repub-
lican National Convention met in Music
Han, Cincinnati on hot day IN june,
1876 There were giants in those days.
There sat the lordly Conkling. the fear
less Hartrauft, the splendid Jewell, the
commonplace but powerful Cameron.
blun Ben Wade. polished George William
/ Curtis. poetic Lowell i'm his FUN fame;
the fiery Logan, the dashing fitzpatrick,
the quiet. burly Lew Wallace, One-legged
but non-hearted N0yes Oue-armed bat
chivalrovs Fairchiid, that Bayard Of the
chivalry of the 6es. learned and digHl-
fed Gen. Cox. the towering Garfield, the
tall Long Jonn7 Wentworth. the dauHt-
less Deveus, and hosts OF men Ike them,
who made much of American history. and
themselves were and forever shall be its
crown jewels.
Outlook Favored Blaine.
Our little fellow at the start seemed
to be in the background Sixy-eight
votes. including Ohio's forty-four, were
all that Wade Garfield. Sherman. Noyes.
and Cox could possibly scrape up, and
at the outset We youug fellows were
much discouraged at the reports Of our
elders
Blaine was all the go The air was
surcharged with magnetism for Blaine.
Hayes was hardly considered at first.
And so the presentation of candidates on
the second day began-what long
speeches. We Of the little band Of Hayes
men sat impatieutly while Breret0n. COnk-
ling, HarJrantt. and Morton were pre-
sented by their respective chosen ora
tors. while the great hail rang with
cheers for each candidate presented The
time dragged on. but our boys were VIgi-
liant. Those were od-fashiOned days,
with clumsy gas cOntrivances 10 light
the hall az ght. Luck favored Us at
last, for it was well on toward sundown
when a man came quietly forward. and
simply naming Blaine. set the house in
a roar OF cheers. Ono, That suited us
and we Joined I'm the ClamOr and kept IL
up 10 XIII time We did not know who
the orator was. but he was q wonder. /
We had never heard Of him before, no.
body seemed 20 know him, but as he
swept on. rolling out his magnificent
periods about the plumed knight, We We're
fairly stampeded and beaten out, end
sank into despOndency. All needed was
a vote, when IngersoU closed in a shower
Of oratoriCal fireworks / never saw sur
passed, but the cheering went on and on,
and we helped il on, 20 kin time. The
only chance was to put of that fatal
vote.
Cheers 10 Prevent Vote
Darkness settled thick over the hall as
IngersoH sat down. but the Blaine men
kept on cheering. stamping the floor,
throwing up hats. canes, and handker-
chiefs, and some fellow with a horse
fiddle raised pandem0nIum in the gallery.
We helped keep up the racket. and our
only fear was that il might cease. a bal
lot be taken and Blaine nominated-a
sure thing then. But stop. Early in In
gersolls speech, Louis Weir went around
through the Ohio crowd. sitting in the
center Of the hall. and gave US our CUE
10 pTolong Ingersolls presentation till
dark II possible, by all manner of con
fused noises, which were music to the
Blaine men.
The chairman raped for order-con-
fusion was the only response, and more
and more, TIL worn out, at length it df-
minished enough so that a form was
dimly seen and a loud voice on the plat
form exclaimed: There is no means to
light this hall. I move an adjournment
till tomorrow at 10 a. M, and a thou
sand Of us sprang up instantly, seconded
the motion, and stated back over the
loose chairs on a rush for the doors onto
the street, and the thing was done and
the day saved for the bewildered and
panicky crowd followed us all out in a
perfect pandemonium.
Louis Weir and his men had cut OF the
gas. That night we laid the ropes. and
next day on the seventh ballot nominated
Hayes. 1t was Louis Weir who made
Hayes President.
Weir Declines Reward.
In the last days Of February Gov.
Hayes bade good-by to the legislature.
and proceeded to Washington in the clos
ing hours Of the count. It was a Wild
ride and full of hazards, but when ne
reached the capital in a dismal rain Fri
day morning before his Inauguration, we
who accompanied him did not fail to see
Louis c. Weir the happiest man all the
way through. Hayes, once inaugurated.
Louis called to bid him gOOd-by before
leaving for Cincinnati, and in the pres
ence Of us all he said something like this
to Louis.
You look around and see if there's
anything you want, and you shall have
it."
Louis laughed shook his handsome
| head. and replied.
No, no; 1 want nothing but my old
stand IN Cincinnati"
And off he went, happy as the day is
long.
PRIVATE DALZELI.
Naturally So.
From Tffa