Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-15

limit with men whose only instruc-
tions were to "whoop 1t UP for Abe"
They did. Seward, the darling of the
party, had no friends in the galleries.
his name was greeted with silence but
for the few feeble cheers coming only
from discouraged delegates. Every
mention of Lincoln was cheered to the
echo. The claquers served their pur-
pose and served 1t well. The practical
politicians of the Curtin and Lane
stripe convinced the convention that
Seward was unavailable. The rooters
In the gallaries convinced 1t that Lin
coin was the man. The political man
ager OF today pays a great deal of at
tention to the galleries and he packs
them for his candidate II possible. He
has a distinguished precedent.
The nominating speech had not at
tained it's modern Importance at that
time. Seward was placed In nomina-
tion by speech thirty-three words IN
length, and It required but twenty-five
words to place Lincoln before the con-
vention. On the first ballot Seward
had 173 1-2 votes and Lincoln 1OS The
Chase and others. On the second ball
iot Seward gained eieven votes ant
Lincoln gained seventy-nine. on the
third ballot Lincoln went ahead, hav-
ing 231 1-2 to Stewards 180. Then OHIO
changed four votes from Chase to Lin
coin and gave him the necessary ma
jority. The packed galleries cheered
and cheered until they were exhausted.
Joseph Medili, the Chicago editor and
leader of the Lincoln forces, rejoiced
with his compatriots and with Lane
and Curtin.
But Thurlow Weed was disgusted
and heartsick. He refused to suggest
a man for vice president when a tender
of that privilege was made to the Sew
ard forces. Hannibal Hamlin was
nominated on the second ballot over
Cassius M. Clay of Kentucky. The
Seward men were not only sore In de-
feat, but they were ashamed OF their
party's newly selected leader. They
measured him by the mud on his bro
gans, and 1t was as IL they had es-
sayed to measure the walls Of space
with foot-rule.
The convention itself was very like
the convention which will meet in Chi
cago this week. It's organization was
not so perfect, admission to the hall
was easier to gain, and the convention
did not have such a sense OF self
Importance as 1t has today. The first
business 1t transacted was to accept
an invitation to take an excursion on
the lake, which acceptance was after
ward reconsidered. The convention
thought 1t necessary to adjourn one
evening because the hall had been
previously eHghBeu TOT du c&htpitiVh
drill by Zouave company.
1t was a lively. fun-loving body.
Horace Greeley was present as a dele
gate from the then almost inaccessi-
BILE state of Oregon, and the dele
gates twitted him as the gentleman
from Oregon" All the free states were
represented and there were delegations
from five of the slave states--Kentucky,
Missouri, Delaware, Texas and Vir-
mi nraGlnt
read out on the first roll call. A dele
gate asked for a full roll call and the
| names of Tennessee, Arkansas, Mis-
sissippi, Georgia, South and North
Carolina and Florida were called,
| while the delegates laughed. groaned.
| jeered and hissed. There was a great
| fight on the report of the COMMITTEES on
credentials, the question being whether
the slave states present were entitled
| to a full vote In the convention. Then
| began the wrangle over the southern
states delegations, which has continued
through every Republican convention
from that day until this. The reason
for the wrangling is seldom the same.
but the wrangle is regular quad
rennial affair.
The convention had a fight over the
platform, once actually voted down a
proposition to reassert the truths pro-
claimed by the Declaration of Inde-
pendence and was never unanimous on
any question. The platform declared
against the extension of slave terri
tory. specifically declared that 1t was
the right of states to control their own
local institutions without interference,
and denounced the armed invasion Of
state upon any pretext whatever as
"the gravest of crimes" This was a
reference to John Browns raid. The
Republican party of 1860 knew full well
that it could not countenance the at
| titude of the extreme abolitionists. 1t
was not its purpose to free the slaves
! In the south, 1t looked only to the issue
of the moment, the prevention of the
extension of slavery to the territories
and to new states.
| Yet today 1t is easy to see that the
attitude of the people of the north
which made the organization of the
Republican party possible was essen
TALLY an anti-slavery attitude. 1t was
| not so apparent at that time, as the
careful utterances of the early Re-
publican leaders give testimony. How
ever, when the Republican convention
| In the Chicago wigwam chose Abraham
Lincoln as their nominee for president
| they knew they had selected a man
| who had said "a house divided
against itself cannot stand. I believe
| this government cannot endure per-
manently half slave and half free"
| Later he wrote to Horace Greeley that
If he could save the Union by freeing
| the slaves, he would do it; that II he
| could save the Union by not freeing
the slaves, he would not free them; that
1t was his purpose to save the Union.
He did, and for that service not only
the Republican party which he led but
every man, woman and child who owns
to the name of American calls him
| blessed.
Copyright 1908. by Frederic j. Haskin,)
| Tanaarrau===Tha Great Third Term Eighi.